“And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
In the Laws of Teshuvah 3:4, Rambam wants all readers to understand that everyone in the world is being “weighted” equally in hastening the return of the Messiah. Thus, according to this belief, every mitzvah (good deed) or sin hastens or slows the return of the Messiah. This is a very common belief amongst Jewish people today. However, since we believe that the Messiah has already come, how do we hasten His return?
All humans want to be in control of what is happening in our lives, but we need to understand that God runs on His own timeline. He has told us, though, when He will return in Matthew 24:14. Many Jewish people believe that they were chosen by God, so they don’t need to worry about punching their ticket to Heaven. When we look at Scripture, we can see that Jesus says He is the only way to the Father. To be saved, one must have faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and commit to making Him Lord of their life.
There seem to be at least two things that need to happen before He returns. First, we need to reach every nation, tribe, and people group of every language. Second, the Jewish people need to proclaim, according to Matthew 23:39, “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai” (“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”)
We need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the revelation of Y’shua (Jesus) to come upon the House of Israel. The Lord is moving in the nation of Israel and is bringing His people back to Himself. Therefore, we must urgently reach out to every nation and every tribe so that our brothers and sisters can proclaim prophetically, “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai!”
The coming of the Messiah is affected by every good act and every bad one.
Since we believe that the Messiah has already come, how do we hasten His return?
Our role is to be faithful witnesses, not to try to bring about the end through our own efforts. Ultimately, it is God alone who will determine the timing of Christ’s return.
This is a really thought-provoking piece! It’s interesting to consider the interplay between our actions and God’s timing. I agree that we can’t control when Christ returns, but the verse from Matthew certainly suggests a connection between spreading the Gospel and His return.
Thought-provoking read! It’s a powerful reminder that our actions can impact the timing of Christ’s return and that we all share responsibility in this.