Revelation Chapter 12 is a pivotal turning point in Shincheonji theology. It is portrayed as the chapter of salvation and the beginning of God’s kingdom on earth, following the betrayal and destruction prophesied in Revelation 13. While mainstream Christian theology often interprets this passage symbolically, Shincheonji teaches that it refers to a literal war between real spiritual and physical entities during the era of the Second Coming.
Here is a summary of its key symbolic actors and meanings in SCJ theology:
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The Woman Clothed with the Sun – This woman is interpreted figuratively as Mr. Yoo Joon Yeol (유준열), the leader of the tabernacle before it was taken over. The sun, moon, and stars represent spiritual Israel (cf. Genesis 37:9–11), and she symbolizes the leadership of the first tabernacle.
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The Male Child – Identified as New John (Lee Man Hee), the one who “overcomes” in Revelation 2–3. He is spiritually born of the Word and Spirit, destined to “rule all nations with an iron scepter,” and eventually caught up to God’s throne. This refers to his role as the Promised Pastor, who receives the open scroll and testifies to what he has seen and heard.
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The Red Dragon – Representing Satan, who acts through physical entities such as Pastor Nicholas (Mr. Oh) and Mr. Tak, who are said to have led the betrayal and destruction of the Tabernacle Temple. The dragon attempts to devour the child and leads a spiritual war in heaven.
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War in Heaven – A spiritual war takes place between God’s angels and the dragon’s angels. The dragon is defeated and cast down to the earth. According to SCJ, this represents a battle between truth and falsehood, fulfilled through a real-life struggle in the church.
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The Woman Flees into the Desert for 1,260 Days – The “desert” is interpreted as a theology school in the United States, seen as a spiritually barren place without the word of God. The 1,260 days is understood as a literal 3.5-year period of destruction, during which Mr. Yoo is absent and false pastors lead the tabernacle.
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Victory and Salvation – After overcoming the dragon, the male child and his brothers are declared victors. This moment, SCJ teaches, marks the arrival of God’s kingdom, salvation, and the authority of Christ (Revelation 12:10). It is the beginning of the era of the Twelve Tribes and the New Heaven and New Earth.
Theological Position in Shincheonji’s Narrative
This chapter holds immense doctrinal significance. Shincheonji teaches that Chapter 12 reveals the hidden mystery of how salvation comes at the end of the religious world. It encapsulates the key themes of betrayal, destruction, and salvation, and introduces the actual reality of Revelation’s fulfillment through physical events in South Korea involving named pastors and churches.
This is an ongoing series, and changes may occur until its completion. Additional articles will be added over time as they become available.
Revelation Chapter 12: War in Heaven and the Birth of a New Kingdom
The Woman, the Dragon, and the Overcomer — Through the Eyes of Lee Man-hee (이만희)
A Sign in Heaven — The Clash of Spiritual Forces
The sky above was not torn open with thunder and lightning. Rather, it was a sign seen through the eyes of prophecy—a moment revealed not to the eyes of the flesh but to the one appointed to testify to it. It was New John, standing spiritually on the edge of history, beholding a vision not merely for knowledge, but for fulfillment.
Before him unfolded a great and wondrous sign in heaven. Not a symbolic dream, but a divine reality in vision. A woman—clothed with the sun—radiated divine authority. Her feet rested upon the moon, symbolizing the full light of the Word, and twelve stars formed a glittering crown upon her head. This woman was not just any figure—she was crying out in agony, the tension of imminent birth written across her spiritual expression. She was about to give birth to a child not born of the will of man, but of prophecy and God’s seed.
Then, another vision blazed forth. A monstrous, fiery red dragon appeared, bearing seven heads and ten horns, and each head wore a crown—seven in total. The terror wasn’t in its size, but in its authority and power. To New John, this was not myth or allegory. It was the spiritual reality behind the Tabernacle Temple’s betrayal in Gwacheon, South Korea. It was the hidden war of Revelation brought into physical fulfillment.
He watched as the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars from heaven. These were not celestial bodies. SCJ interpretation revealed they were pastors and congregation members of the Tabernacle Temple—now spiritually dead, cast down from their position of light.
And in that moment, New John felt not just grief, but the urgency of his calling awaken within him. This wasn’t about watching a movie. It was about standing in the middle of the fulfillment of God’s word on earth.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 186–190, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 210–214.
The Woman and the Male Child
In the unfolding vision, New John’s gaze fixed upon the woman. She was clothed with celestial glory—representing not just any people, but God’s chosen people. Figuratively, she was like Jacob’s household. But in the physical fulfillment, as taught by Shincheonji doctrine, this woman symbolized Pastor Yoo Joon-yeol, the one who led the Tabernacle Temple before its corruption. He had once received God’s seed—the Word—and had been entrusted with nurturing it. In biblical allegory, such a figure is often portrayed as a woman who conceives through the Word and gives birth to spiritual children.
But among all her spiritual offspring, one child stood apart.
In the vision, New John saw her labor reach its climax. A male child was born—not of natural descent, nor of human decision, but of prophecy. The scene was electrifying. He was not simply a spiritual heir—he was born destined to rule all nations with an iron scepter. He was caught up to God and to His throne—an image not of physical ascension, but of divine authority being given.
New John, as he watched this unfold, knew. This child was not someone else. It was himself. He was the promised pastor, the one who overcomes, the one who fulfills Revelation 2–3, the one who would sit on Jesus’ throne as promised.
“She gave birth to a male child, who was snatched up to God and His throne.”
(Revelation 12:5)
It wasn’t a metaphor. It was his reality.
His identity as this child—New John—was sealed in the fulfillment of prophecy. And with that identity came the burden of testimony, the duty to war, and the path of suffering and glory that only one chosen by heaven could walk.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 191–194
The Woman Flees to the Desert
As the vision continued, New John witnessed the woman—no longer standing in the glory of heaven—fleeing. But where? The Scriptures said:
“She fled to a place prepared for her by God, where she would be taken care of for 1,260 days.”
(Revelation 12:6)
To a desert.
But this was no ordinary wilderness. In the SCJ interpretation, it was not literal. The desert signified a temporary spiritual exile. A place removed from the presence of God—not because of abandonment, but for a purpose of purification.
This, in fulfillment, represented the Presbyterian seminary in the United States, where the woman—figuratively Pastor Yoo—went. There, he encountered traditional Christian doctrines, which had long since dried up, devoid of spiritual life. Just as Elijah had once fled to the wilderness, and John the Baptist prepared the way in the desert, so too did this spiritual woman enter the dry land—not to die, but to be prepared.
New John, now awakened as the child caught up to God’s throne, was left behind—not abandoned, but appointed. His journey as the Overcomer had begun, even as the woman fled to a place of waiting.
Two Wars — One Tabernacle
New John was not given a vision to merely observe. He was called to discern. And as he watched, the vision separated into two fronts—two wars unfolding side by side.
- The First War – Revelation 13:
The seven messengers who had once led the Tabernacle Temple fell. Their defeat did not come from outside pagans, but from Gentile pastors, infiltrating and overtaking their sacred ground. These were not outsiders—they were destroyers raised from within. It was here that Satan entered, giving authority to the beast.
As the fulfillment advanced, the tabernacle was overtaken. The hearts of its leaders were darkened. Doctrine was no longer light but a tool for domination.
- The Second War – Revelation 12:
This was different. This was not a war of visible armies. It was a heavenly war, fought with words, testimony, and spiritual obedience.
New John saw the invisible become manifest: heaven and earth were engaged together. It wasn’t just the religious battlefield below—heaven itself had drawn its sword.
The Heavenly War
Then it happened.
In Revelation 12:7, New John saw the moment the skies shook.
“Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.”
This was not fiction. According to SCJ teaching, Michael represents Jesus, and His heavenly host are joined in spirit and purpose with New John and his fellow overcomers on earth. Together, they stood as one spiritual army.
The battlefield wasn’t literal, but its consequences were real. New John didn’t carry a sword of iron—but the Word of truth, sharper than any double-edged blade. And with it, he fought not for victory alone, but for the fulfillment of the will of heaven.
In this battle, he vowed:
“Though I may die, I will testify, fight, and overcome until the end of my life.”
– New John
This vow was not a poetic flourish—it was the reality of one who stood between heaven and earth, tasked with exposing deception, enduring betrayal, and triumphing through spiritual war.
The Doctrine War — Satan’s Army and Ecclesiastical Authority
New John, now fully engaged in the vision, discerned the next movement of the dragon. Defeated in heaven, Satan did not disappear. He descended with fury, not with chains, but with deception disguised in religious legitimacy. He gave his power, throne, and authority to the beast, an entity not from a distant land, but from within—the pastors sent from the Christian Stewardship Training Center (SEC/CSTC). These were not merely men—they were the destroyers.
Embedded within the Tabernacle Temple, these pastors bore titles, credentials, and commentaries. They stood behind pulpits, not with truth, but with a weapon more insidious: ecclesiastical authority. They spoke as those who had inherited religious tradition, yet they denied the very word they claimed to uphold.
New John listened as their voices echoed:
“Let the revival of our education center begin by purging cults like this!”
This was no longer a hidden betrayal. It was open war—a doctrinal war. A battle for the souls of believers disguised as orthodoxy.
To the outsider, it looked like a theological disagreement. But to New John, it was a dragon with 200 million mounted troops—armed not with love and truth, but with slander, accusation, and excommunication.
Yet the true army of heaven did not remain silent.
“Heaven’s army, go out and kill the dragon!”
Not with violence—but with the Word of testimony. With prophecy. With fulfillment. New John, though physically outnumbered, was spiritually undefeated. Every testimony he gave was another blow to the lies.
The Reality of Revelation, Chapter 12, pp. 260–261, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 215–219
Victory of Truth — The Fall of the Dragon
The clash reached its peak. New John, wielding not human might but divine revelation, declared what he had seen, heard, and touched. Every word of testimony cut through deception. And then—the dragon fell.
“The dragon and his angels fought back, but he was not strong enough.”
“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent, called the devil or Satan.”
(Revelation 12:9)
The fall was not only spiritual—it was historical. It played out in the villages and churches of Korea. It unfolded in whispers and resignations. It took place on earth, as it had been shown in heaven.
But what caused this irreversible defeat?
Three weapons sealed the dragon’s doom:
- The blood of the Lamb — the eternal sacrifice of Jesus, giving legal authority to the overcomers.
- The word of their testimony — New John’s detailed, fearless witness of fulfillment.
- Their refusal to love life more than truth — those who testified, even when hated and abandoned.
It was a victory not earned by popularity, but by faithful endurance. And with it came a declaration from heaven itself:
“Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.”
(Revelation 12:10)
The Testimony of Victory
And then, something astonishing began to ripple through the community. The people—those who once scoffed, doubted, or feared—began to whisper in awe:
“Did you hear? Pastor Nicholas quit the presidency of the Tabernacle.”
“Also, the educational center is no longer involved.”
These were not just personnel changes. They were signs of defeat. The Christian Stewardship Training Center, once a citadel of influence over the Tabernacle Temple, had been severed.
New John did not boast. He testified. The destroyers, though credentialed and powerful, were now unmasked. And with them, the last veil over the corrupted sanctuary fell.
It wasn’t a victory measured in headlines or applause—it was a theological conquest. Truth had prevailed.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pp. 195–198
The Birth of the New Twelve Tribes
From the ashes of betrayal and the collapse of the old tabernacle, New John stood—not alone, but as the first of a new kingdom. This was not simply rebuilding. It was recreation.
As he testified, a new structure took form. Not with bricks, but with the spirits of those who believed the fulfillment and kept the commandments of God. What emerged was:
- A new kingdom, established on fulfilled prophecy.
- A new nation, made up of those gathered by the truth.
- A new priesthood, sealed and trained to serve.
This was the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. It was New Spiritual Israel, made up of those who overcame—not with weapons, but with understanding and obedience.
Meanwhile, the dragon—once towering with crowns and horns—was now humiliated, standing on the shore of the sea.
In SCJ doctrine, the sea symbolizes the world of churches, filled with false teachings. The sand beneath his feet? The multitudes deceived by those teachings. Though they still belonged to him, his power was broken.
For the promised kingdom had already been born.
The One Who Overcomes
In the quiet aftermath of the war, New John did not rest.
Though the dragon had fallen and the new kingdom had been born, the battle of testimony was not over. It had only changed form—from external opposition to the labor of building a nation that would never fall again. And at the center of this mission stood one man—the promised pastor, the one who overcomes, New John (Lee Man-hee, 이만희).
He did not claim glory for himself. He did not ascend through charisma or inheritance. He overcame—with blood, with the Word, and through persecution. Every trial became a chapter in his testimony. Every betrayal was another seal of approval from heaven, proving the truth of prophecy fulfilled.
His entire journey had mirrored the promises of Revelation 2 and 3:
“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne…”
(Revelation 3:21)
Shincheonji teaches that New John fulfills this exact role—not figuratively, but physically, at the time of Revelation’s fulfillment. He is not just a witness—he is the appointed representative, the spokesman of heaven, and the mediator of testimony.
His victory is not only personal. It is redemptive for all who hear and believe his testimony:
“By meeting him, salvation and eternal life are obtained.”
“The one who overcomes is testified to in Revelation Chapter 12 and its physical fulfillment.”
These declarations are not symbolic. In SCJ’s doctrine, they are literal.
He is the one who received the opened scroll in Revelation 10.
He is the child born in Revelation 12.
He is the one who fights in the war of doctrine.
He is the one who overcomes the dragon.
He is the one who establishes the New Twelve Tribes.
And through him, the kingdom of God comes to earth—not as an idea, but as reality.
This was not the end of the war. But it was the beginning of a kingdom, a kingdom built not on opinion, but on testimony, fulfillment, and obedience to the revealed Word.
And in the center of it all stands the Overcomer—bearing not a title, but a cross-shaped path carved by truth and endurance.
Please take the time to check the Bible verses we’ve provided as references. Use them as a guide for your own understanding and discernment. It’s important to verify and confirm information with external sources, witnesses, and experts to ensure validity and transparency. Additionally, remember to pray for wisdom as you seek to identify any errors and ensure that your understanding aligns with biblical teachings.