The Back to Jerusalem Podcast

BTJ has been working inside North Korea for years, and this year the team reached a major milestone: a Bible distribution center set up inside the country. With rumors swirling about Kim Jong Un’s health, BTJ keeps getting the same question: what is really happening on the ground? In this episode, Eugene shares a direct update from the team inside North Korea. Is the supreme leader dead?

Eugene Bach reports from the U.S. at the start of his October coast-to-coast tour, fresh from the Voice of the Persecuted gathering held in the heart of Oxford University – 500 years after William Tyndale completed the first printed English Bible in 1526, a work he paid for with his life. At Oxford, believers who have been imprisoned for their faith in China, North Korea, Pakistan and Turkey share...

Eugene Bach delivers an update from inside southern China on a story Back to Jerusalem has been tracking for years: the Chinese Communist Party's project to produce its own translation of the Bible.

While the world has heard about flooding in Nepal and southern Tibet, a separate and possibly more devastating flood hit North Korea at the beginning of this month, destroying roads, bridges, railways, and thousands of homes. Eugene explains the two reasons this disaster has stayed hidden from the outside world: North Korea's track record of executing officials blamed for past disasters, and t...

In Brazil, BTJ joins a Christian hackers conference focused on using technology for missions. Hackers attending the conference work on solutions for moving funds to missionaries, getting Bibles into closed countries, and using AI, software, and other skills to help spread the Gospel.

What if there were two Jesuses to choose from? Eugene explores the story of Pastor Jing Dianying and the Jesus Family in China, revealing how Jing was forced to choose between a kingdom built through force and one built through love, sacrifice, and faith. He connects this choice to the surprising story of Jesus Barabbas and asks which Jesus we are choosing today.

Eugene examines how China’s 2017 restrictions on NGOs drove most foreign organizations out of the country. He argues that the loss of these organizations, many of them Christian, has left China with fewer resources to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian needs, while persecution of Christians continues to impact the nation.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping how information is shared, but who decides what is true? Eugene Bach examines AI bias, the growing race to control data centers, and why Back to Jerusalem is investing in secure digital infrastructure to protect Scripture, missionary resources, and the freedom to share the gospel.

Four newly discovered Chinese biographies changed everything Eugene thought he knew about the Back to Jerusalem vision. In this episode, he uncovers a remarkable pattern hidden throughout its history: the overlooked influence of courageous women whose faith helped shape one of China's most enduring missionary movements.

In today’s Back to Jerusalem podcast, Eugene shares why legacy matters for missions and how the Chinese church is carrying the faith of our fathers across the 10/40 window. From growing up without a father to discovering a spiritual family that stretches from Adam and Abraham to modern Chinese missionaries, this episode connects biblical genealogies to real mission fields today.

BREAKING UPDATE: Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of Beijing's Zion Church, has been released from prison in China and reunited with his family in Los Angeles, arriving on July 3, just before America's 250th Independence Day celebration. Eugene shares the full story.

Eugene Bach reports from Germany, reflecting on Pope Leo's recent comparison of AI to the Tower of Babel. Eugene digs into Genesis 11 and offers a mission field perspective the pope didn't mention: that Babel's true failure was resisting God's first command to go forth, multiply, and scatter across the earth. He traces this east versus west movement throughout scripture, ties it to...

Eugene Bach reports live from Dubai after days with underground house church leaders from across the Middle East. He connects a 100 year prayer movement started by persecuted Moravian believers under Count Zinzendorf to the missionaries God is raising up from China today. Many of these workers are serving in the most dangerous regions on earth, and war has forced some to move their families to saf...

Eugene Bach reports from a secret meeting on an island in Asia where veteran Chinese missionaries gathered to form their first-ever Chinese-led mission board. These leaders, some with 20+ years on the field, outlined four strategic priorities: multiplying small independent mission groups, investing in the next generation, advancing business as mission, and publishing indigenous training materials....

Iran appears increasingly isolated, yet missiles and drones keep flowing. A new China–Iran railway through Central Asia may help explain why. Drawing on years of travel in the region, Eugene examines the corridor, its geopolitical implications, and what it could mean for the future of the Middle East.

When President Trump and his entourage — including Elon Musk and Tim Cook — traveled to Beijing, they left behind something they NEVER part with: their phones, laptops, and iPads. Most people missed what that really means. Back to Jerusalem missionaries have been warning about China's aggressive digital surveillance for years — and now the world's most powerful tech leaders and political f...

Eugene is experiencing things that haven't been possible in China for as long as he can remember. No visas, no VPNs, easier than ever to travel in and around China... but are these things good?

Was Jesus racist? A Buddhist professor and a progressive California pastor both claimed this passage in Mark 7 proves Jesus only cared about Jews. Eugene unpacks the story of the Syrophoenician woman through a lens he learned sitting with China's underground house church, revealing layers in the text that reframe everything. Sometimes the most powerful Bible teaching comes not from those with...

Shagufta Kausar spent 8 years in a Pakistani death row cell for blasphemy—beaten, isolated, and offered freedom if she'd deny Jesus. Instead, she prayed for her enemies, saw visions of Christ, survived prison earthquakes, and watched God turn guards into friends who begged for her prayers. Her kids witnessed torture yet held onto faith through trauma. Now free, her story screams: Nothing can s...

Joseph joins Eugene on the podcast to discuss the horrors of the modern-day slave trade happening right now inside of Pakistan. You will be shocked by the number of people who are experiencing this nightmare.

Something has been bothering Eugene today, so he had to do a quick podcast to share something with you. Not only does he think that Tucker Carlson's recent comments are wrong, they are dangerous.

Mac joins Eugene to discuss starting businesses on the mission field and his journey from restaurant owner to training missionaries in food-based enterprise. Is it possible for missionaries to become fully self-sustaining and never need donations from Western churches?

Eugene wanted to share insights from recent conversations with underground house church pastors in China. They revealed many disturbing things, including widespread misinformation aimed at downplaying the persecution occurring there.

Eugene wanted to take a moment to share something that he believes is crystal clear in the Bible and may relate to what we're seeing in Iran today. The similarities and symbolism of this Biblical prophecy and what we're seeing in the news today was too overwhelming not to share.

This is the audio from a recent livestream. As you have been seeing on the news, the situation in Iran is extremely dire. Eugene has been working in Iran for more than 20 years but he has never received more messages from Christians inside of Iran than right now. Here's the latest.