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The Back to Jerusalem vision is something that thousands of Chinese Christians are willing to die for. Why? When many people first hear about “Back to Jerusalem” they misinterpret from the name of the movement that the Chinese Church wants to evangelize Jerusalem.
The first thing to understand was that ‘Back to Jerusalem’ does not at all mean the Chinese want to rush to Jerusalem with the Gospel. The vision is much larger than that.
The BTJ vision is a passion for the house churches of China. We pray about it daily, dream about it, and talk about it over breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Back to Jerusalem vision is not some small trivial matter for us, but the driving force of our lives and ministries. Many feel it is God’s ultimate call and destiny for the Chinese Church, the very reason they exist!
Back to Jerusalem is not some kind of end times theory. We have no plans to rush to Israel. Rather, BTJ refers to a call from God for the Chinese Church to preach the Gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all the countries, cities, towns, and ethnic groups between China and Jerusalem. This vision is no small task, for within those nations lay the three largest spiritual strongholds in the world today that have yet to be conquered by the Gospel: the giants of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
More than 90% of the unreached people groups in the world today are located within the 10/40 window – more than 5,100 tribes and ethno-linguistic groups with little or no Gospel witness.
Of the world’s 50 least-Christian and least-evangelized countries, all 50 are located within this region!
This map shows the “10/40 window.”
Within the red lines live more than 90% of the world’s remaining unreached people groups,
and all 50 of the world’s least evangelized countries. These countries are the focus of the Back to Jerusalem movement.
As you read these pages, please remember that the Back to Jerusalem movement is not a crazy pipe-dream of a few fanatical Christians that may or may not happen. It is something that is already happening! Right now there are already hundreds of Chinese missionaries working outside China in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Thousands more are in training, learning languages such as Arabic and English that will be put to use on the mission field.
A team of thirty-six Chinese missionaries departed China in March 2000 for a neighboring Buddhist country. They were the first contemporary team of Back to Jerusalem missionaries, the first-fruits of a great flood to come. Few people around the world knew of this event, but their going was the result of years of prayer and planning. On that day China once again became an active participant in worldwide mission.
During the training and orientation for those 36 pioneers, each one was asked to give their testimony. Many tears flowed as they told their stories. All of them had suffered much for the Gospel in China. Most had been arrested, imprisoned, beaten and tortured because of their testimony for Jesus Christ. They had all faced extreme hardship, separation from family, forced starvation, sleepless nights and perils on every side.
Despite tremendous opposition, all 36 of these house church missionaries had faithfully preached the Gospel throughout China for years, establishing churches and seeing more of God’s power manifested through their ministries each month than most Christians see during their lifetimes.
As the Back to Jerusalem vision unfolds, you may start to hear reports of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists coming to Christ in places where the Gospel has long struggled to make an impact. When this happens, don’t be amazed at the Chinese Christians, we are just sinners saved by grace and undeserving of any attention. Rather, be amazed at the wisdom and manifest beauty of God’s plan. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”, 1 Corinthians 1:25
We hope you will be encouraged and challenged by the Back to Jerusalem vision, and moved to prayer and involvement in the fulfillment of the Great Commission in these last days, until “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”, Revelation 11:15
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