When I first became a follower of Yeshua, I had a serious case of end-times fever. So did just about all the other Yeshua-believers that I knew. We not only believed in the glorious hope of Messiah’s return, but we believed it would happen within five years for sure, and we were suspicious of anyone who didn’t. We saw the signs all around us, especially in the Jewish return to the Land of Israel, and in the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967. Today, I still believe in the return of Messiah, but I’m not so sure about the timetable. Counting the Omer (April 20—June 8 this year; see Lev. 23:9-21) reminds us that God’s plan will come together on schedule. We depart from Egyptian bondage at Passover and will arrive at Mount Sinai for Shavuot after seven weeks—so keep counting!

Lag b’Omer, Day 33 of the Omer (May 23), is a minor Jewish festival on which kids in Israel build bonfires out of brush and wood scraps and shoot each other with toy bows and arrows. There are various traditional explanations for the holiday and its strange customs. What stands out to me, though, is that this day is that it is exactly 2/3 of the way through counting the Omer. Its message: Don’t quit now! We will make it to the goal! Keep on counting!

The same message helps us stay alert as we await Messiah’s return; God’s plan will come together on schedule, so do not lose heart. But Yeshua adds a vital condition: First the plan, “the good news of the kingdom,” must be announced worldwide, “and then the end will come.” Our assignment is not only to keep counting, but to help spread the message . . . which of course is a big problem in today’s relativistic culture, which is fine with you believing just about anything as long as you don’t try to convince anyone else of its truth. It is an even bigger problem among Jewish people, who feel like Christians have wielded the good news of the kingdom like a weapon against them for centuries.

Just today (May 21), I read about a bunch of over-zealous haredim (religious Jews) in Israel burning piles of New Testaments that were being distributed in their community (see "Or Yehuda deputy 'sorry' about burning bibles" at www.jpost.com. Scroll down to the story under “Jewish News” on the home page.)

Now, I believe that the bigger story in Israel is the growing numbers, influence, and visibility of the Messianic Jewish community there. Even in this article, several Israeli Messianic leaders were able to tell their (and our) side of the story in a positive way. But it is good to remember that the countdown to Messiah’s return, just like the annual countdown of days from Passover to Shavuot, is not automatic or impersonal. We have a part to play, and possibly even a price to pay, in reaching the goal for the age in which we live.