Shincheonji teaches that the woman of Revelation 12 represents betrayal. According to their view, she fails to remain faithful, is cast into the wilderness as punishment, and must be replaced by another figure who carries out God’s true work. But is this what the Bible says?
Revelation 12 presents one of the most dramatic visions in Scripture: a woman clothed with the sun, giving birth to a child, and pursued by a dragon. Rather than portraying betrayal, the passage highlights God’s power to protect and preserve His people even in times of crisis. The wilderness is not a place of punishment but of refuge, echoing how God cared for Israel during the Exodus and how Elijah was sustained during famine.
This article examines the biblical text carefully to show why the woman cannot be a betrayer. Instead, she is a symbol of God’s people under His protection, kept safe until His purposes are fulfilled. Far from teaching betrayal, Revelation 12 reminds us that in the fiercest opposition, God provides for His children and secures His victory through Christ.
Be aware that groups like Shincheonji often respond to criticism by subtly adjusting their doctrine—a common tactic involving denial, adaptation, and manipulation; is a common tactic among high-control organizations. They may gather information on critics and “flip the script,” portraying exposure as persecution or misinformation. It’s essential to carefully observe doctrinal shifts rather than accepting new explanations at face value. Stay vigilant against gaslighting through evolving teachings designed to counter today’s realities and criticisms. (Read More)
Is the Woman in Revelation 12 a “Betrayer”?
Shincheonji teaches that the woman in Revelation 12 symbolizes a pastor, drawing from Paul’s description of experiencing birth pains in Galatians to interpret her labor as representing betrayal. After giving birth, she flees into the desert—understood as both a place without the word of God and a refuge prepared by Him—where she is sustained for 1,260 days, or three and a half years, known as the period of destruction. The two wings of a great eagle given to her are seen as one of the four living creatures, while the dragon, unable to devour the child, turns to wage war against her offspring, those who obey God and hold to Jesus’ testimony, echoing Genesis 3:15. In Shincheonji’s timeline, Revelation 13 occurs first with the beast’s initial victory, followed by Revelation 12, which depicts the beast’s defeat and transition to salvation, during which the last third of the tabernacle is spiritually killed.
Shincheonji often interprets the desert in Revelation 12 as a place “without nourishment,” claiming that when the woman flees there, she is cut off from the word of God. However, Scripture consistently presents the desert not as a place of abandonment, but as a place where God actively provides for His people. A clear parallel can be found in Elijah’s story. When Elijah fled into the desert during a time of judgment (1 Kings 17), God sent ravens to bring him bread and meat, and later provided for him through the widow of Zarephath. Far from being without spiritual or physical sustenance, Elijah was nourished by God in the wilderness.
The same language appears in Revelation 12. Twice the text states that the woman was taken to a place prepared by God where she would be “nourished” (Rev 12:6, 14). The Greek word used is τρέφω (trephō), meaning “to feed, nourish, support, or bring up.” This word is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe God’s provision:
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Matthew 6:26 – God “feeds (trephō) the birds of the air.”
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Acts 12:20 – The people of Tyre and Sidon depended on Herod because “their country was nourished (trephō) by the king’s country.”
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Ephesians 5:29 – A man “nourishes (trephō) and cherishes” his own body.
Each of these examples highlights not deprivation, but active care and provision. Thus, Revelation 12 depicts the woman being sustained by God in the wilderness, not starved of the word.
Despite this, Shincheonji interprets the “desert” as the United States during the time when Yoo Jae-yeol fled there. They claim the U.S. had no “water of life,” and therefore the desert must symbolize a place without God’s word. Yet this contradicts the plain meaning of the text, which says the woman is taken to a place prepared by God where she is nourished for 1,260 days. Just as Elijah was nourished in the wilderness, the woman in Revelation 12 is cared for by God, not deprived of His word.
The biblical text is clearly contradicting Shincheonji.
| Biblical Prophecy (Rev 12) | SCJ Teaching | Key Issue |
|---|---|---|
| Woman flees to a place prepared by God (v. 6, 14) | Yoo Jae-yeol flees to the USA | The text specifies God’s preparation, not human migration. |
| Woman is nourished (trephō = fed, sustained) | Desert = no “water of life” (no word) | Contradicts the Greek term, which means active feeding/provision. |
| Parallels Elijah’s wilderness—God provides through ravens and a widow (1 Kings 17) | USA is spiritually barren and empty | Elijah’s desert was a place of provision, not absence. |
| Pattern of God sustaining His people in the wilderness (Israel with manna/quail, Elijah with ravens, woman in Rev 12) | Desert means lack of God’s word | Ignores consistent biblical theme of divine nourishment in wilderness trials. |
Shincheonji interprets the woman of Revelation 12 as a “betrayer,” but the text of Revelation portrays her very differently. Twice we are told that the woman flees into the wilderness to a place prepared by God (Rev. 12:6, 14). She is given the wings of the great eagle so that she can escape the dragon’s attack — a direct echo of Exodus 19:4, where God tells Israel: “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Far from being judged, the woman is delivered, sustained, and protected.
If she were truly a betrayer, as SCJ claims, it would make no sense for God to prepare a special refuge, to nourish her, and to grant her symbolic eagle’s wings. Throughout Scripture, betrayers are judged (e.g., Judas), not preserved. The imagery here is the opposite — it reveals God’s care and preservation for His people.
The 1,260 Days and Protection
The number 1,260 days—equivalent to 42 months or “a time, times, and half a time”—is a significant prophetic period in the Bible, consistently symbolizing a limited season of God’s protection and preservation of His people amid intense trial and persecution. Far from representing destruction or abandonment, this timeframe is repeatedly portrayed as one during which God sovereignly sustains and nourishes those who remain faithful.
Scripturally, we see this in several key passages. Revelation 11:2–3 describes God’s two witnesses who prophesy in sackcloth for 1,260 days, indicating divine empowerment and protection despite opposition. Similarly, Revelation 12:6 and 12:14 show the woman fleeing into a wilderness place prepared by God, where she is nourished and sheltered for this exact period—a vivid image of divine care. Even Revelation 13 underscores that the beast’s authority is limited to 42 months, highlighting that this period is bounded by God’s sovereign will.
Contrasting sharply is the interpretation promoted by Shincheonji, which asserts that the 1,260 days represent a time of destruction caused by betrayal. This view contradicts the biblical narrative’s explicit emphasis on nourishment, refuge, and God’s faithful provision. The Greek term trephō, used in Revelation 12 to describe the woman’s care, means “to feed” or “to nourish,” unequivocally denying any notion of deprivation during this period.
The consistent theme across these scriptures is that of divine protection within a fixed timeframe, during which God’s people are preserved despite external pressures. This theological understanding aligns with other biblical examples, such as Elijah’s wilderness experience where God provided for him through ravens (1 Kings 17) and Israel’s sustenance by manna in the desert. As such, the 1,260 days symbolize not defeat but God’s tender care for His faithful amidst trials.
In summary, the biblical teaching on the 1,260 days portrays a period of God-ordained trial combined with protection, directly opposing interpretations that depict it as a season of destruction or abandonment. Recognizing this reality is essential for faithfully understanding the apocalyptic prophecies and rejecting distorted views that undermine the nature of God’s providence.
| What the Bible Plainly Says | What Shincheonji Teaches | Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| The woman flees to a place prepared by God (Rev 12:6, 14). | The woman represents a betrayer pastor. | A betrayer would be judged, not given a God-prepared refuge. |
| She is nourished (trephō = fed, sustained, cared for) in the wilderness. | The desert symbolizes a place without spiritual nourishment. | The Greek word trephō means active feeding; the text says she is nourished, not starved. |
| She is given “the two wings of a great eagle” for protection (Rev 12:14). | Her fleeing is betrayal and abandonment. | The eagle’s wings mirror God’s saving care for Israel in Exodus 19:4, not treachery. |
| The 1,260 days/42 months = a limited, God-ordained period of protection and preservation (Rev 11:3; 12:6,14; 13:5). | The 1,260 days = a time of destruction caused by betrayal. | Scripture consistently uses 1,260 as a boundary where God sustains His people during trial, not as a punishment of traitors. |
| Biblical pattern: Elijah nourished in the desert, Israel fed manna in the wilderness, the woman nourished in Revelation 12. | Yoo Jae-yeol fleeing to the U.S., a land without “water of life.” | The biblical pattern = God’s provision; SCJ’s “reality” = absence of provision. |
Shincheonji insists that Revelation follows a fixed cycle of “betrayal, destruction, and salvation.” According to their interpretation, the betrayal was the corruption of the Tabernacle Temple in South Korea. The destruction was Satan’s supposed triumph in stripping Yoo Jae-yeol of his pastoral authority. Finally, the salvation is said to be fulfilled in Lee Man-Hee, who they claim emerges as the “one who overcomes.”
However, Revelation 12 does not match this framework at all. The woman is not destroyed, but protected. The serpent attempts to sweep her away with a river, yet the earth swallows the flood to keep her safe (12:15–16). If she were truly a betrayer, judgment would be expected, not miraculous deliverance. Twice the passage emphasizes that the woman is nourished in a place prepared by God for 1,260 days (12:6, 14). Far from being abandoned, she is preserved for a divinely appointed time. The dragon’s rage ultimately fails, as his war shifts to her offspring who keep God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus (12:17).
This directly contradicts SCJ’s narrative. If their interpretation were correct, the woman should have been destroyed as judgment for betrayal. Instead, the text highlights her protection and survival, while the dragon is the one who suffers defeat. By equating the woman with Yoo Jae-yeol or the collapsed Tabernacle Temple, Shincheonji inverts the meaning of Revelation 12. The passage does not describe a betrayer losing authority—it describes a faithful figure under attack who is kept safe by God’s power.
| What the Bible Says | What Shincheonji Teaches | Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| The woman is protected, not destroyed (Rev 12:15–16). The earth swallows the serpent’s river to keep her safe. | The woman represents a betrayer connected to the corruption of the Tabernacle Temple. | Betrayers in Scripture are judged, not miraculously rescued. |
| Twice the passage says the woman is nourished in a place prepared by God for 1,260 days (Rev 12:6, 14). | The destruction was Satan stripping Yoo Jae-yeol of pastoral authority. | If she were a betrayer, she would not be nourished or preserved by God. |
| The dragon’s attack fails—he turns to wage war against her offspring (Rev 12:17). | The salvation is Lee Man-Hee emerging as the “one who overcomes.” | The text emphasizes the woman’s survival, not her failure or replacement. |
| Revelation 12 highlights God’s protection and preservation of the woman. | SCJ applies the cycle of betrayal, destruction, salvation to justify their narrative. | SCJ inverts the text—turning God’s protection into betrayal and destruction. |
Additional References for more Exploration
Related Collections: additional articles and details connected to this main article (themes, studies, and terms), offering context, depth, and insights that continue to grow over time. New titles will be added, much like books placed on a shelf as the collection expands.
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.