Shincheonji (SCJ) teaches that the Old Testament tabernacle system provides a blueprint for their identity and authority. They argue that the “Holy Place” represents the first tabernacle, or the Christian Church during what they call the “First Heaven and First Earth” era. In their narrative, this Holy Place has become corrupted and fallen away, leaving it spiritually obsolete. By contrast, the “Most Holy Place” is reinterpreted as Shincheonji itself, the so-called “New Heaven and New Earth,” where God and Jesus supposedly return to dwell at the time of fulfillment.

According to SCJ, the veil that once separated these two spaces symbolizes the divide between spiritual ignorance and revealed truth. They claim that this veil is removed not at the cross of Christ, but through the appearance of their leader, whom they call the “Promised Pastor.” In this way, SCJ asserts that true access to God requires belonging to their organization and receiving revelation through their leader’s teaching. The effect of this doctrine is to dismiss the historic Christian Church as corrupt and to elevate Shincheonji as the sole dwelling place of God in the present age.

Yet this framework collapses when tested against the biblical account. Scripture records that at the very moment of Jesus’ death, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). This event signified that the separation between God and humanity had been permanently removed through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. If SCJ insists on maintaining the tabernacle imagery, then their typology backfires: a torn veil would mean that no barrier remains between the “corrupt Holy Place” and their supposed “Most Holy Place.” That would place God’s dwelling in direct contact with what they themselves call corruption, which is a contradiction rather than a fulfillment.

The theological implications of SCJ’s interpretation are catastrophic. By their logic, light and darkness would be forced to coexist within the same space, an idea the Bible explicitly rejects: “What fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). The torn veil does not blend holiness with corruption; it demonstrates that Christ’s blood purges sin and grants every believer direct access to God. Far from pointing to a modern Korean church structure, the imagery of the tabernacle finds its fulfillment in Christ alone, who is both our eternal High Priest and the only mediator between God and humanity.

In order to make their theology consistent, Shincheonji takes the golden lampstand far beyond its biblical meaning. In Hebrews, the lampstand is simply listed as one of the furnishings of the Holy Place, with no further mystical role assigned to it apart from being a shadow pointing to Christ (Hebrews 9:1–2, 9:10). But SCJ insists on turning the lampstand into a symbol of successive groups of pastors that follow their “betrayal, destruction, salvation” pattern. They claim that the lampstand in the Holy Place represents the leadership of the Christian Church that eventually betrayed God, becoming corrupted and falling under “darkness.” Then, in their framework, this corrupted lampstand is “destroyed,” paving the way for a new lampstand in the Most Holy Place. This “restored lampstand,” they say, is embodied in Lee Manhee, who alone gives the true light of revealed knowledge.

In the Old Testament, the bread of the Presence was set before God continually as a covenant sign between Him and Israel (Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5–9). Twelve loaves, renewed each Sabbath, represented God’s provision for the twelve tribes and His ongoing fellowship with His people. The bread was holy, belonging to God, yet given for the priests to eat, a symbol of God’s sustaining presence and covenant relationship.

Hebrews interprets these furnishings as temporary shadows pointing beyond themselves (Hebrews 9:2, 9:9–10). The table and its bread were never intended to have an ongoing mystical cycle of corruption and restoration; they served as types fulfilled in Christ. Jesus Himself explains the meaning: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Unlike the weekly renewal of loaves, Christ is the permanent and sufficient nourishment for God’s people. His once-for-all sacrifice replaces the old covenant shadows, giving direct access to God (Hebrews 10:19–22).

Shincheonji, however, reshapes this symbol to fit its “betrayal–destruction–salvation” framework. They claim the bread represents pastors who feed the church, but that bread becomes “stale” when the church betrays God. In their telling, this corrupted bread is destroyed, only to be “restored” when Lee Manhee provides the true, hidden manna of revelation. This not only imposes meanings absent from the biblical text but also displaces Christ as the true Bread of Life, substituting the authority of one man in His place.

In the Old Testament, the altar of incense stood before the veil of the Holy of Holies (Exodus 30:6–8). Each morning and evening, the priest was to burn incense on it as a perpetual offering. The smoke symbolized the prayers of God’s people rising before Him (Psalm 141:2; cf. Revelation 5:8). Critically, the altar’s use was inseparably tied to the high priest’s ministry: only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only with blood (Leviticus 16:12–13). The altar was therefore not an end in itself but part of a system pointing forward to Christ’s priestly mediation.

Hebrews interprets this directly: the altar, like all tabernacle furnishings, was a shadow of the heavenly reality fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 9:4, 9–10). Jesus, as our eternal High Priest, has entered the true Most Holy Place by His own blood and “always lives to intercede” for us (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24). This means believers already have direct access to God through His mediation (Hebrews 10:19–22).

In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred object in the tabernacle and later the temple (Exodus 25:10–22). It symbolized God’s throne on earth, where His presence dwelt between the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4; Psalm 80:1). Inside the ark were the tablets of the law, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded (Hebrews 9:4). Each item testified to God’s covenant relationship:

• The law represented His covenant word.

• The manna represented His provision.

• The staff represented His chosen priesthood.

But the ark itself was not the final reality – it was a shadow pointing to something greater. When the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year, he sprinkled blood on the mercy seat for atonement (Leviticus 16). This ritual anticipated the greater work of Christ.

Hebrews makes this plain: the ark and its contents were earthly symbols pointing forward to Christ (Hebrews 9:3–5, 9). Jesus fulfilled the ark’s meaning by entering the true Most Holy Place in heaven, not with the blood of animals but with His own blood, securing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11–12, 24). Thus, the ark’s significance is not transferred to an earthly organization but fulfilled once for all in Christ’s heavenly mediation.

In the Old Testament, the manna was God’s miraculous provision in the wilderness, sustaining Israel day by day (Exodus 16:32–34). A golden jar was placed inside the ark as a memorial — not to signal a future secret teaching, but to remind Israel of God’s faithfulness. The manna testified that God Himself provides for His people.

Hebrews includes the manna among the ark’s contents (Hebrews 9:4), but immediately frames all such furnishings as symbols and shadows pointing forward to Christ (Hebrews 9:9–10). Jesus explains the manna’s true meaning in John 6:32–35: Israel ate the manna and died, but He is the true bread from heaven who gives eternal life. The manna was never meant to anticipate a later human leader’s doctrine, but to direct us to Christ’s permanent sufficiency.

In the Old Testament, Aaron’s staff that budded was a miraculous sign to silence rebellion against Moses and Aaron’s leadership. God caused Aaron’s staff to blossom overnight, proving that He had chosen the house of Levi for the priesthood (Numbers 17:5, 8). The staff was then placed inside the ark “as a sign to the rebellious” (Numbers 17:10). It testified that only those chosen by God could approach Him on behalf of the people.

Hebrews recalls the staff (Hebrews 9:4) as part of the ark’s contents, but immediately frames it as part of the old covenant system of symbols and shadows (Hebrews 9:9–10). Its purpose was never to anticipate a new human pastor but to point toward the final and greater High Priest, Jesus Christ. Unlike Aaron, Christ was appointed not through a budding staff but through His resurrection and divine oath: He is a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:15–17, 21). His priesthood does not pass on to another and does not need renewal.

In the Old Testament, the stone tablets of the covenant represented God’s law given at Sinai, the very heart of Israel’s covenant identity (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). They testified to God’s holiness and Israel’s obligation to obey Him. Yet the tablets also exposed Israel’s inability to keep the law, pointing forward to the need for a greater covenant. The prophets anticipated this: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Hebrews recalls the tablets as one of the ark’s contents (Hebrews 9:4), but then explains that their fulfillment comes in the New Covenant, where God Himself inscribes His law on the hearts of His people (Hebrews 8:10). This is not accomplished through new stone tablets or an institutional system, but through Christ, who mediates the covenant by His blood (Hebrews 9:15). In Him, the law is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17) and believers are transformed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3–6).

In the Old Testament, the stone tablets of the covenant represented God’s law given at Sinai, the very heart of Israel’s covenant identity (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). They testified to God’s holiness and Israel’s obligation to obey Him. Yet the tablets also exposed Israel’s inability to keep the law, pointing forward to the need for a greater covenant. The prophets anticipated this: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Hebrews recalls the tablets as one of the ark’s contents (Hebrews 9:4), but then explains that their fulfillment comes in the New Covenant, where God Himself inscribes His law on the hearts of His people (Hebrews 8:10). This is not accomplished through new stone tablets or an institutional system, but through Christ, who mediates the covenant by His blood (Hebrews 9:15). In Him, the law is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17) and believers are transformed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3–6).