“The Messiah has already come. We just need to be ready for his return. No one knows the day, but the sooner, the better.”
It is not my belief, as I am Jewish. We believe that the Messiah has not yet come. He will be a man who is perfectly suited for the position, and if the time is right then G-d will imbue him with certain powers to affect change in the hearts of men. There will be no do-overs, as G-d is perfect and His chosen will not (CAN not) fail. FYI, I say “if the time is right” because it is a firm Jewish belief that in every generation there is at least one person who COULD be the Messiah, because that person is learned and righteous enough, but that potential will only be realized in one individual...when G-d determines that it is time.
Even under Jewish law, you are not obligated to believe as I do in order to have a place in the World to Come (i.e. Heaven). You need only abide by the 7 Noahide laws.
FYI, it is also part of Jewish belief that we need to ready ourselves for his appearance - to learn how to do what is right AND to actually DO what is right (mainly in the realm of doing kindness to others, giving charity, etc., but there is a LOT more to it, of course). You’re correct that no one knows the day. You’re also correct that the sooner, the better - because if our collective deeds are sufficient to bring the Messiah sooner than the otherwise appointed time, then the heartache and hardship of the period leading to his appearance will be less difficult. If we are not up to that standard, if the Messiah comes at his appointed time (i.e. near the year 6,000, 2240 in our calendar), then that generation will know hardship like none since the Creation. Pray and act to prevent that.
And the view from here...
According to the Zohar, the entire period of time allotted for Techiyas HaMeisim is between 210-214 years in advance of 6000. These are not the opinions of obscure rabbis, but of Rebi Yehudah HaNasi, the author of the Mishnah, and Rebi Yitzchak, a central figure of the same time period. They are, therefore, mainstream opinions, with which no one argues, at least not in the Zohar. As hard as this may be to fathom, that Techiyas HaMeisim may be only 10-14 years away, there really is no reason not to believe it.And, according to the Zohar, that begins after 40 years of Kibbutz Golios, which makes the beginning of it 26-30 years ago, around 1986-1990. So, if Kibbutz Golios lasts 40 years, and Techiyas HaMeisim comes at its conclusion, then Yemos HaMoshiach—the arrival and reign of Moshiach—must be part of the period of time called Kibbutz Golios, of which there is only 10-14 years left, according to Rebi Yehudah and Rebi Yitzchak.
Quoting from the article: "“The Moshiach is already here. Moshiach in Hebrew means ‘anointed’. It is not a miracle."