Messianic Jews Are Seeing ‘Massive’ Global Growth with Prophetic Implications, Leader Says
A leader in the Messianic Jewish movement is reporting a global surge in Jewish belief in Jesus, seeing it as at least a partial fulfillment of End Times prophecy. Jeff Morgan of Jews for Jesus made that point on a recent episode of the Sean McDowell Show, stating that "God hasn't forgotten His Jewish people" as he highlighted research showing a steady rise in Jewish faith in Jesus.
"We're seeing a massive increase in Jewish belief and Jewish faith in Jesus in the world," said Morgan, himself a Messianic Jew. "I see it here on the ground, and we see the statistics coming in with Jews for Jesus."
In 2012, there were an estimated 350,000 Messianic Jews worldwide, according to data at the time. Today, there are around 1 million, with 870,000 living in the United States, Morgan said.
Modern-day Israel, too, has seen a growth in the number of Messianic Jews, Morgan said.
When Israel was established as a modern nation in 1948, there were only 23 Messianic Jews in the country -- yet today, that number has grown to at least 15,000, with some estimates exceeding 30,000. A 2022 study by the Caspari Center reported that the number of Messianic Jews in Israel has "more than tripled in the last 20 years."
"I think God is truly opening the hearts of our people. I believe that technology and digital outreach are huge in all of this," Morgan said. "The internet and social media platforms make it so much easier to access information about Jesus from a Jewish perspective. And so when someone's in their room and they're unsure about Jesus …they're not going to walk into a church, but they surely can click a button and watch a video anonymously in the privacy of their own home and get information that they've never had before."
Morgan emphasized that there are often negative consequences within the Jewish community for someone who embraces Christ.
"And so even though there's a growing number of Orthodox Jews who believe in Jesus, they usually keep their faith secret, or they reach out to us in secret and anonymously," he said. "Because of community pressure, they can lose their families."
Morgan pointed to other data that reflects a shift in attitudes toward Jesus among young Jewish adults. A 2017 Barna survey found that 21 percent of Jewish millennials in the U.S. believe Jesus was "God in human form who lived among people in the 1st century," while 28 percent view Him as a rabbi or spiritual leader. Both perspectives, Morgan noted, are more favorable than seeing Jesus as "a heretic or a sorcerer."
"Jesus is for the Jewish people. He's for the world, absolutely, but He is for the Jewish people," Morgan said. "... Jesus was Jewish. You know, He was born into a Jewish family. He lived as a Jew. He followed Jewish traditions. His teachings were deeply rooted in Jewish Scripture, and he often affirmed the Jewish faith."
Messianic Jews, he said, accept Christ as the Son of God as they continue to practice their Jewish traditions, such as Passover.
"We still celebrate these Jewish traditions, but we see the fact that Jesus has either fulfilled them or He will fulfill them in His second coming," Morgan said.
Meanwhile, Morgan said "Jewish acceptance of the Messiah" is a key prophetic sign of Christ's return.
"The growth of Jewish believers today, and we see that through the statistics, is often interpreted as evidence that the veil is being lifted," he said, referencing what he called a "spiritual blindness" among Jewish people. "It's beginning to lift. And it's just so beautiful, because when you see it with your own eyes …you can see God actually making that switch in the heart of the Jewish person, in our people. And I've seen it happen again and again, and it's just so beautiful to see. …So the growing number of Jewish believers in Jesus today is indeed seen as prophetic foreshadowing of this national acknowledgment."
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published August 14, 2025.
