President Xi Jinping made his first public appearance in nearly two weeks, finally squelching the rumors of him being under house arrest. The earliest indications we had that the rumors were false came from team members on the ground in Beijing and though the rumors were not true, there are 5 reasons why the unconfirmed reports still circulated.

The number 666 usually stands out to us because of the significance it has in the Bible and the darkness surrounding it. For our 666th episode of the BTJ Podcast, Eugene wanted to discuss what he believes may be the darkest verse in the entire Bible. Plus, he is joined by a sister of BTJ to share stories of spiritual significance and deliverance happening in closed countries today.

Eugene wants to look at which tyrannical dictator killed the most Christians in the history of the world. Who were they? Do they live today? It's not as straightforward as an answer as you may think.

On this episode, Eugene wants to share something that he's learned from the underground house churches who face the most persecution, those between China and Jerusalem.There is a promise of God that the churches of Iran, China, North Korea, and others embrace but is one that those in the West may not want.

If you are interested in how business works on the mission field and in closed countries specifically, this is a podcast that you will enjoy. Eugene shares the number one priority to focus on when starting a business on the mission field, and the one thing that most business people overlook. (Recorded in the Dubai airport. Low audio quality.)

If you read any news articles about Christians in Vietnam today, one of the things you see are articles that talk about persecution of Christians. In fact, over the last two years Eugene has read numerous articles talking about the increase of persecution happening in Vietnam. What Eugene shares on this episode may surprise you.

Miracles Behind The Veil is a special series of stories directly from the front lines in Muslim nations where individuals share their testimonies of how they are coming to Christ. Banu joins Eugene on this episode to share how she is the only person in her people group to become a believer in Christ.

If you're thinking about starting a ministry or joining the mission field, this is for you. Eugene has been on the mission field for 20 years and he has been asked this question before. Listen as he shares his best advice on this topic, but be warned... you may question it, your church leadership may not like it, and some people may say this advice is crazy.

A special guest from the US who runs the YouTube channel joins Eugene for this episode. Amen! shares his testimony of faith in Christ and how his study of world religions helped him discover his passion of shedding light on the teachings of Islam.

Rabbi Myles Weiss is back on the BTJ podcast to talk about the recent news that the Presbyterian Church in the US has voted to label Israel an apartheid state.