Shincheonji is notorious for hiding their identity when recruiting new members. They operate through dozens of front organizations with names like “Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light” (HWPL), “Mannam Volunteer Association,” “International Peace Youth Group,” and various Bible study groups that present themselves as non-denominational or interdenominational. Instructors are trained never to mention Shincheonji by name until students have completed months of study and are thoroughly invested in the program.

When confronted about this deceptive practice, Shincheonji members offer a seemingly reasonable explanation: they hide their identity so people can listen to their teachings without prejudice. They argue that if people knew upfront that this was Shincheonji, they would reject the message before hearing it, influenced by negative media reports or warnings from pastors. By concealing their identity, they claim, they give people the opportunity to evaluate their teachings purely on biblical merit, without bias.

This explanation sounds almost noble—protecting truth from prejudice. But it reveals something deeply troubling about their message.

If Shincheonji’s teachings were truly biblical and their claims genuinely supported by Scripture, they wouldn’t need to hide their identity. Truth does not hide in darkness. Jesus Himself declared, “I have spoken openly to the world… I said nothing in secret” (John 18:20). When He sent out His disciples, He instructed them, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs” (Matthew 10:27). The gospel is meant to be proclaimed openly, not concealed behind front groups and false pretenses.

Scripture tells us that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Truth has power precisely because it can withstand examination. It doesn’t need deception to be effective. It breaks through hardened hearts, convicts of sin, sets people free from bondage, and transforms lives—not through manipulation, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The real reason Shincheonji must hide their identity is that their core doctrines are so radical, so contrary to historic Christian teaching, that presenting them upfront would immediately trigger alarm bells for anyone with even basic biblical literacy.

Imagine if a Shincheonji recruiter approached you and said:

“Hi, I’d like to invite you to a Bible study where you’ll learn that everything you’ve been taught about Christianity is false teaching from Satan. We’ll show you that the church you attend is actually Babylon the Great, destined for destruction. You’ll discover that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, while important, was insufficient for salvation—you also need to accept the testimony of our founder, Lee Man-hee, who is the promised pastor prophesied in Revelation. He’s the one who overcomes, the faithful and wise servant, the physical advocate through whom the Holy Spirit now works. Salvation today requires being sealed with his words and registered as a member of our organization. Oh, and by the way, this will require about nine months of intensive study, four classes per week, plus additional homework and memorization. Interested?”

The honest answer for most people would be an immediate “No, thank you.” The claims sound bizarre, cultish, and completely contrary to the gospel message that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. So instead of leading with these radical doctrines, Shincheonji employs a gradual indoctrination process that slowly normalizes these ideas over many months.

The Apostle Paul warned about exactly this kind of deception: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:8-9). Paul’s warning is severe because the stakes are eternal. A false gospel, no matter how it’s packaged or how gradually it’s introduced, leads people away from the true source of salvation.

→ Is Shincheonji’s recruiting process biblical?

→ The Logical Inconsistencies with the Wisdom of Hiding

Shincheonji’s approach to recruitment is based on a passage they frequently reference: Jeremiah 1:9-10. In this text, God touches Jeremiah’s mouth and says, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Shincheonji interprets this passage as a divine mandate for their teaching method. God chooses one pastor (Lee Man-hee), gives him the Word, and appoints him over all nations. God tells His promised pastor to uproot and destroy the old teachings and build and replace them with something new. This becomes the theological justification for their systematic dismantling of students’ existing Christian beliefs.

This “uprooting and planting” process is directly connected to Shincheonji’s doctrine of being “born of God’s seed.” In SCJ theology, “God’s seed” is synonymous with the Word of God. They teach that at the First Coming, Jesus was the farmer who sowed good seed (God’s Word/gospel) in His field, which they identify as the world of Christian churches. However, the enemy (the devil) also sowed weeds (false doctrines/Satan’s seed) in the same field. To be “born of God’s seed” means to be spiritually regenerated through the Word of truth. Shincheonji’s harvesting strategy literally involves separating what they consider wheat (those who will accept their teachings) from weeds (those who remain in traditional Christianity). The “uprooting” is necessary, they claim, because one must shed the seed of Satan (traditional Christian teaching) and be born again of God’s seed (Shincheonji’s interpretation) to become God’s child.

However, this interpretation completely ignores the context of Jeremiah’s calling. God was commissioning Jeremiah as a prophet to warn Judah of coming judgment for their idolatry and covenant-breaking. The “uprooting” referred to God’s judgment on nations that refused to repent, and the “planting” referred to God’s promise to restore His people after exile (Jeremiah 29:10-14). To apply this passage to a modern Korean teacher systematically dismantling Christian faith is to wrench it entirely out of its historical and theological context.

The process works like this:

Phase One: Building Trust and Lowering Defenses (Introductory Level)

The initial classes focus on seemingly innocuous topics: basic moral teachings, the importance of understanding the Bible correctly, and simple parables. Instructors are warm, friendly, and enthusiastic. They show genuine interest in students’ lives, often engaging in “love bombing”—showering newcomers with attention, compliments, and affection. Students are invited to social events, meals, and fellowship activities. The atmosphere feels welcoming and supportive.

During this phase, the teachings seem relatively orthodox. Students learn about biblical history, the structure of the Bible, and basic interpretive principles. The instructors emphasize the importance of understanding Scripture “correctly” and warn against relying on human traditions or denominational teachings. They introduce the concept that much of the Bible is written in parables that require proper interpretation. All of this seems reasonable enough—after all, Christians should want to understand the Bible correctly.

What students don’t realize is that they’re being prepared for a paradigm shift. The emphasis on “correct interpretation” is laying the groundwork for the claim that only Shincheonji has the correct interpretation. The warnings against “human traditions” are preparing students to reject everything their pastors and churches have taught them. The focus on parables is setting up the idea that the Bible’s meaning is hidden and requires a special interpreter—Lee Man-hee—to unlock.

→ The Open Scroll Issues – The Trouble with Parables

Phase Two: Introducing Doubt (Intermediate Level)

As students progress to the intermediate level, the teachings become more pointed. Instructors begin to explicitly challenge traditional Christian doctrines. They introduce the concept of “orthodoxy and heresy,” but with a twist: orthodoxy is defined not by historic Christian teaching but by alignment with God’s work in each era. What was orthodox in one era becomes heresy in the next if people fail to recognize God’s new work.

Students learn that Physical Israel (the Jewish people) became heresy when they rejected Jesus. Spiritual Israel (Christianity) has now become heresy—Babylon the Great—because Christians have failed to recognize God’s work at the Second Coming. The only true orthodoxy today is New Spiritual Israel, which is Shincheonji.

This classification system is central to understanding Shincheonji’s worldview. According to their doctrine, “Spiritual Israel” refers to Christians—they became God’s new chosen people after the era of Physical Israel ended. 

Jesus brought the generation of Physical Israel to an end and established Spiritual Israel through himself and his twelve disciples. 

Unlike Physical Israel, which was based on physical lineage, Spiritual Israel was composed of believers who accepted Jesus and were born of the spiritual seed of God (God’s word) and the Holy Spirit. However, Shincheonji teaches that after Jesus ascended to heaven, Spiritual Israel betrayed the covenant. 

The world entered spiritual darkness because Jesus, the Light, left. The Book of Revelation was sealed, meaning no one could understand its content, and Christianity gradually fell into darkness, allowing false teachings to arise, leading to corruption and division into denominations—what they call “Babylon.”

“New Spiritual Israel,” by contrast, is the final, eternal kingdom established by God during the time of Jesus’s second coming. It is identified as the twelve tribes of Mount Zion, also called the new heaven and new earth, and its physical reality is Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. 

This kingdom is created after Spiritual Israel is judged and brought to an end. New Spiritual Israel is composed of the 144,000 sealed first fruits and the great multitude gathered to Mount Zion—the wheat-like believers harvested from the field of Christianity who keep the New Covenant of Revelation.

This is a devastating claim for Christian students. Everything they’ve believed, every sermon they’ve heard, every worship song they’ve sung, every prayer they’ve prayed in their church—all of it is now classified as “Babylon,” the dwelling place of demons, destined for judgment and destruction. Their pastors are false teachers, knowingly or unknowingly serving Satan. Their churches are filled with lies, commentaries, and traditions of men rather than the true Word of God.

Shincheonji defines Babylon as “the denomination or church of Gentile demons belonging to Satan.” The word ‘Babel’ or ‘Babylon’ means ‘mixed’ or ‘confusion,’ representing the confusion and mixing of truth with lies within the church. 

They teach that Babylon is the dwelling place of demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, where evil spirits control the kingdom. Babylon is portrayed as the prostitute riding the beast with seven heads and ten horns—the organization of the destroyer. This “wine of adultery” represents false doctrines, lies, commentaries, and traditions of men that have destroyed all nations. 

Since Babylon holds God’s people captive and forces them to worship the devil working through false pastors, Jesus commands, “Come out of her, my people,” to avoid sharing in her sins and plagues. Believers must flee to the place of salvation, which Shincheonji identifies as Mount Zion, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony—New Spiritual Israel.

The psychological impact of this teaching cannot be overstated. For many students, their Christian faith is central to their identity. It defines their purpose, shapes their relationships, and provides meaning to their lives. To be told that it’s all been a lie, that they’ve been deceived and led astray, creates a profound crisis. The cognitive dissonance is overwhelming.

But Shincheonji doesn’t leave students in this crisis without offering a solution. They present themselves as the rescue, the truth that will set students free from deception. They offer a new identity, a new community, and a new sense of purpose. Students who have been made to feel foolish for believing “Babylon’s lies” can now feel enlightened, part of an elite group that possesses secret knowledge hidden from the rest of the world.

This approach treats believers like subjects in a laboratory experiment—systematically breaking down their existing faith to see if they can be rebuilt according to Shincheonji’s specifications. It’s a calculated manipulation that exploits people’s sincere desire to know God and understand His Word. The Bible warns against such manipulation: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

→ Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation: A Christian Response

→ The Endurance of the Church: Shincheonji and Christianity

Phase Three: Revealing the New Covenant (Advanced Level: Revelation)

By the time students reach the advanced level, where they study the Book of Revelation in detail, they’ve been thoroughly prepared to accept Shincheonji’s most radical claims. The foundation has been laid; now the building can be erected.

This is where students learn about the “New John” and the central role of Lee Man-hee. The revelation is gradual and carefully orchestrated. Instructors don’t immediately say, “Lee Man-hee is the promised pastor and you must accept him to be saved.” Instead, they teach about various biblical figures and roles, allowing students to piece together the identity themselves—a technique that makes the conclusion feel like personal discovery rather than imposed doctrine.

→ The Promised Pastor of the New Testament – Is there a New John?

The way Shincheonji reveals the concept of the “New John” demonstrates their sophisticated approach to indoctrination. They build the case through a series of logical steps, each seeming to follow naturally from the previous one:

Step One: Establishing the Pattern

Shincheonji begins by teaching about the pattern of God’s work throughout biblical history. At each major transition, God sends two figures: one who prepares the way, and one who is the messenger of the covenant.

At the first coming of Jesus, there was John the Baptist (the one who prepares the way) and Jesus (the messenger of the covenant). John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecies about Elijah returning to prepare the way for the Lord. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah who would establish the New Covenant.

According to Shincheonji’s logic, this same pattern must repeat at the Second Coming. There must be someone who prepares the way (equivalent to John the Baptist) and someone who is the messenger of the New Covenant (equivalent to Jesus). This establishes the expectation that students should be looking for these figures.

However, this interpretation misses a crucial point: John the Baptist himself clarified his role and pointed people to Jesus. When asked if he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet, John answered, “No” to all three (John 1:19-21). He said, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord'” (John 1:23). John’s entire ministry was about decreasing so that Jesus could increase (John 3:30). He never established his own following or claimed special authority—he pointed people to Jesus and then stepped aside.

→No, John the Baptist did not Betray

Step Two: Identifying the Seven Messengers

Shincheonji teaches that the Book of Revelation describes the appearance and work of a lampstand at the Second Coming. The seven stars (messengers) of the tabernacle of the seven golden lampstands (seven churches, tabernacle of heaven) are the ones who prepare the way at the time of the Second Coming, referenced in Revelation 1:20, 2:1, and 3:1.

The tabernacle (church) of the seven messengers was the spiritual reality of the holy place at the Second Coming, comparable to the holy place in the Old Testament tabernacle. The spirits of the lampstands worked through the seven messengers to shine the light of the word into the darkened hearts of people.

However, Shincheonji teaches that these seven messengers failed in their mission. They forsook their first love (Jesus) and betrayed Him, as described in Revelation 2:4, 2:16, 2:22, 3:1-3, and 3:15-20. They were warned that unless they repented, the spirit and duty of the lampstand would be removed from them (Revelation 2:5). Their tabernacle (church) was invaded by Satan’s pastors (the Nicolaitans) and they were deceived by receiving Satan’s food, seed, and yeast—described as food sacrificed to idols, sexual immorality, and the teachings of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 2:9, 2:14-15, 2:20).

This teaching serves multiple purposes. It explains why there needed to be a transition from the “preparers of the way” to the actual “messenger of the covenant.” It introduces the idea of betrayal and corruption within God’s chosen people, reinforcing the earlier teaching about Spiritual Israel (Christianity) becoming Babylon. And it sets up the need for an overcomer—someone who would fight against this corruption and restore true worship.

→ Shincheonji Gets Revelation 1:20 Wrong

Step Three: Understanding Sealed Prophecy

Shincheonji then teaches about the nature of biblical prophecy. Prophecies are sealed because they are revelations from God in visions that point to a future physical fulfillment that has not yet appeared, as seen in Hosea 12:10 and Amos 3:7.

God seals the meaning of prophecies by recording them in figurative language (parables). Since prophecy is sealed by God until an appointed time, no one can know the meaning of what is recorded. Until God’s prophecies are revealed, we only have the teachings of men, as described in Isaiah 29:11-13, Daniel 12:4, 12:8-9, Habakkuk 2:2-3, Revelation 5:1-3, and 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.

However, there is a time for the contents of prophecies to be hidden, but there is also a time for them to be revealed, as Jesus indicated in Matthew 11:27 and John 16:25. When the appointed time of fulfillment comes, God opens the words of revelation, fulfills them, and explains them to us.

This teaching is crucial because it establishes that understanding biblical prophecy requires more than just reading the text. It requires someone who has received special revelation from God—someone to whom the sealed words have been opened. This creates dependency on an authoritative interpreter and prepares students to accept Lee Man-hee in that role.

Yet this teaching contradicts Scripture’s own testimony about itself. Peter wrote, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). And Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture itself is sufficient to equip believers—it doesn’t require a special interpreter in Korea to unlock its meaning.

Furthermore, Satan himself is capable of twisting Scripture for his purposes. When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted Psalm 91:11-12, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone'” (Matthew 4:6). Satan used Scripture—but out of context and for evil purposes. Jesus responded by quoting Scripture correctly: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test'” (Matthew 4:7). The lesson is clear: anyone can quote the Bible, but proper interpretation requires understanding Scripture in its full context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and testing all teaching against the clear testimony of God’s Word.

→ Issues with the Open Scroll

Step Four: The Prophet vs. The Messenger of the Covenant

Shincheonji draws a careful distinction between the prophet who receives the vision and the messenger who witnesses the fulfillment. They teach that many people mistakenly think the prophecies in the Old Testament refer to events that the prophets themselves recorded and fulfilled at that time. This is compared to how people in Jesus’s day thought John the Baptist might be Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets returned (Matthew 16:13-14).

But Shincheonji explains that the prophets merely recorded what they saw and heard in visions. They did not see and hear the reality and could not testify to the reality of the prophecies. Jesus was the reality of the Old Testament prophecies, as indicated in Luke 24:27, 24:44, John 1:14, 5:39, 19:30, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Jesus came in the position of the Old Testament prophets and saw and heard the reality of what was seen and heard in vision. This is why He could testify to the prophecies given in vision as well as the precise physical fulfillment. The true identity of the Messiah and the work He would do was a mystery until Jesus revealed it to the people, as described in Romans 16:25-27, 1 Corinthians 2:6-14, Colossians 1:25-27, 2:2, and Ephesians 3:4-9.

This distinction is critical to Shincheonji’s theology. The Apostle John, who received the vision of Revelation two thousand years ago on the island of Patmos, was like the Old Testament prophets—he saw in vision but did not witness the physical fulfillment. He recorded what he saw in parables (Revelation 1:9, 9:17). But at the appointed time of fulfillment, there must be a person like John who sees and hears the reality of the events of the entire Book of Revelation and is commanded to testify to what he has seen and heard.

This creates a false parallel. The Old Testament prophets pointed forward to a Messiah who had not yet come—their prophecies awaited fulfillment. But Jesus fulfilled those prophecies in His first coming. He declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). 

After His resurrection, He explained to His disciples, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). The prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus—not awaiting another fulfillment through a Korean teacher two thousand years later.

→ The “sealed” scroll of Isaiah 29?

Step Five: The Route of Revelation

Shincheonji teaches that there is a specific route through which the revealed word of the New Testament prophecies is conveyed, described in Revelation 1:1: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”

The route is: God → Jesus → Angel → John → Servants (all believers).

At the Second Coming, this route is replicated:

• God gives the sealed book sealed with seven seals to Jesus
• Jesus opens it, fulfills it, and shows its fulfillment to His servants (Revelation 5:1-7, 6:1, 8:1)
• Jesus gives the opened scroll to His angel (Revelation 10:1-2)
• The angel gives the opened scroll to the servant of Jesus called John (Revelation 10:8-11)

The Apostle John saw and heard the events of Revelation in vision two thousand years ago. However, at the appointed time of fulfillment, there is a person like John—the “New John”—who sees and hears the reality of the events of the entire Book of Revelation and is commanded to testify to what he has seen and heard.

This New John receives the opened book from the angel and is commanded to testify the fulfillment to all nations (Revelation 10:8-11). According to Shincheonji, the only way that one can keep the Book of Revelation without adding or subtracting to it is by receiving the testimony of the physical fulfillment of the prophecies from the New John (Revelation 1:3, 22:7, 22:18-19).

He is the only true witness that can perfectly testify to what he has seen and heard (Revelation 22:8, 16). Only through this messenger of the New Covenant can believers keep the New Covenant perfectly.

But Revelation 1:1 is describing how John received the vision in the first century—not establishing a pattern for a future “New John.” The verse says the revelation was given “to show his servants what must soon take place”—indicating the events would happen soon from John’s perspective, not two thousand years later. 

Additionally, Revelation 22:18-19 warns against adding to or taking from “the words of the prophecy of this scroll”—referring to the Book of Revelation itself, not to a future testimony about its fulfillment. To claim that only one person can correctly interpret Revelation, and that person happens to be the founder of your organization, is the very definition of adding to Scripture.

→ The scrolls of Revelation 5 and 10 and the New John

Step Six: Identifying the New John Through Multiple Titles

Rather than immediately revealing that Lee Man-hee is the New John, Shincheonji teaches about various figures and roles mentioned in Revelation and the Gospels, allowing students to gradually piece together that all these roles refer to the same person:

• The Tree of Life (Matthew 13:31-32, Revelation 2:7, 22:1-2): The one who provides spiritual food for eternal life
• The Faithful and Wise Servant (Matthew 24:45-47, Revelation 2:17): The servant appointed by the Master (Jesus) to give food at the proper time
• The Woman with God’s Yeast (Matthew 13:33): The one who spreads the true teaching that permeates and transforms
• The Male Child (Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5): The child born of the woman clothed with the sun who is destined to rule all nations with an iron scepter
• One of the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-5): Those who give God’s fire (the word) and have authority
• The Censer in the Most Holy Place (Revelation 8:5): The vessel through which prayers and worship reach God
• The True Light: The one who shines in the darkness of ignorance

By presenting these as separate concepts initially, then gradually showing how they interconnect and point to a single individual, Shincheonji creates a sense of discovery. Students feel like they’re uncovering truth through their own study rather than having it imposed on them. By the time the identity of Lee Man-hee is explicitly revealed, it feels like a natural conclusion rather than a shocking claim.

However, this method of interpretation—taking multiple symbolic figures from different contexts and claiming they all refer to one person—is eisegesis, not exegesis. The “faithful and wise servant” in Matthew 24:45 is a parable about being ready for Christ’s return, applicable to all believers who faithfully serve. The “male child” in Revelation 12:5 is widely understood by biblical scholars to represent Christ Himself, who will “rule all the nations with an iron scepter” (quoting Psalm 2:9, a messianic psalm). The “two witnesses” in Revelation 11 are symbolic figures representing the church’s testimony during tribulation. To claim all these refer to one Korean man requires ignoring context, established interpretive principles, and two thousand years of Christian scholarship.

Step Seven: The Overcomer and the Authority Granted

The final piece of the puzzle is the teaching about “the one who overcomes” mentioned repeatedly in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. To this overcomer, Jesus promises extraordinary blessings and authority:

• Authority over the nations and the iron scepter to rule them (Revelation 2:26-27)
• The morning star (Revelation 2:28)
• White garments and the promise that their name will never be blotted out (Revelation 3:5)
• To be made a pillar in God’s temple (Revelation 3:12)
• To have God’s name, the name of the city of God (New Jerusalem), and Jesus’s new name written on them (Revelation 3:12)
• To sit with Jesus on His throne (Revelation 3:21)

Shincheonji teaches that Lee Man-hee is this overcomer. He fought against the Nicolaitans (Satan’s group) who invaded the Tabernacle Temple in Korea, and he overcame them. Because he overcame, he receives all these promised blessings and authority. God’s kingdom descends upon him. He sits with Jesus on the throne, meaning God and Jesus are together with him. He receives the iron scepter, meaning he has authority to rule and judge. He receives the morning star, meaning Jesus Himself is with him.

According to Shincheonji doctrine, Lee Man-hee’s authority is understood to be the highest human authority on earth today, granted by Jesus Christ after fulfilling specific conditions prophesied in Revelation. The authority is conveyed through a specific divine route at the time of the second coming: God to Jesus to the angel (spiritual advocate) to the promised pastor (New John) to believers. Jesus sends His angel (messenger) to give the New John the testimony for the churches. Jesus, having broken the seven seals of the scroll (Revelation 5), gives the opened book (the revealed word) to the promised pastor through the angel. 

This allegedly happened in the spring of 1980 at a prayer mountain in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The New John’s primary authority comes from the fact that he claims to have seen and heard the events of Revelation fulfilled in reality from chapters 1 to 22. 

He “ate” the open scroll, meaning he completely understood and mastered its content, becoming what they call a “walking Bible.” God, Jesus, and the spiritual kingdom allegedly descend upon and unite with the promised pastor, speaking and working through him. The throne of God and Jesus is said to be with the promised pastor.

This is how Shincheonji elevates Lee Man-hee to a position functionally equivalent to Jesus without explicitly saying he is Jesus. He is the vessel through whom God and Jesus now work on earth. He is the physical advocate through whom the spiritual advocate (Holy Spirit) speaks. He is the one who has received all authority in heaven and on earth for this era. He is the only path to salvation because he is the only one who can testify to the fulfillment of Revelation, and keeping Revelation is mandatory for eternal life.

But the promises to “the one who overcomes” in Revelation 2-3 are given to all believers who remain faithful, not to one specific individual. Each letter to the seven churches ends with “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious…” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). The promises are plural—to all overcomers, not a single Overcomer. John himself wrote, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5). Every believer who trusts in Jesus is an overcomer, not just one Korean man.

→ Who is the One Who Overcomes?

→ Revelation 19 – Jesus marrying Lee Manhee?

One of the most significant problems with Shincheonji’s teaching about the New John is the issue of obscurity. If this figure is so essential to salvation—if accepting his testimony is the only path to eternal life—why is his identity so hidden in Scripture? Why does it require months of intensive study, complex interpretive frameworks, and connection of multiple symbolic figures to even identify who this person is supposed to be?

Consider the contrast with Jesus. The Old Testament contains hundreds of clear prophecies about the coming Messiah. He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, from the line of David. He would be a prophet like Moses, a priest like Melchizedek, and a king who would reign forever. He would suffer and die for the sins of His people, pierced for our transgressions. He would rise from the dead. He would be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah prophesied: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Micah prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Zechariah prophesied: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). These prophecies were clear, specific, and written by multiple authors over centuries.

These prophecies were written by multiple authors over centuries. They were studied and discussed by Jewish scholars. When Jesus came, He explicitly claimed to fulfill them. He performed miracles that authenticated His claims. He rose from the dead, appearing to hundreds of witnesses. The apostles testified to what they had seen and heard, and many of them died as martyrs rather than recant their testimony.

The power of martyrdom cannot be underestimated in how the gospel spread. In the early church, when believers were willing to die rather than deny Christ, it had a profound impact on those who witnessed their deaths. One early Christian, Stephen, was stoned for speaking the truth about Christ. He was the same age as many young believers today when he was martyred. At that time, Christianity was just a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem. But after his martyrdom, Christianity began to spread throughout the known world. Someone who witnessed that martyrdom was initially an enemy of Christians, Saul (Paul), taking the garments so the execution could proceed. Yet through witnessing that martyr’s death and the faith he displayed, this persecutor was reached by Christ and went on to write the majority of the New Testament.

This is how truth spreads—not through deception and hidden identities, but through open proclamation and lives transformed by genuine faith. When people see others willing to die for what they believe, willing to suffer persecution rather than deny their faith, it makes them ask: What do they know that I don’t? What truth are they holding onto that is worth more than life itself? Throughout history, the blood of martyrs has been the seed of the church. Truth doesn’t hide in darkness—it shines brightest when tested by fire.

The early church grew rapidly not because Christians concealed their identity, but because they proclaimed Christ openly, even at the cost of their lives. When rulers saw believers willing to face lions in the arena rather than deny Jesus, when they witnessed Christians forgiving their executioners, when they observed the joy and peace of those facing death—hearts were changed. Entire households converted. The gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), exactly as Jesus had prophesied. This happened through open witness, not secret recruitment.

If Shincheonji’s “new song” and “new gospel” discovered in 1984 is truly from God, how can it possibly accomplish in a few decades what Christianity took two thousand years to achieve—spreading to every nation on earth? And if salvation is meant for everyone, why does Shincheonji primarily target Christians? If Christianity is “Babylon” and the “home of demons,” why would Satan want Christians to believe in Jesus in the first place? Wouldn’t that be against his interests? This reveals a critical flaw in Shincheonji’s logic: if Christianity is truly satanic, Satan would be working against himself by leading people to faith in Christ. Jesus Himself addressed this: “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:26).

The real reason Shincheonji targets Christians is practical: it’s easier to recruit people who already believe in the Bible, who already have a framework for spiritual things, who already accept the authority of Scripture. It’s much harder to convert atheists, Buddhists, or Muslims to Shincheonji’s teachings because they don’t share the same starting assumptions. This reveals that Shincheonji’s recruitment strategy is based on pragmatism, not divine mandate.

Even with all this clear prophetic preparation and powerful evidence, many people still rejected Jesus. But at least the information was available. The prophecies were public, written in Scripture for anyone to read. The fulfillment was visible—Jesus’s ministry, miracles, death, and resurrection were witnessed by thousands.

Now compare this to the “New John.” According to Shincheonji, this figure is equally essential to salvation—perhaps even more so, since they teach that faith in Jesus alone is no longer sufficient.

Yet where are the clear prophecies about him? Where does the Bible explicitly say, “At the Second Coming, look for a man who will be born in Korea in 1931, who will join a group called the Tabernacle Temple, who will fight against a group called the Nicolaitans, and who will establish an organization called Shincheonji”?

The answer is that no such prophecies exist. Instead, Shincheonji pieces together various symbolic passages, interprets them through their particular framework, and concludes that they all point to Lee Man-hee. But this interpretive process is so complex and requires so many assumptions that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to arrive at these conclusions independently.

You need Shincheonji’s teaching to see Lee Man-hee in Scripture—which raises the obvious question: if God wanted people to recognize and accept this promised pastor, why did He make it so obscure?

Shincheonji’s answer is that God deliberately sealed the prophecies to protect His battle plans from the enemy (Satan). God kept the identity of the promised pastor hidden in parables and symbols so Satan wouldn’t know who to attack. This explanation might sound reasonable at first, but it creates severe theological problems.

First, it suggests that God’s plan for salvation depends on keeping Satan in the dark—as if Satan’s knowledge could somehow thwart God’s purposes. This contradicts the biblical teaching that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2, Isaiah 14:27, Daniel 4:35).

Job declared, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Isaiah wrote, “The LORD Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand'” (Isaiah 14:24). Daniel proclaimed, “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?'” (Daniel 4:35).

God doesn’t need to hide His plans from Satan to accomplish them; He accomplishes them despite Satan’s opposition.

Second, if the prophecies were sealed to hide them from Satan, why do they need to remain obscure to believers? Once the fulfillment has occurred and Lee Man-hee has overcome the Nicolaitans, shouldn’t the identification become clear and obvious?

Yet even now, after decades of Shincheonji’s existence, the vast majority of Christians worldwide—including biblical scholars, theologians, and pastors who have devoted their lives to studying Scripture—do not see Lee Man-hee in these passages. Are all of them simply blind? Or is it possible that Lee Man-hee isn’t actually there to be seen?

Third, this obscurity contradicts Jesus’s own teaching about His return. Jesus said, “If anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:26-27).

Jesus continued, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). This is not a description of a hidden, secret return known only to those who complete a nine-month course. This is a visible, unmistakable, public event that all nations will witness.

Jesus warned that His return would not be hidden or obscure—it would be as obvious as lightning flashing across the sky. Yet Shincheonji’s entire system requires that the Second Coming be hidden, known only to those who complete their nine-month course and accept their interpretation.

→ Where is the Promise?

Shincheonji may argue that those who never had the chance to hear the “revealed word” would end up in spirit prison after death, being taught directly by Jesus to hear the revealed word. Only issue is that this contradicts Hebrews 9:27, alongside many other verses.

→ A second chance after death?

→ The Early Christians had full knowledge for salvation and repentance

One of Shincheonji’s most troubling teachings is that after Jesus ascended to heaven, He essentially abandoned His church to darkness for two thousand years. According to their doctrine, when Jesus left, the Light left, and the world entered spiritual night. The Book of Revelation was sealed, meaning no one could understand its content.

Christianity gradually fell into darkness, allowing false teachings to proliferate, leading to corruption and division into thousands of denominations—all of which constitute “Babylon.”

This teaching raises an obvious question: Why would Jesus do this? Why would He establish the New Covenant through His blood, promise to build His church, send the Holy Spirit to guide believers, and then allow His church to fall completely into deception for two millennia?

Why would He leave His followers wandering in darkness until a Korean man was born in 1931 to finally reveal the truth?

Shincheonji’s answer is that this pattern of betrayal, destruction, and salvation repeats throughout biblical history. Just as Physical Israel broke their covenant and had to be judged, Spiritual Israel (Christianity) broke the New Covenant and had to be judged. They teach that God doesn’t abandon His ultimate purpose; rather, the people break the covenant first, necessitating God’s departure and a new work. According to their doctrine, God cannot dwell with sinful people. When the chosen people break the covenant, God leaves, and that generation or world comes to an end. 

This happened after Adam, Noah, Moses, and it is prophesied to happen to Spiritual Israel. When Jesus ascended, the Light left, and the world entered a spiritual night. Jesus did not find faith when he returned (figuratively). 

The predicted betrayal resulted in their destruction by Satan’s agents (the gentiles/Nicolaitans/Babylon), according to the prophetic pattern. Jesus explicitly said the kingdom would be taken away from those who break the covenant and given to others who produce its fruit. 

In every case where the people betray the covenant, God actively selects a new pastor (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and finally the Overcomer/Lee Man-hee) to bring about salvation and re-creation. This entire process is part of God’s overarching plan of salvation, which is finally completed with the fulfillment of Revelation. The fact that these things happen according to prophecy demonstrates that God knew they would happen.

But this explanation creates more problems than it solves. If God knew Christianity would fall into darkness (and according to Shincheonji, He did, because it was prophesied), why establish a covenant designed to fail? If the New Covenant was meant to be broken, requiring a third covenant to actually accomplish salvation, what does this say about the efficacy of Jesus’s work?

The entire framework makes God’s people seem like participants in a laboratory experiment—repeatedly set up to fail so God can demonstrate His power by rescuing a remnant, testing variables to see which believers will break and which will hold firm under the pressure of false teaching.

This portrayal of God contradicts His character as revealed in Scripture. God is not a cosmic experimenter toying with His creation. He is faithful, steadfast, and true to His promises. “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). The idea that God would establish a covenant knowing it would fail, allowing His people to wander in darkness for two thousand years as part of some grand experiment, is incompatible with the God of the Bible.

→ Examining SCJ’s Portrait of God

→ The Endurance of the Church: Shincheonji and Christianity

→ Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation: A Christian Response

Moreover, this teaching directly contradicts Jesus’s explicit promises about His church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” This is not a promise that the church would fall into complete darkness for two thousand years, only to be rescued by a Korean prophet. It’s a promise of the church’s endurance and victory over the powers of death and evil.

→ Shincheonji Gets Matthew 16:18 Wrong

Consider the context of this promise. Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:17-18). The “rock” is the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God—and on this foundation, Jesus promised to build a church that hell itself could not destroy. If Christianity has been “Babylon” for two thousand years, then Jesus’s promise failed. But Jesus’s promises do not fail.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus promised to be with His disciples always—not to abandon them to darkness until the 1980s.

The promise “I am with you always” is not conditional. Jesus didn’t say, “I will be with you until you fall into apostasy, then I’ll leave for two thousand years.” He said “always”—every day, in every circumstance, until the end of the age. This promise extends to all who follow Christ, not just the original disciples. Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). The God who gave His Son will not abandon His people.

In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” The Holy Spirit was given to be with believers forever, to guide them into all truth (John 16:13), to teach them all things (John 14:26), and to testify about Jesus (John 15:26).

Jesus elaborated on the Holy Spirit’s role: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you” (John 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit’s mission is to guide believers into truth and glorify Jesus—not to abandon them for two millennia until a Korean prophet arrives.

→ Is there a Promised Pastor of the New Testament – Who is the Advocate?

If these promises are true—if Jesus is truly with His church always, if the gates of hell cannot overcome it, if the Holy Spirit has been given to guide believers into all truth—then Christianity cannot have fallen into complete darkness. There must have been a faithful remnant throughout history who preserved and proclaimed the true gospel. And indeed, church history confirms this.

Despite persecution, heresy, corruption, and division, there has always been a faithful church that confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, trusted in His finished work on the cross, and proclaimed salvation by grace through faith.

The prophet Elijah once believed he was the only faithful one left. After Queen Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb and complained to God: “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:10). But God’s response corrected Elijah’s perspective: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). Elijah thought he was alone, but God had preserved thousands of faithful believers.

Paul referenced this same principle when discussing Israel’s remnant: “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5). Throughout history, even in the darkest times, God has preserved a faithful remnant. During the medieval period when the institutional church became corrupt, there were groups like the Waldensians who preserved biblical teaching. 

During the Reformation, God raised up leaders like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli to call the church back to Scripture. In every generation, God has maintained His faithful witnesses. The idea that Christianity completely apostatized and became “Babylon” contradicts both biblical principle and historical reality.

Shincheonji’s teaching requires us to believe that Jesus’s promises failed, that the Holy Spirit was ineffective, and that the church Jesus died to establish became the dwelling place of demons. This is not a minor theological disagreement—it’s a fundamental denial of Jesus’s power and faithfulness.

The New Testament is unambiguous about the sufficiency of Jesus’s work on the cross. Consider just a few examples:

Jesus’s Own Words

When Jesus died on the cross, His final words were “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word is tetelestai, which means “paid in full” or “accomplished.” It was used in ancient times to mark a debt as fully paid. Jesus wasn’t saying, “Phase one is complete, but wait two thousand years for phase two.” He was declaring that the work of redemption was finished, complete, accomplished.

This declaration stands in stark contrast to Shincheonji’s teaching that Jesus’s work on the cross, while important for atonement, requires supplementation through Lee Man-hee’s testimony for final salvation. According to Shincheonji doctrine, Jesus’s sacrifice accomplished the atonement of sins (past, present, and future), removing the barrier of sin and making reconciliation possible. 

However, they stress that this atonement alone is not the end of God’s work. Jesus’s mission at the first coming was to bear sin and fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, but Jesus returns a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those waiting for him. 

They teach that the full effect of Jesus’s blood—bringing freedom from sin and achieving permanent cleansing so people never sin again—is realized only at the time of the second coming when Revelation is fulfilled and Heaven comes down. 

This teaching effectively places Jesus’s work on the cross in what critics rightly call “an awkward, diminished position.” If the New Covenant established by Jesus’s blood was incomplete and required supplementation by a third covenant testified to by Lee Man-hee, then Jesus’s declaration “It is finished” was premature at best, false at worst, as SCJ explains “It is finished” because Jesus fulfilled Old Testament Prophecies.

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He didn’t say, “I am part of the way,” or “I will show you the way until someone else comes.” He said, “I am the way”—the only way, the complete way, the sufficient way. He also said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture” (John 10:9). Salvation is through Jesus alone, not through Jesus plus someone else’s testimony.

The Book of Hebrews

The Book of Hebrews emphasizes repeatedly that Jesus’s sacrifice was once for all, complete and sufficient:

“Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Hebrews 7:27).

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

The author continues: “Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:25-26). The phrase “once for all” appears repeatedly—emphasizing the finality and completeness of Christ’s work.

“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

“By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).

Hebrews 10 continues: “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:11-14). Jesus sat down—His work was complete. He is not still working through Lee Man-hee to finish what He started. The sacrifice was sufficient.

The imagery of Jesus sitting down is particularly significant in contrast to Shincheonji’s teaching. In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, there were no chairs for the priests because their work was never done—they had to continually offer sacrifices. But Jesus sat down at the right hand of God because His work was finished. The author of Hebrews makes this explicit: “When this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). 

Yet Shincheonji teaches that believers must still be sealed with Lee Man-hee’s words, that salvation requires accepting his testimony, and that keeping the New Covenant (Revelation as interpreted by Lee Man-hee) is mandatory for eternal life. This effectively says Jesus’s work wasn’t complete—He needs to stand back up and finish the job through a Korean prophet.

Recommended Article: Why Moses Was Denied Entry into the Promised Land?

These passages make clear that Jesus’s sacrifice was complete, final, and eternally effective. There is no need for additional work, additional covenants, or additional mediators. The sacrifice was once for all—not “once for the interim period until Lee Man-hee appears.”

Paul’s Teaching

The Apostle Paul’s entire ministry was built on the sufficiency of Christ’s work:

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

Paul doesn’t say there is one mediator for the first coming and another for the second coming. There is one mediator—Jesus Christ—period. He is the mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15, 12:24). To introduce another mediator is to deny the sufficiency of Christ’s mediation.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Paul emphasizes that salvation is entirely by grace, through faith—not by completing a nine-month Bible study course, not by memorizing Shincheonji’s interpretations, not by being sealed with Lee Man-hee’s words, and not by being registered as a member of an organization. It is a gift of God, received by faith, so that no one can boast about their achievement or knowledge.

Yet Shincheonji explicitly teaches that salvation requires both faith and works. According to their doctrine, “salvation is granted through two essential merits: faith and works.” They maintain that “true believers must understand and obey God’s will,” and that “a person having true faith can lose their salvation if they lack good works.” 

This directly contradicts Paul’s teaching that salvation is “not by works, so that no one can boast.” If salvation required completing Shincheonji’s course, accepting Lee Man-hee’s testimony, and performing righteous acts (which they define as evangelizing/delivering the word to others), then there would be room for boasting: “I was smart enough to recognize the promised pastor; you weren’t. I worked hard enough to be sealed; you didn’t.” But salvation by faith alone excludes all boasting.

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:21-24).

Paul continues: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ—not through faith in Jesus plus acceptance of Lee Man-hee’s testimony. Paul asks rhetorically, “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith” (Romans 3:27). If salvation required accepting Lee Man-hee’s testimony, there would be room for boasting: “I was smart enough to recognize the promised pastor; you weren’t.” But salvation by faith alone excludes all boasting.

Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ—not through faith in Jesus plus acceptance of Lee Man-hee’s testimony.

The Apostle John’s Teaching

Ironically, the Apostle John—whose name Shincheonji appropriates for their promised pastor—wrote clearly about the sufficiency of faith in Jesus:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This is perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible, and its message is crystal clear: whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. Not “whoever believes in Jesus and also accepts Lee Man-hee’s testimony.” Not “whoever believes in Jesus and joins Shincheonji.” Simply “whoever believes in him.” Jesus continued: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18). Condemnation comes from not believing in Jesus—not from failing to recognize a promised pastor in Korea.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

John wrote his gospel and letters with a clear purpose: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John wanted believers to know with certainty that they have eternal life through faith in Jesus. He didn’t write, “I write these things so you’ll know you need to wait two thousand years for someone else to give you the real path to eternal life.” He wrote so believers could have assurance now, based on faith in Christ alone.

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:22-23).

John was writing to combat early heresies that denied Jesus’s full deity or His sufficiency for salvation. He wrote, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (1 John 4:1-3). We must test all teaching against Scripture, and any teaching that diminishes Christ’s sufficiency or adds requirements to the gospel must be rejected.

According to John, denying that Jesus is the Christ makes one a liar and an antichrist. Yet Shincheonji’s doctrine effectively denies the sufficiency of Christ by teaching that His work must be supplemented by Lee Man-hee’s testimony.

Recommended Article: Guarding Against Deception: False Teachings and Prophets

Part 7: The Problem of the “Third Covenant”

One of the most troubling aspects of Shincheonji’s theology is their teaching about a “third covenant.” According to their doctrine, there have been three covenants in biblical history:

• The Old Covenant – Given through Moses at Mount Sinai
• The New Covenant – Established by Jesus through His blood
• The New Covenant of Revelation (or “Third Covenant”) – Testified to by Lee Man-hee

Shincheonji teaches that while Jesus established the New Covenant through His sacrifice, this covenant finds its completion and fulfillment in the Book of Revelation, which can only be properly understood and testified to by Lee Man-hee. They argue that just as the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant, the New Covenant is now being replaced or completed by this “New Covenant of Revelation.”

This teaching fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the New Covenant and diminishes the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross.

→ The New Covenant and the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb

The New Covenant Is Final and Complete

The New Covenant, established by Jesus through His blood, is presented in Scripture as the final covenant—not as a temporary arrangement awaiting replacement or supplementation. The writer of Hebrews makes this abundantly clear:

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

The New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant because it is based on better promises—the promise of complete forgiveness, internal transformation, and direct access to God through Christ. It doesn’t need improvement or replacement.

Hebrews 8:13 states, “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” The writer is contrasting the Old Covenant (which is obsolete) with the New Covenant (which is permanent). There is no hint of a third covenant to come.

The New Covenant is eternal, not temporary. Hebrews 13:20 refers to “the blood of the eternal covenant.” An eternal covenant, by definition, doesn’t get replaced or supplemented. It lasts forever.

Jesus Himself, at the Last Supper, established the New Covenant with His disciples: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you'” (Luke 22:20).

This wasn’t a preliminary covenant or a partial covenant—it was the New Covenant, sealed with His blood. When Jesus died on the cross, He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word used here is tetelestai, which means “paid in full” or “completed.” It was a term used in commerce to indicate that a debt had been fully satisfied. Jesus wasn’t saying, “Part one is finished, but wait for part two in two thousand years.” He was declaring that the work of redemption was complete.

→ The Finality of Christ

The story of Moses striking the rock twice provides a powerful biblical warning against exactly what Shincheonji teaches—adding to or distorting God’s completed plan of salvation.

In Numbers 20, after nearly 40 years of leading Israel through the wilderness, Moses faced another crisis when the people complained about lack of water. God gave Moses specific instructions:

“Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it yield its water.” (Numbers 20:8)

But Moses, frustrated by the people’s constant rebellion, struck the rock twice instead:

“And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.” (Numbers 20:11)

The miracle happened—water flowed—but God was deeply displeased:

“Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)

Moses was denied entry into the Promised Land for this act. Why was this sin so serious that it cost Moses—one of the greatest leaders in biblical history—his entrance into the land he had spent 40 years journeying toward?

Because Moses distorted the theological message God was communicating through the miracle.

Paul explicitly identifies the rock as Christ: “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Earlier in Israel’s journey, at Rephidim, God had commanded Moses to strike the rock once, and water flowed (Exodus 17:6). This foreshadowed Christ being “struck” on the cross—crucified once for the sins of humanity. The rock needed to be struck only once, just as Christ needed to be sacrificed only once.

But by the time of Numbers 20, God changed His instruction. Moses was to speak to the rock, not strike it again. This symbolized that Christ’s sacrifice was complete—no second striking was necessary. Believers simply needed to call upon Him in faith. The provision was already secured by the first striking.

When Moses struck the rock twice, he symbolically communicated that one striking wasn’t sufficient—that more needed to be done. This distorted the gospel message that Christ’s sacrifice is “once for all”:

“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, for he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (Hebrews 7:27)

“And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)

This is exactly what Shincheonji does. Just as Moses struck the rock twice, suggesting that one striking wasn’t enough, Shincheonji teaches that Christ’s one sacrifice needs supplementation through Lee Man-hee’s testimony and a “third covenant.”

Moses at Meribah struck the rock twice when once was sufficient. Shincheonji teaches that Christ’s one sacrifice needs Lee Man-hee’s testimony to be complete.

Moses disobeyed God’s command to speak to the rock. Shincheonji contradicts Scripture’s teaching of salvation by faith alone in Christ.

Moses suggested that one striking wasn’t enough. Shincheonji suggests that Christ’s work wasn’t sufficient and needs a third covenant.

Moses distorted God’s message of provision before the people. Shincheonji distorts the gospel of grace by adding human requirements.

Moses misrepresented God’s holiness in the eyes of Israel. Shincheonji misrepresents the sufficiency of Christ to those seeking truth.

Moses added unnecessary human action to God’s plan. Shincheonji adds a human mediator (Lee Man-hee) to the plan of salvation.

Moses was denied entry to the Promised Land. Shincheonji’s false gospel leads followers away from true salvation—the real Promised Land.

Shincheonji’s teaching effectively says:

• “Christ’s blood atoned for sin, BUT you also need Lee Man-hee’s testimony”
• “The New Covenant was good, BUT it needs a third covenant to complete it”
• “Jesus is the mediator, BUT you also need the ‘physical advocate’ Lee Man-hee”
• “Christ’s sacrifice was important, BUT it’s not complete until Revelation is fulfilled through Lee Man-hee”

Each “BUT” is another strike of the rock—another suggestion that what Christ did wasn’t enough.

Moses was a faithful servant who spoke with God face to face, yet this one act of distorting God’s message cost him entry into the Promised Land. He saw the land from a distance but could never enter it (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). 

How much more serious is it when an entire organization systematically teaches that Christ’s work is insufficient?

Just as Moses’ distortion prevented him from entering the earthly Promised Land, Shincheonji’s distortion prevents people from entering the true Promised Land—eternal life through faith in Christ alone.

The repetition of “once for all” throughout Hebrews emphasizes the finality and completeness of Christ’s sacrifice. To suggest that believers need anything more—whether Lee Man-hee’s testimony, a third covenant, or sealing with special words—is to “strike the rock twice,” dishonoring Christ’s finished work just as Moses dishonored God’s plan at Meribah.

There Is No Third Covenant

The idea of a “third covenant” finds no support in Scripture. The Bible presents a clear progression from the Old Covenant (the Law) to the New Covenant (grace through Christ), but it never hints at a third covenant to come.

The Book of Revelation, which Shincheonji claims establishes this third covenant, is actually the culmination and consummation of the New Covenant, not a replacement for it. Revelation shows us how the New Covenant will be fully realized when Christ returns, when the new heaven and new earth are established, and when God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 21:1-4).

Revelation 21:5 records Jesus saying, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He is not establishing a new covenant; He is bringing the New Covenant to its glorious fulfillment. The promise of God dwelling with His people—”Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3)—is the realization of the New Covenant promise, not the introduction of a third covenant.

Shincheonji’s teaching about a third covenant is an attempt to insert Lee Man-hee into the plan of salvation, making him essential to understanding and participating in God’s final work. But this diminishes Christ and elevates a human leader to a position he has no right to occupy.

The Sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice

The New Covenant doesn’t need completion, supplementation, or replacement because Christ’s work on the cross was sufficient. The book of Hebrews repeatedly emphasizes this truth:

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Notice the phrase “perfected for all time.” Christ’s offering doesn’t need to be repeated, supplemented, or completed by anyone else. It is perfect and eternal.

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus sat down because His work was finished. There is nothing left to do. He is not waiting for Lee Man-hee to complete His work or to unlock the meaning of Revelation. He is seated at the Father’s right hand, having accomplished everything necessary for our salvation.

“Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Hebrews 7:27). The phrase “once for all” appears repeatedly in Hebrews. It means exactly what it says: Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all people, for all time, with no need for repetition or supplementation.

The gospel is simple: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Those who believe in Him are saved—not by joining an organization, not by accepting a prophet’s testimony, not by understanding complex interpretations of Revelation, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no mention of a third covenant, no requirement to recognize a promised pastor, no need to be sealed with special words. Just believe in Jesus, and you will be saved.

Shincheonji’s teaching about a third covenant is a rejection of the sufficiency of Christ’s work. It suggests that what Jesus accomplished on the cross was incomplete, that the New Covenant He established with His blood was inadequate, and that we need something more. This is not just theological error; it is a distortion of the gospel that leads people away from the simple truth of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Like Moses who struck the rock twice and was denied entry to the Promised Land, those who teach that Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice needs supplementation risk leading themselves and others away from the true Promised Land of eternal salvation. The rock only needed to be struck once. Christ only needed to die once. His work is complete. “It is finished.”

For Further Exploration: Why Moses Was Denied Entry into the Promised Land?

Perhaps the most theologically problematic aspect of Shincheonji’s doctrine is their redefinition of the Holy Spirit and the Advocate promised by Jesus. In John 14-16, Jesus made clear promises about the Holy Spirit who would come after His departure:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (John 15:26).

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:7-8).

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (John 16:13-14).

Notice the repeated emphasis: the Spirit will be with believers “forever,” will “teach you all things,” will “guide you into all the truth,” and will “glorify me” (Jesus). These are not promises of a temporary helper who would abandon believers for two thousand years. They are promises of permanent presence, complete teaching, and ongoing glorification of Christ. If the Holy Spirit truly guides believers into all truth, then Christianity could not have fallen into complete darkness as Shincheonji claims.

These promises were fulfilled at Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, empowered them for witness, and has been present with the church ever since.

Peter explained the significance: “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). The Holy Spirit’s coming was the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise—not a preview of something that would happen again two thousand years later through a Korean prophet.

→ The Promised Pastor – Who is the Advocate?

The Holy Spirit is not a future figure to appear at the Second Coming—He is the third person of the Trinity who has been actively working in and through believers for two thousand years.

Yet Shincheonji reinterprets these promises to refer to Lee Man-hee. They distinguish between the “spiritual advocate” (the Holy Spirit) and the “physical advocate” (Lee Man-hee), teaching that the spiritual advocate works and speaks through the physical advocate. This interpretation effectively replaces the Holy Spirit with a human being, making Lee Man-hee the necessary intermediary through whom the Spirit works.

Shincheonji’s doctrine on the Holy Spirit differs significantly from traditional Christian understanding in several key areas. First, they teach that there are two kinds of spirits: holy spirits and evil spirits. 

They maintain that the “Holy Spirit” is not restricted to a single entity, but that all the spirits that belong to God are holy, including God himself and angels. Second, they explicitly reject the concept of the Holy Trinity—that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a single unit or entity (oneness). 

They teach that in the spiritual world, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as three separate entities with distinct spiritual bodies. This directly contradicts the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which affirms that God is one essence in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-equal and co-eternal.

Furthermore, Shincheonji distinguishes between the Holy Spirit received at Pentecost and the “Advocate” or “Spirit of truth” promised for the time of the Second Coming. They teach that Jesus promised to send “another Advocate” (Counselor), identified as the Spirit of truth, who comes in Jesus’ name. 

This Advocate, they claim, is not simply the Holy Spirit dwelling in all believers, but specifically the spiritual advocate who dwells within and speaks through a physical advocate—Lee Man-hee. They teach that the Spirit of truth is considered lesser than Jesus or under Jesus because he “will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears.” This hierarchical view contradicts the biblical teaching that the Holy Spirit is fully God, co-equal with the Father and the Son.

This teaching has several severe problems:

First, it denies the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not merely a force or influence that needs a human vessel—He is God Himself, the third person of the Trinity, co-equal with the Father and the Son.

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit with personal pronouns (“he,” not “it”), indicating personhood. The Spirit teaches, reminds, testifies, convicts, guides, speaks, and glorifies—all personal actions.

Furthermore, lying to the Holy Spirit is equated with lying to God (Acts 5:3-4), confirming His deity.

To suggest that the Holy Spirit needs to work through Lee Man-hee is to diminish both the Spirit’s personhood and His divine power.

Recommended Reading: The Trinity and Deity of Jesus

Second, it contradicts Jesus’s explicit promise that the Spirit would be with believers forever. Jesus didn’t say the Spirit would come for a while, then leave for two thousand years, then return through a Korean prophet. He said the Spirit would be with us forever, living in us (John 14:17).

Third, it contradicts the New Testament teaching about the Spirit’s universal presence in all believers. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Paul also wrote, “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer—not just in one Korean man. Paul asked the Galatians, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:2). The Spirit is received by faith, not by completing a course or accepting someone’s testimony.

The Spirit doesn’t dwell only in Lee Man-hee—He dwells in every believer. Peter proclaimed at Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).

The promise of the Holy Spirit is universal—”for you and your children and for all who are far off.” It’s not limited to one person in one location at one time.

Every believer throughout history has had access to the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe, as a seal and guarantee of salvation.

Fourth, it creates a mediatorial role for Lee Man-hee that Scripture reserves for Jesus alone. The Bible teaches there is one mediator between God and humanity—Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).

Paul wrote, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Not two mediators. Not one for the first coming and another for the second. One mediator—Jesus Christ. Hebrews confirms this: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant—not Lee Man-hee.

By teaching that believers must receive the Holy Spirit’s work through Lee Man-hee, Shincheonji makes him a necessary intermediary, effectively replacing Christ’s unique mediatorial role.

Fifth, it makes salvation dependent on geographical and temporal proximity to Lee Man-hee. If the Holy Spirit only works through Lee Man-hee, what about believers who lived before 1931? What about believers who live in parts of the world where Shincheonji hasn’t reached? Are they all without the Spirit? This teaching makes salvation impossibly narrow and contradicts Jesus’s promise that the gospel would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 28:19).

Jesus commissioned His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit was given to empower witness to the ends of the earth—not to be confined to one person in Korea. The book of Acts records the Spirit’s work throughout the Mediterranean world, in multiple locations simultaneously, through many different believers. Philip was led by the Spirit to witness to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29). Peter was directed by the Spirit to go to Cornelius’s house (Acts 10:19). The church at Antioch was instructed by the Spirit to send out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2). The Spirit worked through many people in many places—not through one exclusive vessel.

What, then, is the meaning of Pentecost in Shincheonji’s theology? According to Shincheonji teaching, the historical Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) involved the Holy Spirit (the spiritual advocate) descending and teaching the early disciples. However, Shincheonji teaches that today is the time when the Holy Spirit descends upon Shincheonji to do its work in a new and fuller way.

The current work of the Holy Spirit, according to Shincheonji doctrine, is linked to sealing people with the revealed word as testified by Lee Man-hee. They teach that the Spirit of Truth works through the “New John” to convict those who do not believe in Jesus and to elevate those who accept the one sent by Jesus (Lee Man-hee).

The Holy Spirit works through Lee Man-hee to search all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10). This effectively makes Pentecost a partial, temporary fulfillment that awaits its true completion through Lee Man-hee—contradicting the clear biblical teaching that Pentecost was the full and final outpouring of the Spirit promised by Jesus.

→ The Promised Pastor – Is there a New John?

If Lee Man-hee truly occupies the role Shincheonji claims—the physical advocate through whom God and Jesus work, the one who sits on the throne with Jesus, the vessel of the Holy Spirit—then his moral character becomes critically important. Can a sinner fulfill this role? Is Lee Man-hee sinless?

Shincheonji’s official position is carefully nuanced. They explicitly state that only Jesus lived a sinless life from start to finish. Lee Man-hee is described as a man and a servant, not as God or Jesus. However, they also define righteousness in a way that allows for sin while maintaining special status.

A righteous person, according to Shincheonji, is one who has God’s law (the covenant/word) in their heart and mind. The standard of a righteous person is someone who “falls seven times but rises again”—implying that even a righteous person like Lee Man-hee may sin, but the defining characteristic is overcoming it.

This definition of righteousness is based on Proverbs 24:16: “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” However, this verse is about perseverance through trials and difficulties, not about repeatedly sinning and getting back up. The context is about maintaining integrity despite hardships, not about a pattern of moral failure followed by recovery. To use this verse to justify ongoing sin by a supposed “promised pastor” is to misapply Scripture.

Interestingly, there is doctrinal pressure within Shincheonji to maintain that Lee Man-hee cannot become wicked. Former members report that Shincheonji does not teach that the faithful and wise servant can ever become wicked, treating him as essentially “untouchable” and “impervious to wrongdoing.”

However, critics and former members present substantial evidence that Lee Man-hee is, in fact, a sinner:

Moral Failings: Kim Nam-hee, Lee Man-hee’s former confidante, directly stated that Lee Man-hee is “just a sinner like me” and “will surely die.” She decided to speak out to expose what she called “the true nature of Lee Man-hee.” She revealed that Lee Man-hee was in a relationship with her even though he was married. He convinced her to divorce her husband by claiming that if she disobeyed, she would “die, go to hell, and her family will go too.” Recordings exist of Lee Man-hee begging Kim Nam-hee for forgiveness, saying, “It’s my fault. So come back… I really messed up everything, so please forgive me and come back.”

Recommended Article: Interview with Kim Nam-hee, former IWPG Chairwoman

Kim Nam-hee emphasized the contradiction of someone claiming divine authority yet begging for forgiveness and kneeling down. She noted that his behavior constituted “basically marriage fraud and religious fraud.”

The severity of this moral failure cannot be overstated. This is not a minor lapse or a moment of weakness—it’s a pattern of manipulation, adultery, and spiritual abuse.

Lee Man-hee used his spiritual authority to coerce a woman into divorcing her husband, threatening her and her family with hell if she didn’t comply. This is the behavior of a cult leader, not a righteous servant of God. Jesus warned about false prophets: “Watch out for false prophets.

They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:15-16). The fruit of manipulation, adultery, and spiritual threats reveals the true character beneath the religious exterior.

Doctrinal Inconsistency: Critics point out that Lee Man-hee has “testified incorrectly” about the fulfillment of Revelation multiple times, citing numerous doctrine changes over the years.

For example, the identity of the “beast of the earth” in Revelation 13 has changed multiple times in Shincheonji’s teaching (from Lee Cho-joo to Oh Pyeong-ho). If Lee Man-hee truly received the opened scroll from God and witnessed the fulfillment of Revelation, why would his testimony change?

According to Shincheonji’s own interpretation of Revelation 22:18-19, anyone who adds to or takes away from the words of Revelation will receive plagues and be forbidden from entering heaven. By changing his testimony, Lee Man-hee has violated this standard.

The changing testimony reveals that Shincheonji’s interpretations are human speculation, not divine revelation. Truth doesn’t change. God doesn’t change His mind about who fulfilled which prophecy.

If Lee Man-hee truly witnessed these events and received revelation from God, his testimony should have been accurate and consistent from the beginning. The fact that identities and interpretations have shifted over the years proves that this is human interpretation being adjusted as circumstances change—not unchanging truth revealed by God.

James wrote, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). God does not change. His truth does not shift. Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Truth is a person—Jesus Christ—who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Any teaching that changes and shifts with time is not from God but from human reasoning.

Dishonesty About His Background: Lee Man-hee has claimed that he never received understanding of the Bible from humans or any church. 

However, his involvement in multiple apocalyptic movements is well-documented, including the Olive Tree Movement (1957-1967), the Tabernacle Temple (1967-1971), and the Recreation Church of Baek (1977-1980). Critics state that he lied about never having learned the life of faith from anyone else. Much of Shincheonji’s theology is actually borrowed from these earlier movements, particularly from Park Tae-sun (the Olive Tree Movement) and Yu Jae-yeol (the Tabernacle Temple).

This dishonesty about his background is particularly troubling because it’s designed to make his teaching appear to come directly from God rather than from previous human teachers. But the evidence shows that Shincheonji’s core doctrines—the emphasis on parables, the identification of Korea as the location of prophetic fulfillment, the concept of a promised pastor—all existed in these earlier movements.

Lee Man-hee didn’t receive these ideas directly from God; he learned them from other teachers and adapted them for his own organization. The ninth commandment states, “You shall not give false testimony” (Exodus 20:16). Lying about the source of one’s teaching violates this commandment.

Legal Convictions: Lee Man-hee was convicted of embezzlement and received a three-year suspended jail sentence. He was accused of embezzling funds related to the construction of the Palace of Peace and gifts intended for him. While Lee Man-hee strongly contested the conviction, arguing that the judge was biased and comparing the judge to Pontius Pilate, the legal system found him guilty of financial crimes.

The comparison to Pontius Pilate is revealing—it shows how Shincheonji frames any criticism or legal action against Lee Man-hee as persecution, comparable to Jesus’s crucifixion. But there’s a crucial difference: Jesus was falsely accused. The charges against Him were fabricated by religious leaders who felt threatened by His teaching.

Jesus was actually sinless, as even Pilate acknowledged: “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19:6). In contrast, the accusations against Lee Man-hee come with substantial evidence—recordings, testimonies from former close associates, documented doctrinal changes, and legal convictions. These are not false charges fabricated by threatened religious leaders; they are credible allegations supported by evidence.

These issues raise serious questions about Lee Man-hee’s qualifications to serve as the “physical advocate” and “promised pastor.” If he has engaged in adultery, manipulation, dishonesty, and financial crimes, how can he be the vessel through whom the Holy Spirit works? How can he be the one who sits on the throne with Jesus?

Shincheonji members are trained to dismiss these criticisms as persecution, comparing Lee Man-hee’s treatment to Jesus’s crucifixion. But there’s a crucial difference: Jesus was falsely accused. The charges against Him were fabricated by religious leaders who felt threatened by His teaching. Jesus was actually sinless, as even Pilate acknowledged: “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19:6).

In contrast, the accusations against Lee Man-hee come with substantial evidence—recordings, testimonies from former close associates, documented doctrinal changes, and legal convictions. These are not false charges fabricated by threatened religious leaders; they are credible allegations supported by evidence.

Scripture is clear about the qualifications for spiritual leadership. Paul wrote to Timothy about the requirements for overseers: “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-3).

Lee Man-hee’s documented behavior—adultery, manipulation, dishonesty, embezzlement—disqualifies him from spiritual leadership according to biblical standards, let alone from being the “promised pastor” through whom God and Jesus work.

Shincheonji’s explanation for why Jesus uses Lee Man-hee as a vessel rather than God using Lee Man-hee directly reveals their theological framework, but it also exposes significant problems.

According to Shincheonji, the flow of authority is: God → Jesus → Angel → New John (Lee Man-hee) → Believers.

This chain of command is based on their interpretation of Revelation 1:1: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”

They teach that Jesus is the sole person worthy to break the seven seals of Revelation and reveal the final plan. Therefore, the responsibility for fulfilling and testifying to Revelation (the New Covenant) belongs entirely to Jesus. God sent Jesus in His name, making Jesus the first advocate.

Jesus promised to send the Advocate/Counselor (the Holy Spirit) in His name. Because Lee Man-hee is supposedly the physical vessel of this Advocate, he is sent by Jesus.

The logic is that to accept the one Jesus sent (Lee Man-hee) is to accept Jesus, and to reject Lee Man-hee is to reject Jesus. This establishes Jesus’s command as the immediate criterion for salvation today. 

Shincheonji teaches that God and Jesus come to and unite with the promised pastor, speaking and giving blessings through him. The chosen pastor speaks to the disciples/God’s people. 

The one who overcomes (Lee Man-hee) is the one who has received the Holy Spirit of truth. God, Jesus, and the spiritual kingdom descend upon and unite with the promised pastor, speaking and working through him. The throne of God and Jesus is with the promised pastor.

However, this entire framework rests on several questionable assumptions:

First, it assumes that Jesus needs a physical human vessel to work on earth at the Second Coming. But why?

At the First Coming, Jesus Himself came in the flesh. He was God incarnate—fully God and fully man. If God wanted to work through a physical vessel at the Second Coming, why wouldn’t Jesus simply return in His resurrected body, as He promised?

In Acts 1:11, after Jesus ascended, angels told the disciples, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The promise is explicit: “This same Jesus”—not a different person, not a spiritual presence in someone else, but the same Jesus who ascended. “In the same way you have seen him go”—visibly, bodily, unmistakably. The disciples watched Jesus ascend bodily into heaven. The promise is that He will return bodily from heaven. There is no indication that His return would be spiritual, invisible, or through another person.

The promise is that Jesus Himself will return, not that His Spirit will inhabit another person.

Shincheonji attempts to explain this by teaching that God is a Spirit who needs a physical means, or a flesh vessel, to act and speak on earth. They point to the First Coming, when God, who is a spirit, chose Jesus as His throne, dwelling within Him and working through Him. Jesus was the walking embodiment of heaven on earth. 

At the Second Coming, they claim, the return is primarily in Spirit. God and Jesus, who are spirits, choose the One Who Overcomes (Lee Man-hee) as their throne and work through him. The Spiritual Advocate (the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth) comes in Jesus’s name and resides in Lee Man-hee, who is the physical advocate. The spiritual advocate speaks through the physical advocate.

But this explanation raises a critical question: if God really wants to return and walk among us, why does He need created beings like Jesus and Lee Man-hee as vessels instead of dwelling directly with humanity as He did in the Garden of Eden? Shincheonji’s answer is that God’s original purpose for creation was and is to live together with humanity in unity. In the beginning, God’s dwelling place was in the Garden of Eden, where God walked with Adam, communicating directly with him: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8).

The Garden of Eden itself was considered heaven on earth because God was there. However, this dream was interrupted by Adam’s betrayal and sin, which severed the connection between God (the source of life) and humanity, resulting in death and corruption entering the world: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). 

Because God is holy and pure, and goodness cannot be together with sinners, the spirit of God had to leave His people and depart the world. As God declared after the flood, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal” (Genesis 6:3). Since then, according to Shincheonji, God’s supreme objective has been to return to His creation through a 6,000-year plan of re-creation.

According to Shincheonji, because God is holy and humanity is sinful, God cannot come directly to sinners; if He unites with a sinner, He unites with sin. Therefore, God must establish proxies (chosen people/pastors) who speak on His behalf until the time when God’s light is approachable again. This is necessary because God’s spirit works through flesh. God chooses a person in every generation to work through, following a pattern (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Lee Man-hee). 

Jesus was God’s greatest proxy, necessary to accomplish the first mission of resolving sin. God worked within Jesus, and the spiritual kingdom of heaven descended upon and dwelt in Jesus. Jesus’s body became the temple where God worked through, and thus Jesus was the physical embodiment of heaven on earth. 

Jesus served as God’s extension to humanity because of God’s love, until God could fully return. Jesus’s work on the cross was necessary to atone for sin, removing Satan’s “shield” and making him vulnerable for final defeat.

At the time of the second coming, Shincheonji teaches that Jesus returns as a Spirit. The Holy Spirit (Spiritual Advocate) chooses the promised pastor (Lee Man-hee) and speaks through him. Just as Moses built the Tabernacle according to the pattern he saw in heaven, and Jesus established Spiritual Israel, the New John sees the structure of heaven and is chosen to build the New Heaven and New Earth (Shincheonji), which will be the new tabernacle on earth. 

This new creation, the New Spiritual Israel (Shincheonji), is the final place where the Holy City, New Jerusalem (the spiritual heaven and God’s throne) descends upon and unites with the physical world. When the spirits and flesh unite (spirit and flesh uniting in a single body), God’s goal of eternal life and paradise on earth is finally realized.

However, this entire explanation contradicts the clear biblical teaching that God can and does dwell with His people without needing a single human intermediary. After Pentecost, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). 

He also wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Every believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit—not just one Korean man. The idea that God needs a single human vessel to work on earth contradicts the New Testament teaching that God dwells in all believers through the Holy Spirit.

Second, it creates a hierarchy within the Trinity that contradicts orthodox Christian teaching.

Shincheonji interprets John 14:28 (“the Father is greater than I”) to mean that the Father and Son are not co-equal, with Jesus being “number two in command.” This interpretation ignores the context of Jesus’s statement (He was speaking about His temporary humiliation in the incarnation) and contradicts numerous biblical passages that affirm Jesus’s full deity and equality with the Father (John 1:1, John 10:30, Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:3).

John 1:1 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is not merely “with God”—He is God. John 10:30 records Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one.” Philippians 2:6-7 explains that Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Jesus’s statement that “the Father is greater than I” refers to His voluntary submission during His earthly ministry, not to an eternal inequality within the Godhead. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18)—hardly the statement of someone who is permanently subordinate.

Shincheonji’s view of Jesus also differs from traditional Christianity in that they do not affirm His full deity and co-equality with God the Father. They teach that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have different positions and have not united as a single entity, except when Christ was baptized. 

The Father and Son are presented as having separate spiritual bodies in the spiritual world. This approach ignores biblical references that assert the oneness of God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 John 5:7). Lee Man-hee argues that the spirit of Jesus Christ came upon his body instead of the body of Christ at the second coming, which is how he justifies his authority as the central figure of the current era. This teaching effectively demotes Jesus from His position as fully God to merely a created being or a subordinate figure in a hierarchy—a view that early church councils explicitly condemned as heresy.

Third, it makes salvation dependent on recognizing and accepting a specific human being rather than on faith in Jesus Christ. The New Testament consistently teaches that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not through recognizing and submitting to a particular human teacher or prophet.

Paul wrote, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Paul continues: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'” (Romans 10:10-13).

Salvation is available to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus—not to those who recognize and accept a promised pastor in Korea.

There is no mention of needing to also accept the testimony of a promised pastor who appears two thousand years later.

Fourth, it contradicts Jesus’s own teaching about His return. Jesus said His return would be visible and unmistakable: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27).

Jesus continued: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31). This is not a hidden, spiritual return known only to those who complete a Bible study course. This is a visible, cosmic event that all nations will witness.

Paul confirmed this: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Second Coming will be unmistakable.

He warned against following those who claim, “Here he is!” or “There he is!” (Matthew 24:23-26). Yet Shincheonji’s entire system requires believing that Jesus has already returned spiritually through Lee Man-hee, and only those who complete their course and accept their interpretation can recognize this.

For further exploration: Promised Pastor

When we step back and examine Shincheonji’s entire theological framework, several logical inconsistencies become apparent:

The Problem of Circular Reasoning: Shincheonji teaches that you need Lee Man-hee’s testimony to understand the Bible correctly. But how do you know Lee Man-hee’s testimony is correct?

Because the Bible (as interpreted by Lee Man-hee) says so. This is circular reasoning. There’s no independent way to verify Lee Man-hee’s claims because the only authority that could verify them (Scripture) is interpreted through his lens.

True biblical interpretation allows Scripture to interpret Scripture. When Jesus explained the Scriptures to His disciples, He showed them how all the Law, Prophets, and Psalms pointed to Him (Luke 24:44-47).

The interpretation was verifiable by comparing texts, examining fulfillment, and testing against established revelation. But Shincheonji’s system requires accepting Lee Man-hee’s authority first, then interpreting Scripture through his framework. This is backwards—it makes Lee Man-hee the authority over Scripture rather than Scripture being the authority over all teaching.

The Problem of Unfalsifiability: Shincheonji’s system is designed to be unfalsifiable. Any criticism is dismissed as persecution or as coming from “Babylon.” Any evidence against Lee Man-hee is reinterpreted as a test of faith. Any biblical passage that contradicts their teaching is explained away through their parable interpretation method. When a belief system cannot be questioned or tested, it becomes ideology rather than truth.

The Bereans were commended for testing Paul’s teaching against Scripture: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

Even though Paul was an apostle with genuine authority from Christ, the Bereans tested his teaching against Scripture—and Paul commended them for it. They didn’t blindly accept his words because of his position; they verified everything against God’s revealed Word. This is the biblical model for discernment.

If Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, welcomed such scrutiny, how much more should Lee Man-hee’s claims be subject to examination? Yet Shincheonji’s system discourages critical examination. 

Questions are reframed as doubt. Skepticism is labeled as spiritual blindness. Former members report that questioning the doctrine or Lee Man-hee’s authority is treated as a sign of spiritual weakness or satanic influence.

The Problem of Exclusivity: Shincheonji teaches that they alone have the truth, that all other churches are Babylon, and that salvation is only possible through accepting Lee Man-hee’s testimony. This extreme exclusivity should raise immediate red flags. Throughout history, every cult has claimed exclusive access to truth and salvation. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim only their organization can interpret Scripture correctly. The Mormons claim their prophet receives ongoing revelation that supersedes the Bible. The Unification Church claims Sun Myung Moon is the True Father who completes Jesus’s unfinished work.

Each group uses similar tactics: reinterpret Scripture through their unique framework, elevate their leader to a position of unquestionable authority, claim all other Christians are deceived, and make salvation dependent on joining their organization. Shincheonji follows this exact pattern.

In contrast, biblical Christianity has always recognized that the true church is not defined by membership in a particular organization but by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Paul wrote about “the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28)—defining the church by Christ’s redemptive work, not by organizational affiliation.

The church consists of all who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of denomination or location. There are genuine believers in Catholic churches, Protestant churches, Orthodox churches, and independent churches around the world. They may differ on secondary doctrines, but they unite around the essential gospel: that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, rose from the dead, and offers salvation to all who believe.

The Problem of Failed Prophecies: Like many apocalyptic movements before it, Shincheonji has made predictions that failed to materialize. Former members report that Lee Man-hee predicted the completion of the 144,000 by specific dates that passed without fulfillment. The organization has had to repeatedly adjust its timeline and reinterpret its prophecies when reality didn’t match predictions.

This pattern of failed prophecy is significant because Deuteronomy 18:21-22 provides a clear test for distinguishing true prophets from false ones: “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

The test is simple: if a prophet’s predictions don’t come true, that prophet was not speaking for God. By this biblical standard, Lee Man-hee’s failed predictions disqualify him as a true prophet.

Shincheonji members are taught to explain away these failures by claiming that prophecies are conditional, that timelines were misunderstood, or that the fulfillment happened spiritually rather than physically. But these explanations are post-hoc rationalizations—attempts to preserve the prophet’s credibility after his predictions failed. A true prophet of God doesn’t need such explanations because God’s word doesn’t fail.

Isaiah wrote, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). God’s word accomplishes its purpose—it doesn’t require constant reinterpretation and adjustment when reality doesn’t cooperate.

The Problem of Spiritual Abuse: The entire Shincheonji system creates conditions ripe for spiritual abuse. By claiming exclusive access to truth, by elevating one man to a position of unquestionable authority, by teaching that leaving the organization means losing salvation, and by encouraging members to deceive their families and churches about their involvement, Shincheonji exhibits classic cult characteristics.

Former members describe intense pressure to recruit, to attend multiple meetings per week, to memorize vast amounts of material, and to prove their loyalty through increasingly demanding commitments. Those who question or leave are shunned, labeled as betrayers who have chosen Satan over God. Families are torn apart. Mental health suffers. Lives are derailed.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus’s yoke is easy and His burden is light. He offers rest, not exhaustion. He offers peace, not anxiety. He offers freedom, not manipulation. The fruit of genuine Christian faith is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). When a religious system produces fear, anxiety, deception, broken relationships, and mental anguish, it is not from God.

Paul warned Timothy about false teachers who would appear in the last days: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).

Notice the phrase “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” This describes the Shincheonji experience perfectly—endless classes, constant study, memorization of complex interpretations, yet never arriving at the simple truth of the gospel: that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

→ Where is the Promise?

After examining Shincheonji’s complex system of covenants, prophets, overcomers, and promised pastors, we need to return to the simplicity and beauty of the true gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ is not complicated. It doesn’t require nine months of intensive study to understand. It doesn’t depend on recognizing a particular human teacher or joining a specific organization. It is gloriously simple and freely available to all.

The gospel is this: All humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are spiritually dead, separated from God, unable to save ourselves through our own efforts or righteousness. “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). No amount of good works, religious activity, or biblical knowledge can bridge the gap between holy God and sinful humanity.

But God, in His great love, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, and rose from the dead on the third day, conquering sin and death.

Salvation is offered as a free gift to all who believe. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Those who trust in Jesus are forgiven, declared righteous, and given eternal life. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

This is the gospel—simple, clear, and powerful. It requires no special interpreter, no secret knowledge, no organizational membership. It is available to anyone, anywhere, at any time, who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in faith.

The gospel doesn’t add requirements. It doesn’t say, “Believe in Jesus, and also accept this prophet’s testimony, and also join this organization, and also complete this course, and also be sealed with these words.” It says simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

The gospel doesn’t create a hierarchy of mediators between God and humanity. It declares, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus is the only mediator we need. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the door through which we enter salvation (John 10:9). He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He is the Bread of Life who satisfies our spiritual hunger (John 6:35). He is the Light of the World who dispels our darkness (John 8:12). He is the Resurrection and the Life who gives eternal life to all who believe (John 11:25).

The gospel doesn’t leave us in uncertainty, wondering if we’ve done enough or understood enough to be saved. It offers assurance: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). We can know—not hope, not guess, but know—that we have eternal life, based not on our performance but on Christ’s finished work.

The gospel doesn’t require us to deceive others or hide our identity. It calls us to be witnesses: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). True witnesses testify openly about what they’ve seen and heard, not through deception but through honest proclamation.

The gospel doesn’t produce fear and anxiety but peace and joy. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

The gospel doesn’t divide families but reconciles relationships. While Jesus acknowledged that following Him might cause division when family members reject the gospel (Matthew 10:34-37), He never instructed His followers to deceive their families or hide their faith. The early Christians testified openly, even when it cost them their lives. They didn’t infiltrate synagogues under false pretenses or hide their identity from their families. They proclaimed Christ boldly and accepted the consequences.

The gospel doesn’t exhaust us with endless requirements but offers rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Following Jesus means finding rest, not taking on crushing burdens of performance and perfection.

→ The Early Christians had full knowledge for salvation and repentance

If you are currently involved with Shincheonji, or if you’re considering joining after attending their Bible studies, please pause and consider what you’ve read in this chapter. Ask yourself some honest questions:

Does this system reflect the character of Jesus? Jesus was known for His transparency, not deception. He spoke openly, not in secret. He welcomed questions and examination. He never manipulated people or used fear tactics. Does Shincheonji’s approach of hiding their identity, using front groups, and gradually revealing their true doctrine reflect Jesus’s character?

Does this system produce the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Does your involvement with Shincheonji produce these qualities? Or does it produce anxiety, fear, exhaustion, broken relationships, and deception?

Does this system exalt Jesus or elevate a human leader? The Holy Spirit’s role is to glorify Jesus (John 16:14). Any teaching or movement genuinely from God will point people to Jesus, not to a human leader. Does Shincheonji exalt Jesus Christ as the sufficient Savior, or does it make salvation dependent on recognizing and accepting Lee Man-hee?

Does this system align with Scripture or contradict it? The Bereans tested Paul’s teaching against Scripture (Acts 17:11). Have you tested Shincheonji’s teachings against the clear testimony of God’s Word? Or have you only examined Scripture through Shincheonji’s interpretive framework?

Does this system offer assurance or create doubt? The Bible offers believers assurance of salvation (1 John 5:13). Does Shincheonji give you confidence that you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, or does it create ongoing uncertainty about whether you’ve understood enough, done enough, or been faithful enough?

If you’re realizing that Shincheonji’s teachings don’t align with Scripture, that their methods reflect manipulation rather than truth, and that their system produces bondage rather than freedom, there is hope. You can leave. You can return to the simple gospel of Jesus Christ.

Leaving may be difficult. You may have invested months or years in the organization. You may have close relationships with members. You may fear their warnings about judgment and hell. You may worry about disappointing your instructors or being shunned by the community.

But remember: your eternal destiny doesn’t depend on an organization or a human leader. It depends on Jesus Christ alone. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). True freedom is found in Christ, not in an organization. True salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not through accepting a prophet’s testimony. True peace comes from knowing that Jesus’s work on the cross was sufficient—”It is finished”—not from trying to earn salvation through knowledge and performance.

If you’re reading this and you’ve never been involved with Shincheonji but you’re searching for truth, let me offer you the simple gospel: You are a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He rose from the dead, conquering death. If you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved. It’s that simple.

You don’t need to complete a nine-month course. You don’t need to understand complex interpretations of Revelation. You don’t need to recognize a promised pastor in Korea. You simply need to come to Jesus in faith, confessing your sin and trusting in His finished work on the cross.

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Conclusion: The Sufficiency of Christ

The story of Shincheonji is, at its core, a story about the sufficiency of Christ. Shincheonji’s entire system is built on the premise that Jesus’s work was insufficient—that it requires supplementation by another covenant, another prophet, another testimony. This premise is the foundation of their theology, and it is fundamentally wrong.

Jesus Christ is sufficient. His sacrifice on the cross was complete. His resurrection conquered death. His ascension to the Father’s right hand established His eternal reign. His sending of the Holy Spirit equipped the church for mission. His promises to be with us always and to return for us are trustworthy.

We don’t need a “New John” to complete what Jesus started. We don’t need a “promised pastor” to unlock the meaning of Revelation. We don’t need a “physical advocate” through whom the Holy Spirit works. We need Jesus—and Jesus alone.

The writer of Hebrews concluded his great sermon on Christ’s superiority with these words: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire'” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken—not because we’ve joined the right organization or recognized the right prophet, but because Jesus Christ has established an eternal kingdom through His blood. This kingdom cannot be shaken by false teachers, by deceptive doctrines, or by cult movements. It stands firm because it is built on the Rock, Jesus Christ.

Paul’s benediction to the Ephesians is a fitting conclusion to this chapter:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine—not through human organizations or prophets, but through His power at work within us. To Him—not to any human leader—be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Revelation 22:13). He is the Lamb who was slain and who lives forever (Revelation 5:6, 12). He is the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16). He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). He is the one who says, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20).

And the proper response of the church is not to look for a promised pastor in Korea, but to cry out with the Apostle John: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Sources Cited

: Reddit discussion on Shincheonji’s teaching about the Promised Pastor and Lee Man-hee’s role as the “New John” who overcomes and receives the blessings of Revelation 2-3. (

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: Truth About Shincheonji website documenting core teachings including that Lee Man-hee has “seen and heard all of the events of Revelation” as the Promised Pastor. (https://truthaboutshincheonji.com/)

: Closer Look Initiative’s detailed explanation of Shincheonji doctrine regarding promised pastors and their central role in the organization’s theology. (https://closerlookinitiative.com/archives/6253)

: Wikipedia entry on Shincheonji Church of Jesus, documenting their teaching that Lee Man-hee is the pastor promised in the New Testament and that Revelation is written in parables requiring his interpretation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shincheonji_Church_of_Jesus)

Note to readers: This chapter has examined Shincheonji’s doctrine of the “New John” or “Promised Pastor” and demonstrated how it contradicts biblical teaching about the sufficiency of Christ. The next chapter will explore Shincheonji’s interpretation of the Book of Revelation, their teaching about the 144,000, and their claim to be the exclusive “Mount Zion” where salvation is found.