Shincheonji divides all of human history into three major eras, each with its own covenant, its own requirements for salvation, and its own designated place and pastor. Understanding this framework is crucial because it’s the foundation for everything else they teach about salvation.

Era 1: Physical Israel (The Age of Moses)

The Covenant: The Old Covenant given through Moses at Mount Sinai

The Requirements: Obedience to the Mosaic Law, temple worship, animal sacrifices

The Place: Jerusalem, the physical temple

The Pastor: Moses and the prophets who followed him

The People: The physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

According to Shincheonji, this era was legitimate in its time. God genuinely worked through Moses. The temple was truly God’s dwelling place. The sacrificial system was God’s ordained means of atonement. Salvation during this era required being part of Physical Israel, following the Mosaic Law, and participating in temple worship.

But here’s the crucial point: this era ended. When Jesus came, Physical Israel failed to recognize Him as the promised Messiah. They clung to the old covenant instead of accepting the new one. They rejected God’s new work because they were stuck in the old era. The result? God left Physical Israel, the temple was destroyed, and that entire system came to an end.

The instructor will emphasize this point repeatedly: Physical Israel was right for its time, but when the time changed, those who clung to it were left behind. The Pharisees weren’t wrong to follow Moses—they were wrong to keep following Moses after Jesus came. They were on the right boat, but they stayed on it past its expiration date.

Era 2: Spiritual Israel (The Age of Jesus)

The Covenant: The New Covenant established by Jesus’s blood

The Requirements: Faith in God and Jesus Christ

The Place: The Christian church (collectively)

The Pastor: Jesus Christ and His apostles

The People: All who believe in Jesus, regardless of ethnicity

When Jesus came, He established a new covenant—not based on physical descent from Abraham or obedience to Mosaic Law, but based on faith in Him as the Son of God and Savior. This was the era of “Spiritual Israel”—no longer limited to one ethnic group, but open to all who believe.

Shincheonji acknowledges that this era was legitimate. Jesus truly was the Messiah. His sacrifice on the cross truly provided atonement for sin. The early church truly was God’s people. Salvation during this era—which lasted approximately 2,000 years—required knowing God and Jesus Christ.

But—and this is where the trap begins to close—this era has now ended. Just as Physical Israel betrayed its covenant and was replaced, Spiritual Israel (Christianity) has betrayed its covenant and is being replaced. Just as the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, the Christian church has fallen into spiritual darkness. Just as God left Physical Israel, God has left Christianity.

Shincheonji teaches that “this world of Christianity… has finally come to an end today… the first heaven and earth have come to an end, and the new heaven and earth have been established… Today, God’s only kingdom and people are the twelve tribes of New Spiritual Israel.” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, pp. 510–511).

The instructor will draw detailed parallels between Physical Israel’s failure and Christianity’s failure:

The message is clear: Christianity today is in the same position as Judaism was 2,000 years ago. It was once legitimate, but its time has passed. Those who cling to it are making the same mistake the Pharisees made—refusing to move forward when God’s work has moved to a new era.

Era 3: New Spiritual Israel (The Age of the Promised Pastor)

The Covenant: The New Covenant of Revelation—the fulfillment and full manifestation of what Jesus established

The Requirements: Faith in God, Jesus Christ, AND the promised pastor (Lee Man-hee); understanding and keeping the Book of Revelation; being harvested from Christianity; being sealed with the revealed word; being registered in Shincheonji’s twelve tribes; enduring persecution; working “even harder and even faster” until Jesus returns or you die

The Place: Shincheonji’s physical location in Gwacheon, South Korea—identified as Mount Zion, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony

The Pastor: Lee Man-hee, identified as “the one who overcomes,” “the promised pastor,” “the New John”

The People: The 144,000 sealed from Shincheonji’s twelve tribes, plus the great multitude who come after

This is the current era, according to Shincheonji. God has moved His work from Christianity to Shincheonji. Just as Jesus established a new covenant to replace the Mosaic covenant, Lee Man-hee is establishing the fulfillment of the New Covenant through Revelation to complete what Jesus began. Just as believers 2,000 years ago needed to leave Judaism and follow Jesus, believers today need to leave Christianity and follow Lee Man-hee.

Lee Man-hee explicitly states: “The new heaven and new earth… represent the kingdom of Shincheonji, the twelve tribes of New Spiritual Israel that are created as people are sealed with God’s seal (Rv 7).” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, p. 510).

Here’s where Shincheonji’s teaching becomes explicitly works-based and organizationally exclusive. They teach that “faith is understanding where to locate your place of salvation.” 

It’s not enough to believe the right things—you must be in the right physical location. Salvation in this era requires leaving “the first heaven” (Christianity, which has ended) and finding the one true promised location where the promised pastor resides. This adds a geographic dimension to their control: you must not only believe their doctrines and join their organization, but you must identify with their specific physical location as the exclusive place where God is working.

Lee Man-hee writes: “After the first heaven and earth pass away, New Jerusalem descends upon the new heaven and new earth (Shincheonji)… the new heaven and new earth refer to the tabernacle at Mt. Zion and the 144,000 people who are created in Rv 14 after the first heaven and earth disappear in Rv 13.” (Lee Man-hee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shincheonji Press, pp. 262–263).

This move is framed as the next step in God’s pattern: Adam → Noah → Moses → Jesus → Shincheonji. 

Lee explicitly places Christianity into the “ended” category and identifies Shincheonji as the new, legitimate kingdom: “There are so many churches and pastors… but God has already fulfilled the promises of Revelation and passed judgment on all of them.” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, p. 510).

The instructor will emphasize that this progression is not arbitrary—it follows a divine pattern that has repeated throughout history. God always works through one chosen pastor in one specific location with one designated people. 

If you want to be saved, you must find that pastor, go to that location, and become part of that people. In this era, that means Lee Man-hee, Shincheonji in South Korea, and the twelve tribes.

→ Is there a Promised Pastor of the New Testament?

Before we go further, let’s be absolutely clear about what Shincheonji teaches is required for salvation in this “New Spiritual Israel” era. They present these requirements progressively—revealing more as you become more invested—but here’s the complete list:

The Seven Requirements for Salvation (According to Shincheonji):

1. Believe in God and Jesus Christ

This sounds biblical and is presented first to gain trust.

Biblical Response: ✓ This is indeed biblical (John 3:16)

2. Believe in the Promised Pastor (Lee Man-hee, “the one who overcomes”)

This is added as you progress in study.

They teach: “To truly become the people of God’s kingdom at the time of Revelation’s fulfillment, believers must find the promised pastor, receive the mark from God’s seal, and join the twelve tribes of New Spiritual Israel.” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, Revelation 7 section, p. 155).

Lee further states: “Therefore, everyone must believe that the person who has seen, heard, and testified according to the promises in Revelation is the promised pastor… It is only when a person believes in the promised pastor and keeps the words of his testimony that he or she can attain salvation.” (Lee Man-hee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shincheonji Press, Part 4, p. 430).

Biblical Response: ✗ Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” There is one mediator—Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5)

3. Understand and Keep the New Covenant (The Book of Revelation)

You must master Revelation’s content with doctrinal accuracy.

They teach: “Those who fail to keep the commands of the new covenant (Revelation) will be destroyed.”

Lee summarizes Revelation 1 by saying that those who accept and keep the revelation become “God’s kingdom and priests,” with God and Jesus descending upon the newly created twelve tribes. (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, Revelation 1 commentary, pp. 43–44).

Biblical Response: ✗ This makes salvation dependent on intellectual understanding and doctrinal mastery, which is salvation by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). What about those with intellectual disabilities? 

What about new believers? What about the dying thief who had no time to study?

4. Be Harvested (Leave Christianity and Join Shincheonji)

You must physically leave your church and join their organization.

They teach: You must flee “Babylon” (Christianity) and come to “Mount Zion” (Shincheonji).

Lee writes: “To be a part of the twelve tribes of New Spiritual Israel… people must be harvested from the churches… receive God’s seal, and have their names written in the book of life.” (Lee Man-hee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shincheonji Press, pp. 516–517).

Biblical Response: ✗ This makes salvation dependent on organizational membership rather than faith in Christ. The church is all believers in Christ, not one organization (Ephesians 1:22-23)

5. Be Sealed with the Revealed Word

You must complete their 6-9 month education program and pass exams with 90% or higher accuracy.

The “seal” is defined as understanding Lee Man-hee’s testimony about Revelation written in your mind.

Lee explicitly teaches: “At the time of the second coming, the pastor who receives the book and his twelve tribe leaders of New Spiritual Israel become God’s seals… Therefore… believers must find the promised pastor, receive the mark from God’s seal, and join the twelve tribes.” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, Rv 7 commentary, pp. 155–156).

Biblical Response: ✗ The biblical seal is the Holy Spirit given when you believe (Ephesians 1:13-14), not human understanding of one man’s testimony

6. Be Registered in the Twelve Tribes

You must officially join one of Shincheonji’s twelve tribes and be registered in their records.

They teach: Your name must be written in their “book of life” (organizational registry).

Lee insists that “all believers must find the twelve tribes as well as the church and pastor promised by Jesus… it is through them that people can attain salvation.” (Lee Man-hee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shincheonji Press, pp. 371–373).

Biblical Response: ✗ The book of life belongs to God, not a human organization (Revelation 20:15). Names are written there based on faith in Christ, not organizational membership

7. Endure Persecution and Remain Faithful Until the End

You must continue working “even harder” and “even faster” without wavering.

You must endure opposition from family and friends (framed as “persecution”).

You must prove you’re “wheat” not a “weed” through continued faithfulness.

Biblical Response: ✗ This removes all assurance. You can never know if you’re saved because you haven’t reached “the end” yet. Biblical assurance is based on God’s promise and Christ’s finished work, not your future performance (1 John 5:13)

The Staged Disclosure: How Requirements Are Revealed Progressively

What makes this system particularly manipulative is that these requirements aren’t presented all at once. They’re revealed in stages, each stage building your investment before revealing more requirements:

Stage 1: Initial Contact (Weeks 1-2)

• “We’re just offering free Bible study”
• “We want to help you understand Scripture better”
• “No pressure, just come learn”
• At this stage, they hide their Shincheonji affiliation entirely

Stage 2: Building Foundation (Weeks 3-8)

• “Let’s study the parables and understand their deeper meaning”
• “Christianity has misunderstood many key doctrines”
• “The Bible uses symbolic language that needs proper interpretation”
• Still no mention of Shincheonji or Lee Man-hee

Stage 3: Introducing Problems (Weeks 9-16)

• “Christianity has fallen into darkness and division”
• “Denominations prove that churches don’t have truth”
• “You need to understand Revelation to be saved in this era”
• Shincheonji may be mentioned as “a group that understands Revelation,” but not yet as the exclusive place of salvation

Stage 4: Presenting the Solution (Weeks 17-24)

• “God has raised up a promised pastor who has seen Revelation fulfilled”
• “You need to be harvested from Christianity and gathered into the new kingdom”
• “Shincheonji is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy”
• Now the organizational exclusivity becomes clear

Stage 5: Demanding Commitment (Weeks 25+)

• “You need to complete the education program and pass the exam”
• “You need to be sealed with the revealed word”
• “You need to be registered in the twelve tribes”
• The full scope of requirements is finally revealed

Stage 6: After Joining

• “You need to recruit others to prove your faithfulness”
• “You need to work even harder and even faster”
• “You need to endure persecution from family and friends”
• “You need to continue until Jesus returns or you die”
• The performance treadmill never ends

This staged disclosure is a classic manipulation tactic, as explored in detail in Chapter 7 and Chapter 12. It prevents informed decision-making. If they told you on day one, “We require you to leave your church, cut ties with family members who oppose us, complete a 6-9 month intensive program, pass exams with 90% accuracy, join our organization, be registered in our tribes, and work for us indefinitely with no assurance of salvation,” you would likely refuse immediately. But by revealing requirements gradually after you’ve already invested time, emotional energy, and social capital, they make each new requirement seem like a small next step rather than a radical departure from biblical Christianity.

Comparing the Checklist to Biblical Salvation

Let’s put this in stark comparison:

The contrast couldn’t be more stark. Shincheonji’s system is complex, works-based, organizationally exclusive, geographically limited, intellectually demanding, and offers no assurance. The biblical gospel is simple, grace-based, universally accessible, intellectually accessible to all, and offers complete assurance based on God’s promise.

This checklist reveals the fundamental nature of Shincheonji’s system: it’s not Christianity with deeper understanding—it’s a completely different religion that uses Christian terminology. It’s not the gospel plus helpful additions—it’s a different gospel entirely (Galatians 1:6-9).

Making Era-Specific Salvation Seem Logical

To make this era-specific salvation doctrine seem reasonable, Shincheonji instructors use a powerful analogy: Noah’s ark. This analogy appears repeatedly in their teaching materials and is central to how they convince people that salvation requirements can and should change over time.

The Analogy as Presented

The instructor will ask you to imagine living in Noah’s time. God has decreed that a flood is coming to destroy the earth. Noah has built an ark according to God’s specifications. The rain is beginning to fall. In this scenario, what saves you?

The answer seems obvious: getting into the ark. It doesn’t matter how righteous you are, how much you pray, how well you know Scripture, or how sincere your faith is. If you’re not in the ark when the flood comes, you will perish. The ark is the only means of salvation in that specific crisis.

Now, the instructor continues, imagine the flood has ended. The waters have receded. Noah and his family have exited the ark and are living on dry ground. If someone came to you at this point and said, “You need to get into the ark to be saved,” what would you think?

You’d think they were confused, right? The ark was necessary during the flood, but once the flood ended, the ark’s purpose was fulfilled. Staying in the ark after the crisis has passed would be foolish. The means of salvation has changed because the situation has changed.

This is how Shincheonji frames the changing eras of salvation. Just as the ark was necessary during the flood but not after, different eras require different means of salvation. Physical Israel (the Mosaic covenant) was necessary in its time but is no longer valid. Spiritual Israel (faith in Jesus alone) was necessary for the past 2,000 years but is no longer sufficient. New Spiritual Israel (Shincheonji) is necessary now.

The analogy is emotionally and logically compelling. It makes era-specific salvation seem not just reasonable but obvious. Of course salvation requirements change! Of course you need to find the right means for the right time! Of course clinging to an outdated system is foolish!

Why the Analogy Fails: The Fundamental Difference

But here’s the problem: the analogy fundamentally misrepresents the nature of salvation and the character of God. Let’s examine why:

1. The Ark Was a Temporary Solution for a Temporary Crisis

Noah’s ark was built for a specific, time-limited event: the flood. Once the flood ended, the crisis was over, and the ark was no longer needed. The ark’s purpose was situational and temporary.

But salvation from sin is not a temporary crisis—it’s a permanent human condition. Every person in every era faces the same fundamental problem: separation from God due to sin. This problem didn’t change after Jesus ascended. It didn’t become obsolete 2,000 years later. The human condition remains constant across all eras.

2. The Ark Was a Physical Solution for a Physical Threat

The ark saved people from physical death by drowning. It was a wooden boat that kept water out. Once the physical threat (the flood) was gone, the physical solution (the ark) was no longer necessary.

But salvation from sin is a spiritual reality, not a physical one. It addresses a spiritual problem (separation from God) with a spiritual solution (reconciliation through Christ’s sacrifice). This spiritual reality doesn’t change based on physical circumstances or the passage of time.

3. The Ark Didn’t Change—The Circumstances Changed

The reason the ark became unnecessary wasn’t because the ark itself changed or became obsolete. The ark remained the same. What changed were the external circumstances—the flood ended. If another flood came, the same ark would be useful again.

But Shincheonji isn’t claiming that circumstances have changed while the solution remains the same. They’re claiming that the solution itself (Jesus Christ) has become insufficient and needs to be replaced or supplemented. They’re saying Jesus was the right ark for one flood, but now we need a different ark (Lee Man-hee and Shincheonji) for a different flood.

4. God’s Character Doesn’t Change Like Weather Patterns

The flood was a one-time event in history, a specific judgment for a specific generation. God’s dealings with humanity in that moment were unique to that situation.

But God’s plan of salvation isn’t a series of disconnected, situation-specific responses to different crises. It’s a unified, eternal plan rooted in God’s unchanging character. God is not like weather patterns that shift and change. He is eternal, unchanging, and His promises are irrevocable.

The Correct Analogy: The Unchanging Foundation

If we want to use an analogy for salvation, a better one would be a foundation. Imagine a house built on a solid rock foundation. That foundation doesn’t become obsolete over time. It doesn’t need to be replaced every 2,000 years. It doesn’t stop being sufficient just because time passes or circumstances change.

Jesus used this exact analogy: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).

The foundation is Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. This foundation doesn’t change. It doesn’t become insufficient. It doesn’t need supplementation or replacement. It remains solid and sufficient for all who build their lives upon it, in every era, in every circumstance, until the end of time.

Paul makes this explicit: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). There is one foundation—not a series of foundations for different eras, not a foundation that needs updating, not a foundation that becomes obsolete. One foundation. Jesus Christ. Period.

The Logical Flaw: God as an Inconsistent Architect

Let’s think about what Shincheonji’s Noah’s Ark analogy actually implies about God’s character. If salvation requirements change from era to era like the need for an ark changes when the flood ends, then God is essentially saying:

“I designed a salvation plan for Physical Israel, but it had a built-in expiration date. Then I designed a salvation plan for Spiritual Israel through Jesus, but that also had an expiration date—about 2,000 years. Now I’m implementing a third salvation plan through Lee Man-hee, and this one is the final version.”

Does this sound like the God of the Bible? Does this sound like the God who declares, “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6)? Does this sound like the God who “does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17)?

Think about it from a human perspective. If an architect designed a building that needed to be completely rebuilt every 2,000 years because the original design became obsolete, we’d question that architect’s competence. 

We’d ask: “Why didn’t you design it right the first time? Why does your solution keep expiring? Why do we need to keep starting over?”

But Shincheonji’s system requires us to believe that God’s salvation plans keep expiring—not because they fail, but because they were designed to be temporary from the beginning. Physical Israel’s covenant was temporary. 

Spiritual Israel’s covenant (despite being called “eternal” in Hebrews 13:20) is actually temporary. Only the third covenant—the one established by Lee Man-hee—is truly final.

This doesn’t make God look wise or sovereign. It makes Him look like someone who keeps changing His mind, keeps revising His plans, keeps implementing temporary solutions to a permanent problem.

The biblical picture is completely different. God’s salvation plan was never a series of temporary fixes. It was always one unified plan, progressively revealed, culminating in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament pointed forward to Christ. The New Testament reveals Christ. The entire Bible is about one Savior, one plan, one foundation—Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Redefining Spiritual Maturity

Another powerful rhetorical tool Shincheonji uses is the “milk vs. solid food” framework, drawn from Hebrews 5:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. 

This framework accomplishes multiple goals simultaneously: it validates your Christian background while simultaneously undermining it, it makes you feel spiritually immature if you resist their teaching, and it positions Shincheonji’s complex doctrinal system as evidence of spiritual depth rather than theological error.

How the Framework Is Presented

The instructor will begin by acknowledging your Christian faith in positive terms: “It’s wonderful that you believe in Jesus. That’s the foundation. That’s the milk that every believer needs.” This validation is important—it makes you feel respected and understood.

But then comes the pivot: “However, the Bible teaches that believers should not remain on milk forever. We’re supposed to grow up and move on to solid food. Many Christians today are still drinking milk—they know Jesus died for their sins, they know basic Bible stories, but they haven’t moved deeper into understanding God’s complete plan.”

The instructor will then reference specific passages:

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

The message is clear: if you’re content with just believing in Jesus and reading the Bible in a straightforward way, you’re spiritually immature. You’re still an infant drinking milk. You’re not ready for solid food. You’re worldly, not spiritual.

But Shincheonji offers you the opportunity to grow up. They offer solid food—deep understanding of Revelation’s symbolism, knowledge of how prophecy is being fulfilled in our time, insight into God’s complete plan from Genesis to Revelation. If you reject this deeper teaching, you’re proving that you’re still an infant who can only handle milk.

The Psychological Power of This Framework

This framework is psychologically powerful because:

It reframes resistance as immaturity. If you push back against their teaching, you’re not being discerning—you’re being childish. You’re like a toddler refusing to eat vegetables.

It exploits the desire for growth. Every sincere Christian wants to grow spiritually. By positioning their teaching as “solid food,” they make it seem like rejecting them means rejecting spiritual growth.

It creates shame around simplicity. The simple gospel—”believe in Jesus and you will be saved”—is reframed as elementary, basic, insufficient. If you’re satisfied with this, you’re settling for less than God wants for you.

It positions complexity as depth. Shincheonji’s elaborate system of symbols, timelines, fulfillments, and organizational structures is presented as evidence of spiritual maturity rather than theological confusion.

What the Passages Actually Mean

But here’s what these passages actually teach when read in context:

Hebrews 5:12-14 is not contrasting basic salvation truths with advanced doctrinal systems. It’s contrasting spiritual immaturity (inability to understand and apply God’s word) with spiritual maturity (ability to discern good from evil through constant practice). The “solid food” isn’t secret knowledge or complex interpretations—it’s the ability to live righteously and discern truth from error.

In fact, the very next verses (Hebrews 6:1-2) list what the author considers “elementary teachings”: repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment. 

These aren’t topics to move beyond and forget—they’re the foundation to build upon. The author is saying, “Let’s build on this foundation,” not “Let’s abandon this foundation for something more advanced.”

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 is addressing a specific problem in the Corinthian church: divisions and quarreling. Paul couldn’t give them deeper teaching because they were acting like worldly people, fighting over which leader to follow (“I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas”). The “milk” isn’t the gospel itself—it’s the basic teaching Paul had to limit himself to because of their immaturity. The “solid food” isn’t a different message—it’s deeper application of the same gospel.

Neither passage suggests that the gospel of Jesus Christ is elementary and needs to be replaced with something more advanced. Neither passage teaches that there’s a secret, complex system of interpretation that only mature believers can understand. Neither passage validates the idea that simple faith in Jesus is insufficient.

The Gospel: Simple Yet Inexhaustibly Deep

Here’s the beautiful paradox of the biblical gospel: it’s simple enough for a child to understand, yet deep enough to occupy the greatest minds for a lifetime. It’s milk and solid food simultaneously.

A child can understand: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This is true, complete, and sufficient for salvation.

A theologian can spend a lifetime exploring: the nature of the Trinity, the hypostatic union of Christ’s divine and human natures, the mechanics of atonement, the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, the already-but-not-yet nature of the kingdom of God. These are depths that no human mind will ever fully plumb.

But here’s the crucial point: the depths don’t contradict or replace the simplicity. The theologian’s advanced study doesn’t lead him to conclude, “Actually, believing in Jesus isn’t enough—you also need to join a specific organization in Korea.” The depths confirm and illuminate the simple gospel; they don’t replace it.

Paul, who had profound theological insights that still challenge scholars today, summarized his message this way: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). 

This wasn’t because his audience was too immature for deeper teaching. This was because Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the center, the foundation, the heart of everything. Everything else radiates from this center; nothing replaces it.

From Supplementary Text to Salvation Requirement

To understand why Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine is so radically different from biblical Christianity, we must understand their teaching about the Book of Revelation. For most Christians, Revelation is one book among sixty-six, important but not more essential than the Gospels or Paul’s letters. For Shincheonji, Revelation is the key that unlocks everything—and more importantly, it’s absolutely essential for salvation in this era.

Shincheonji’s Teaching: Revelation as the New Covenant

Here’s what Shincheonji explicitly teaches about Revelation’s role in salvation:

“The Book of Revelation is not merely an auxiliary text but is fundamentally essential for salvation in the present era, acting as the New Covenant that must be understood and kept.”

Let that sink in. Revelation isn’t just helpful for understanding end times. It isn’t just interesting prophecy. It’s fundamentally essential for salvation. If you don’t understand it, you cannot be saved. If you don’t keep its commands, you will be destroyed.

They teach: “While Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was absolutely critical, it is considered the foundation and prerequisite for the ultimate salvation detailed in Revelation, which is fulfilled at the second coming.”

This is where Shincheonji’s system reveals its true nature. Jesus’s work on the cross was necessary, they say, but it wasn’t sufficient. It was the foundation, but not the completion. It was the prerequisite, but not the fulfillment. Salvation requires both Jesus’s work 2,000 years ago AND the fulfillment of Revelation through Lee Man-hee today.

Lee Man-hee frames Revelation as three mysteries—betrayal, destruction, salvation—centered on the tabernacle of the seven golden lampstands, with identities and locations understood only through the “messenger like Apostle John” who receives explanation from Jesus: “Today, the pastor like Apostle John… has heard and understands this mystery… This is why all believers must receive his testimony.” (Lee Man-hee, The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, Shincheonji Press, Revelation 1 commentary, pp. 43–44).

Lee also states that only “the one who comes in the position of Apostle John” knows the true identities of the seven stars, the tabernacle, and the Nicolaitans, which is why people must first meet this pastor. (Lee Man-hee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shincheonji Press, Part 2, pp. 83–84).

→ The Early Christians had full knowledge for salvation and repentance

→ Light and Darkness: God Preserves, Not Betrayal

→ The New Song is about Christ’s Redemption, not a Future Pastor

The Awkward Position of Jesus’s Cross

Critics of Shincheonji accurately point out that this teaching places “Jesus’s work on the cross in an awkward, diminished position.” Jesus’s sacrifice is relegated to fulfilling the Old Testament and establishing the New Covenant, while Lee Man-hee establishes what they call the “final New Covenant” through Revelation. 

This creates what amounts to a “third covenant”—a progression from Moses (Old Covenant) to Jesus (New Covenant) to Lee Man-hee (Final New Covenant/Revelation Covenant).

Think about what this means for Jesus’s famous declaration on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). In biblical Christianity, this means Jesus’s work of atonement was complete. The price for sin was paid in full. Salvation was accomplished. Nothing needs to be added.

But in Shincheonji’s system, when Jesus said “It is finished,” He only meant “I have finished fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies.” The atonement was finished, but salvation wasn’t. The foundation was finished, but the building wasn’t. The prerequisite was finished, but the actual saving work would have to wait 2,000 years for Lee Man-hee to complete it.

This theological move serves a specific purpose: it elevates Lee Man-hee’s role to be equal with—or even superior to—Jesus’s role. Jesus prepared the way; Lee Man-hee completes it. Jesus atoned for sin; Lee Man-hee eliminates sin altogether. 

Jesus established the covenant; Lee Man-hee fulfills it. This is, as critics note, a process to “apotheosize” (deify or elevate) Lee Man-hee’s identity. He’s not just a teacher or prophet—he’s the essential final piece of God’s salvation plan.

Why Revelation Is “Essential” for Salvation

Shincheonji provides several reasons why they believe Revelation is essential for salvation today:

1. Revelation Is the Conclusion of God’s 6,000-Year Plan

They teach that Revelation is “the conclusion of the entire Bible and the fulfillment of God’s entire 6,000-year plan.” 

If Genesis is the beginning, Revelation is the end. Everything from Adam’s sin to Jesus’s return is leading to the events described in Revelation. Therefore, understanding Revelation is understanding God’s complete plan.

2. Revelation Is the Law Book of the Kingdom

They teach that Revelation is “the law book of the kingdom of heaven that separates eternal life from eternal punishment in the time of God’s final judgment.” 

Just as the Mosaic Law was the standard for Physical Israel, Revelation is the standard for New Spiritual Israel. Your eternal destiny depends on whether you keep Revelation’s commands.

3. Revelation Contains the “Revealed Word”

They teach that Revelation provides “the open word” or “the revealed word”—the spiritual food necessary for eternal life today. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). 

Shincheonji claims that the “word” for today is the revealed testimony of Revelation as explained by Lee Man-hee.

4. Revelation Reveals What Was Hidden

They teach that Revelation “holds the secrets of God and the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, hidden in parables and sealed with seven seals until the appointed time.” 

Christianity has been in darkness for 2,000 years because Revelation was sealed. Now that Lee Man-hee has opened it, believers can finally understand God’s plan. Without this understanding, you remain in darkness.

5. Ignorance of Revelation Equals Damnation

Here’s where it gets explicitly threatening: “Anyone who adds to or subtracts from the words of Revelation, or ignores its prophecies and fulfillment, will be forbidden to enter heaven and will receive the plagues; they cannot be saved. 

Even not knowing Revelation is equated with adding to or subtracting from it.”

Did you catch that last sentence? Even not knowing Revelation is the same as adding to or subtracting from it. Ignorance is not an excuse—it’s a damnable offense. If you haven’t studied Revelation with Shincheonji and learned Lee Man-hee’s interpretation, you’re guilty of violating Revelation’s commands and will face judgment.

The Distinction Between Atonement and “Final Salvation”

Shincheonji makes a careful distinction between what Jesus accomplished (atonement) and what they claim is still needed (final salvation):

Jesus’s First Coming Mission:

• Bear the sins of humanity
• Fulfill Old Testament prophecies
• Establish the New Covenant with His blood
• Provide atonement (forgiveness of sins)

Jesus’s Second Coming Mission:

• NOT to bear sin again (that’s already done)
• Bring “salvation” to those waiting for Him
• Permanently cleanse sin (not just forgive it)
• Eliminate Satan completely

But here’s where the logic becomes problematic: If Jesus’s atonement was complete, why is “permanent cleansing” still needed? If His blood covers all sins—past, present, and future—why do we need a second phase of salvation? 

And here’s where Shincheonji’s teaching becomes even more contradictory: They teach that Satan has already been bound since Shincheonji’s foundation. 

So what exactly is Satan’s role now? If he’s already bound, what is there left to eliminate? The logic becomes circular and self-contradictory.

Think about this carefully: Shincheonji claims Satan was bound when their organization was established in 1984. Yet they also teach that Satan’s complete elimination is part of the “final salvation” that Jesus will bring at the second coming. So which is it? 

Is Satan already bound, or does he still need to be eliminated? If he’s bound, why do believers still need protection from his influence? If he’s not bound, why claim he was bound at Shincheonji’s founding?

This contradiction reveals something important about Shincheonji’s theological system: it’s not carefully thought through. It’s constructed to serve organizational purposes—to elevate Lee Man-hee’s role and Shincheonji’s importance—rather than to present coherent biblical truth. When you scratch beneath the surface, the logic falls apart.

→ Salvation was already delivered 2000 years ago

The “Revealed Word” as Spiritual Food

Shincheonji teaches that eternal life comes through knowing God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3), but they add a crucial qualifier: “Today, this knowledge comes only through the revealed word (Revelation). 

The open scroll of Revelation is the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (the revealed word) that must be eaten at the second coming to keep the new covenant and receive salvation.”

This is a remarkable reinterpretation of Jesus’s teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John 6:53-58). 

In biblical Christianity, this refers to believing in Jesus and His sacrifice—trusting in Him so completely that His life becomes your life, His righteousness becomes your righteousness. In Shincheonji’s system, it refers to consuming Lee Man-hee’s testimony about Revelation.

The implications are staggering: Lee Man-hee’s testimony becomes equivalent to Jesus’s flesh and blood. Studying Shincheonji’s doctrines becomes equivalent to partaking in communion. 

Understanding Lee Man-hee’s interpretation becomes the means of receiving eternal life. This is why critics say Shincheonji’s system effectively replaces Jesus with Lee Man-hee—not explicitly, but functionally. Jesus provided the foundation, but Lee Man-hee provides the actual substance you need to consume for eternal life.

The Authority Chain: From God to You Through Lee Man-hee

Shincheonji teaches a specific chain of authority for how God’s word reaches believers today:

God → Jesus → The Angel (Spiritual Advocate) → The Promised Pastor (Lee Man-hee/New John) → Believers

This chain is crucial to their system:

Jesus’s Commission: Jesus sends His angel (messenger) to give the New John the testimony for the churches (Revelation 22:16)

The Open Scroll: Jesus, having broken the seven seals, gives the opened book (the revealed word) to the promised pastor through the angel. 

They claim this happened “in the spring of 1980 at a prayer mountain in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, Korea”—a specific time and place where Lee Man-hee received this revelation.

Witnessing and Testimony: Lee Man-hee’s authority comes from the fact that “he saw 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 a ‘walking Bible’.”

Unity with God and Jesus: “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.”

This last point is particularly significant. Shincheonji teaches that God’s throne is now with Lee Man-hee. Not symbolically. Not spiritually in some vague sense. Actually with him. This means that encountering God today requires encountering Lee Man-hee. Hearing God’s word today requires hearing Lee Man-hee’s testimony. Coming to God today requires coming through Lee Man-hee.

The practical implication is clear: Lee Man-hee has become the functional mediator between God and humanity. Yes, they’ll say Jesus is still the Savior, still the one who died for sins. But functionally, in this present era, you cannot access God or His salvation without going through Lee Man-hee. He is the gatekeeper, the interpreter, the necessary intermediary.

→ Issues with the Open Scroll

“Rejecting Lee Is Rejecting the One Jesus Sent”

Shincheonji is explicit about the consequences of rejecting Lee Man-hee’s testimony. They teach that rejecting Lee Man-hee is equivalent to rejecting Jesus Himself, because Jesus sent Lee Man-hee as His messenger.

The logic goes like this: Jesus said, “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). This was originally spoken to the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out. But Shincheonji applies it to Lee Man-hee: he is the one Jesus has sent in this era, so rejecting him is rejecting Jesus.

They describe Lee Man-hee as “a faithful servant who testifies what he heard and saw”—emphasizing his role as a witness and messenger. 

But notice how this seemingly humble description actually elevates his position to be absolutely essential. If he’s the only one who saw and heard Revelation’s fulfillment, and if his testimony is the only way to understand Revelation, and if understanding Revelation is essential for salvation, then Lee Man-hee becomes indispensable to your salvation.

This creates an impossible bind: You cannot question Lee Man-hee’s testimony without questioning Jesus who sent him. You cannot reject Lee Man-hee’s interpretation without rejecting God’s revealed truth. You cannot leave Shincheonji without leaving salvation itself. The organization has made itself the exclusive gateway to God, and Lee Man-hee has become the irreplaceable key to that gate.

The Only Path to Eternal Life

Shincheonji is explicit about the exclusivity of this path: “It is only by listening to the one who has received revelation from Jesus (LMH) that believers can know God, Jesus, and the promised pastor, and this is considered the only path to eternal life.”

Not “a” path. Not “the best” path. Not “the clearest” path. The only path.

This means:

• You cannot know God without Lee Man-hee’s testimony
• You cannot know Jesus without Lee Man-hee’s interpretation
• You cannot have eternal life without Lee Man-hee’s mediation
• You cannot be saved without Shincheonji’s organization

Let’s be honest about what this teaching does: It takes Jesus Christ—who declared Himself to be “the way and the truth and the life” and said “no one comes to the Father except through me”—and adds a second mediator. 

It takes the gospel—which Paul said is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”—and adds organizational requirements. It takes salvation—which Scripture says is “by grace through faith, not by works”—and transforms it into a complex system of human achievement.

→ Jesus already revealed all mysteries for salvation, 2000 years ago

The Logical and Theological Problems

Let’s step back and examine the problems with this teaching:

Problem 1: It Contradicts Jesus’s Own Words

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Not “through me and the promised pastor.” Not “through me, and then later through someone else.” Through me. Period.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Not “come to me for atonement, then go to someone else for final salvation.” Come to me. I will give you rest. Present tense. Complete provision.

Problem 2: It Makes Jesus’s Sacrifice Insufficient

If Jesus’s work on the cross only provided atonement but not “final salvation,” then His sacrifice was incomplete. But Scripture is clear: “By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Not “partially perfect.” Not “perfect except for one more thing.” Perfect. Forever. By one sacrifice.

When Jesus said “It is finished,” He meant it. The Greek word “tetelestai” was used in ancient commerce to mean “paid in full.” When a debt was completely paid, the receipt was stamped with this word. Jesus declared that the work of salvation was complete, the debt was paid in full, nothing remained to be done. To claim that salvation still requires additional work through Lee Man-hee is to claim that Jesus was mistaken—that it wasn’t actually finished.

Problem 3: It Creates a Salvation by Works System

If salvation requires understanding Revelation with doctrinal accuracy, then salvation depends on your intellectual capacity and educational achievement. What about:

• The intellectually disabled person who cannot master complex doctrine?
• The new believer who dies before completing the education program?
• The person in a remote location with no access to Shincheonji’s teaching?
• The illiterate person who cannot read Revelation?

Are they all excluded from salvation because they can’t meet the understanding requirement? This contradicts the gospel, which is accessible to all: “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). 

Whoever believes—not whoever understands complex symbolism, not whoever completes an education program, not whoever passes exams with 90% accuracy. Whoever believes.

Problem 4: It Makes God’s Character Inconsistent

Think about what this teaching implies about God’s character:

For 2,000 years, God saved people through simple faith in Jesus Christ. Martyrs died proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior. Missionaries sacrificed everything to spread the gospel of Jesus. Believers found peace, joy, and assurance through trusting in Christ’s finished work.

But according to Shincheonji, all of that was incomplete. Those martyrs died for an incomplete salvation. Those missionaries spread an insufficient gospel. Those believers had false assurance because Jesus’s work wasn’t enough.

Does this sound like the God who “is the same yesterday and today and forever”? Does this sound like the God who “does not change like shifting shadows”? Does this sound like a God you can trust? If God changed the requirements once (from Moses to Jesus) and then again (from Jesus to Lee Man-hee), what’s to stop Him from changing them again? How can you have any confidence that Shincheonji’s system is the final one?

Problem 5: It Elevates Human Testimony Above Divine Scripture

Shincheonji claims that Lee Man-hee’s testimony about what he saw is essential for understanding Revelation. But this makes human testimony (Lee Man-hee’s account) more authoritative than divine Scripture (the Bible itself). It says, “You can’t understand God’s word without this man’s interpretation.”

But Scripture itself claims to be sufficient: “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). Thoroughly equipped. Not “partially equipped until someone comes along to explain it properly.”

Faith, the Holy Spirit, and Being Born Again

To fully understand how Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine differs from biblical Christianity, we need to examine how they redefine core biblical concepts. They use familiar Christian terminology, but they pour different meanings into these terms. This allows them to sound biblical while teaching something entirely different. As we saw in Chapter 7, this gradual redefinition is part of their “harvesting” strategy—slowly uprooting your existing beliefs and replanting something new.

The Redefinition of Faith

Biblical Definition of Faith:

Faith is trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for salvation. It’s not merely intellectual agreement, but personal trust and reliance on Christ alone.

“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).

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith is the means by which we receive salvation—not something we produce or achieve, but something we exercise in response to God’s grace. It’s personal trust in a person (Jesus Christ), not mastery of doctrinal information.

Shincheonji’s Definition of Faith:

According to Shincheonji, “faith is understanding where to locate your place of salvation.”

Read that again. Faith isn’t trust in Jesus—it’s understanding where to go. Faith isn’t relying on Christ’s finished work—it’s finding the right location. Faith isn’t a relationship with a person—it’s knowledge of a place.

This redefinition transforms faith from a personal, relational trust into a geographical and organizational requirement. 

You must have faith—which means you must understand that salvation is found in Shincheonji’s physical location in South Korea. You must have faith—which means you must recognize that Lee Man-hee is the promised pastor. You must have faith—which means you must join the right organization.

The Logical Problem:

If faith is “understanding where to locate your place of salvation,” then:

• People in remote locations who have never heard of Shincheonji cannot have faith
• People who die before Shincheonji contacts them cannot have faith
• People who lived before 1984 (when Shincheonji was founded) cannot have faith
• Faith becomes dependent on access to information about an organization, not trust in Jesus Christ

This contradicts the biblical teaching that faith is available to all who hear the gospel: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). The message is about Christ, not about finding the right organization or location.

The Redefinition of the Holy Spirit

Biblical Definition of the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity—God Himself dwelling in believers. The Spirit convicts of sin, regenerates believers, seals them for salvation, teaches them truth, produces spiritual fruit in their lives, and empowers them for service.

“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 believers at the moment of faith. He is the seal of salvation, the guarantee of our inheritance, the presence of God within us.

Shincheonji’s Redefinition of the Holy Spirit:

Shincheonji teaches that the Holy Spirit works in a specific way in this era: “Today is the time when the Holy Spirit descends upon Shincheonji to do its work. The current work of the Holy Spirit is linked to sealing people with the revealed word, testified by LMH.”

Notice the shift: The Holy Spirit doesn’t indwell individual believers when they trust in Christ. Instead, the Holy Spirit descends upon Shincheonji as an organization and works through Lee Man-hee specifically.

They teach that “the Spirit of Truth works through the ‘New John’ (Lee Man-hee) to convict those who do not believe in Jesus and to elevate those who accept the one sent by Jesus (LMH).” The Holy Spirit’s role is to work through Lee Man-hee to search all things, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).

The Implications:

If the Holy Spirit works primarily through Lee Man-hee rather than dwelling in individual believers, then:

• You cannot understand Scripture without Lee Man-hee’s interpretation
• You cannot be sealed by the Spirit without joining Shincheonji
• You cannot have the Spirit’s guidance apart from organizational membership
• The Spirit’s work is mediated through a human leader rather than being directly accessible to all believers

Critics point out that this makes Lee Man-hee’s role equivalent to the Holy Spirit’s role. He becomes “the advocate in the physical world”—a claim to the role of the Holy Spirit Himself. 

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” (John 14:16-17). But Shincheonji effectively replaces this divine Advocate with a human one.

The Meaning of Pentecost:

Shincheonji acknowledges that the historical Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) involved the Holy Spirit descending and teaching. But they claim that today, the Spirit’s work is different—focused on descending upon Shincheonji and sealing people with the revealed word through Lee Man-hee’s testimony.

This creates a two-tier system: The Spirit worked one way for 2,000 years (indwelling individual believers), but now works a different way (through Lee Man-hee and Shincheonji). This contradicts the biblical teaching that the Spirit’s indwelling of believers is a permanent reality of the New Covenant era, not something that changes with new organizational developments.

The Redefinition of Being “Born Again”

Biblical Definition of Being Born Again:

Being born again means receiving new spiritual life through faith in Christ—you’re transformed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive. This rebirth happens through the work of the Holy Spirit when you believe in Jesus.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

Being born again is a positive transformation—from death to life, from darkness to light, from being outside God’s family to being His child. It’s not about destroying what you believe; it’s about receiving new life through faith in Christ.

Shincheonji’s Redefinition:

Shincheonji teaches that “being born again is to be born of God’s seed.” But they define “God’s seed” as Shincheonji’s doctrines—specifically, the “revealed word” of Revelation as interpreted by Lee Man-hee.

In their system, being “born again” means:

• Recognizing that your Christian beliefs are false—everything you learned in church is contaminated with Satan’s lies
• Having those beliefs destroyed—your old understanding must be torn down completely
• Being re-educated with Shincheonji’s doctrines—new beliefs are implanted through their education program
• Emerging as a “new creation”—you’re now part of New Spiritual Israel instead of fallen Christianity

The instructor will use agricultural metaphors to make this seem natural and necessary: “You can’t plant good seed in soil full of weeds. First, you have to pull out all the weeds—all the false teachings you learned in Christianity. Then we can plant the true seed—the revealed word of Revelation. This is what it means to be born again.”

Or they’ll use construction metaphors: “You can’t build a solid house on a cracked foundation. First, you have to demolish the old foundation—all the false doctrines you learned in church. Then we can lay a new foundation—the truth of Revelation. This is the new creation.”

The Psychological Devastation:

This teaching is psychologically devastating because it requires you to:

1. Distrust Everything You’ve Learned

Every sermon you’ve heard, every Bible study you’ve attended, every Christian book you’ve read—all of it is now suspect. Your pastors were teaching you lies (even if unintentionally). Your Christian friends are still in darkness. Your family members who oppose Shincheonji are trying to keep you in bondage to false teaching.

This creates profound isolation. You can no longer trust the people who have been your spiritual guides. You can no longer rely on your own understanding of Scripture (because you were reading it through a corrupted lens). You can only trust Shincheonji’s instructors to tell you what’s true.

2. Experience Cognitive Destruction

The process of having your beliefs systematically dismantled is cognitively and emotionally exhausting. Everything you thought was true is now false. Everything you thought was false might be true. Up is down. Black is white. The foundation you built your life on is declared unstable.

This cognitive destruction serves a purpose: it makes you dependent on Shincheonji to rebuild your understanding. You’re like a person whose house has been demolished—you desperately need someone to help you rebuild, and Shincheonji is right there, ready to construct a new belief system in the rubble of the old one.

3. Sever Ties with Your Christian Community

If your church is teaching false doctrine, you need to leave it. If your Christian friends are in darkness, you need to distance yourself from them. If your family members are opposing “truth,” they’re persecuting you like the Pharisees persecuted Jesus.

This isolation is not accidental—it’s essential to the system. As long as you maintain relationships with Christians outside Shincheonji, you’re exposed to contrary perspectives that might help you recognize the manipulation. By framing all opposition as persecution and all contrary teaching as darkness, Shincheonji ensures you’ll cut ties with anyone who might rescue you.

4. Rebuild Your Identity Around Shincheonji

Once your old beliefs are destroyed and your old relationships are severed, Shincheonji becomes your new foundation. Your identity is no longer “a Christian”—it’s “a member of Shincheonji.” Your community is no longer your church—it’s your tribe in Shincheonji. Your source of truth is no longer the Bible interpreted by the Holy Spirit—it’s the Bible interpreted by Lee Man-hee.

You’ve been “born again”—not into God’s family through faith in Christ, but into Shincheonji’s organization through acceptance of their doctrines.

Why This Is Not Biblical

The biblical concept of being born again is about addition, not subtraction. It’s about receiving new life, not destroying old beliefs. It’s about transformation through the Holy Spirit, not re-education through human instructors.

When Paul describes the new creation in Christ, he says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). What’s the “old” that’s gone? 

Not your understanding of biblical doctrines—it’s your old self, your slavery to sin, your separation from God. What’s the “new” that’s here? Not a different set of doctrines—it’s new life in Christ, reconciliation with God, freedom from sin’s power.

Being born again doesn’t require you to reject the gospel you believed before. It doesn’t require you to distrust your pastors and Christian friends. It doesn’t require you to join a specific organization. It requires you to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation—and that trust brings immediate, complete, permanent new life.

Shincheonji’s “born again” teaching is actually a form of thought reform or “brainwashing”—systematically breaking down existing beliefs and replacing them with new ones through a controlled process of re-education. This is not spiritual transformation; it’s psychological manipulation.

Time Is Running Out

Another crucial element of Shincheonji’s psychological strategy is creating a sense of urgency. They teach that we’re living in the final era of human history, that the harvest is happening now, that the 144,000 are being sealed right now, and that if you delay your decision, you might miss your opportunity for salvation.

The Harvest Timeline

Shincheonji teaches that the “harvest” prophesied in Revelation began in the 1980s when Lee Man-hee started gathering believers from Christianity into Shincheonji. This harvest has been ongoing for decades, and they claim it’s nearing completion.

The instructor will emphasize: “We don’t know exactly when the harvest will be complete, but we know it’s soon. The 144,000 are being sealed right now. Once that number is complete, the opportunity will close. You don’t want to be left outside when the door shuts.” While the specific timeline has been adjusted since COVID-19, the urgency message remains constant—you must act now, you cannot delay, time is running out.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

They’ll reference Jesus’s parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), where five wise virgins had oil for their lamps and five foolish virgins didn’t. When the bridegroom came, the wise virgins entered the wedding feast, but the foolish virgins were locked out.

The application is clear: Don’t be like the foolish virgins who delayed and missed their opportunity. Be like the wise virgins who were ready. The bridegroom (Jesus) is coming soon. The door is about to close. If you’re not sealed with Shincheonji when that happens, you’ll be left outside, knocking on a locked door.

The Psychological Impact of Urgency

This urgency factor serves several purposes:

1. It Prevents Careful Evaluation

When you believe time is running out, you don’t have the luxury of careful, thorough evaluation. You can’t take months to research Shincheonji’s history, read critical analyses, consult with pastors and theologians, or pray and reflect deeply. 

You need to decide now, or you might miss your chance.

This is a classic high-pressure sales tactic: create artificial scarcity to force a quick decision. “This offer expires soon!” “Limited quantities available!” “Act now or miss out!” It works in sales, and it works in religious recruitment.

2. It Frames Hesitation as Dangerous

If time is running out, then hesitation isn’t wisdom—it’s foolishness. Wanting to think carefully isn’t discernment—it’s delay that could cost you salvation. Consulting with others isn’t seeking counsel—it’s wasting precious time.

The instructor might say: “I understand you want to think about it, but remember the foolish virgins. They delayed, and they were locked out. Don’t let that happen to you. The harvest won’t wait for you to feel completely comfortable.”

3. It Exploits Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Humans have a deep psychological aversion to missing out on important opportunities. If Shincheonji is right and you delay, you’ll miss salvation. If they’re gathering the 144,000 right now and you hesitate, someone else will take your spot. If the door is about to close and you’re still deciding, you’ll be left outside.

This fear of missing out can override rational evaluation. Even if you have doubts, even if things don’t quite add up, even if your family is concerned—the fear of missing salvation can push you to join despite your reservations.

4. It Creates Pressure to Recruit Others

If time is running out, then you have a responsibility to warn others. Your family members who are still in Christianity need to be harvested before it’s too late. Your Christian friends need to hear the truth before the door closes. Every day you delay in recruiting them is a day closer to their potential damnation.

This transforms you from a student into a recruiter. You’re not just learning for yourself—you’re responsible for bringing others. And the urgency means you can’t wait until you’re completely sure or until you’ve answered all your questions. You need to start recruiting now, even if you’re still processing doubts.

The Biblical Response: God’s Patience

The biblical picture of God’s timing is very different from Shincheonji’s urgency tactics. Yes, Scripture teaches that Jesus will return and that we should be ready. 

But it also emphasizes God’s patience and His desire for all to come to repentance:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God’s patience means you have time to evaluate carefully. You have time to test teachings against Scripture. You have time to seek wise counsel. You have time to pray and reflect. God is not trying to trick you with artificial deadlines or catch you off guard with suddenly closing doors.

Yes, we should respond to the gospel without unnecessary delay. Yes, we should be ready for Christ’s return. But readiness means trusting in Christ’s finished work, not frantically trying to join the right organization before time runs out.

The urgency Shincheonji creates is not the biblical urgency to believe in Christ—it’s manufactured pressure to join their organization. Biblical urgency says, “Today is the day of salvation—believe in Jesus now!” Shincheonji’s urgency says, “Today is the day to join our organization—register in our tribes now!” 

These are fundamentally different messages with fundamentally different purposes.

Part 7: The Pattern of Redefinition—A Strategy Revealed

Now that we’ve examined how Shincheonji redefines faith, the Holy Spirit, being born again, and the 144,000, let’s step back and see the pattern in their strategy. Understanding this pattern helps you recognize the manipulation even when you encounter it with different terminology or in different contexts.

Step 1: Use Familiar Biblical Terms

They talk about faith, the Holy Spirit, being sealed, the 144,000, being born again, the New Covenant—all terms that Christians recognize and value. This creates an initial sense of familiarity and trust. “These people are speaking my language. They’re using the Bible. They must be teaching biblical truth.”

This is intentional. If they started by using completely unfamiliar terminology—”You need to achieve organizational synchronization through doctrinal mastery”—you’d immediately recognize it as foreign to Christianity. But by using biblical terms, they bypass your initial defenses.

Step 2: Gradually Shift the Meaning

Through their education program, they slowly pour new meanings into these familiar terms. Faith becomes finding the right location. The Holy Spirit becomes the spirit working through Lee Man-hee. Being sealed becomes completing their education program. The 144,000 becomes their organizational membership. Being born again becomes accepting their doctrines.

This shift happens so gradually that you barely notice it. In week one, “faith” means trusting in Jesus. By week ten, “faith” means trusting in Jesus AND understanding where salvation is located. By week twenty, “faith” means joining Shincheonji. The term stayed the same, but the meaning changed completely.

Step 3: Make the New Meaning Seem Biblical

They support each redefinition with Bible verses, often taken out of context or interpreted through their symbolic framework. This makes the new meanings seem biblically grounded rather than organizationally invented.

“See? The Bible talks about being sealed. We’re just explaining what that really means.” “See? Jesus talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. We’re just showing you that this refers to receiving the revealed word.” “See? Revelation mentions 144,000 from twelve tribes. We’re just identifying who they are.”

The Bible verses provide a veneer of biblical authority for teachings that actually contradict the Bible’s clear meaning.

Step 4: Use the Redefined Terms to Control

Once the terms are redefined, they become tools of control:

“You need to have faith”—which now means joining their organization, not trusting in Christ alone.

“You need to be sealed by the Spirit”—which now means completing their program, not receiving the Holy Spirit when you believe.

“You need to be part of the 144,000″—which now means organizational registration, not being among God’s redeemed people.

“You need to be born again”—which now means accepting their doctrines, not receiving new life through faith in Christ.

The redefined terms allow them to use biblical language to promote non-biblical requirements. They can say, “The Bible says you must be born again to see the kingdom of God,” and you’ll nod in agreement—not realizing they’ve completely changed what “born again” means.

The Result: Speaking a Different Language

You end up speaking what sounds like Christian language, but you’re actually speaking a different language entirely. You talk about “faith in Jesus,” but you mean “membership in Shincheonji.” You talk about “being sealed by the Spirit,” but you mean “completing Lee Man-hee’s education program.” You talk about “the New Covenant,” but you mean “Revelation as interpreted by Lee Man-hee.”

This is how Shincheonji can claim to be biblical while teaching something fundamentally different from biblical Christianity. They use the Bible’s vocabulary but replace its dictionary. They speak with Christian words but communicate a different gospel.

This is why conversations between Shincheonji members and Christians often feel confusing and frustrating. You’re using the same words but meaning completely different things. It’s like two people speaking what sounds like English but using different definitions for every word—communication becomes impossible because you think you’re agreeing when you’re actually saying opposite things.

A Strategy Revealed

Now that we’ve examined how Shincheonji redefines faith, the Holy Spirit, being born again, and the 144,000, let’s step back and see the pattern in their strategy. Understanding this pattern helps you recognize the manipulation even when you encounter it with different terminology or in different contexts.

Step 1: Use Familiar Biblical Terms

They talk about faith, the Holy Spirit, being sealed, the 144,000, being born again, the New Covenant—all terms that Christians recognize and value. This creates an initial sense of familiarity and trust. “These people are speaking my language. They’re using the Bible. They must be teaching biblical truth.”

This is intentional. If they started by using completely unfamiliar terminology—”You need to achieve organizational synchronization through doctrinal mastery”—you’d immediately recognize it as foreign to Christianity. But by using biblical terms, they bypass your initial defenses.

Step 2: Gradually Shift the Meaning

Through their education program, they slowly pour new meanings into these familiar terms. Faith becomes finding the right location. The Holy Spirit becomes the spirit working through Lee Man-hee. Being sealed becomes completing their education program. The 144,000 becomes their organizational membership. Being born again becomes accepting their doctrines.

This shift happens so gradually that you barely notice it. In week one, “faith” means trusting in Jesus. By week ten, “faith” means trusting in Jesus AND understanding where salvation is located. By week twenty, “faith” means joining Shincheonji. The term stayed the same, but the meaning changed completely.

Step 3: Make the New Meaning Seem Biblical

They support each redefinition with Bible verses, often taken out of context or interpreted through their symbolic framework. This makes the new meanings seem biblically grounded rather than organizationally invented.

“See? The Bible talks about being sealed. We’re just explaining what that really means.” “See? Jesus talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. We’re just showing you that this refers to receiving the revealed word.” “See? Revelation mentions 144,000 from twelve tribes. We’re just identifying who they are.”

The Bible verses provide a veneer of biblical authority for teachings that actually contradict the Bible’s clear meaning.

Step 4: Use the Redefined Terms to Control

Once the terms are redefined, they become tools of control:

“You need to have faith”—which now means joining their organization, not trusting in Christ alone.

“You need to be sealed by the Spirit”—which now means completing their program, not receiving the Holy Spirit when you believe.

“You need to be part of the 144,000″—which now means organizational registration, not being among God’s redeemed people.

“You need to be born again”—which now means accepting their doctrines, not receiving new life through faith in Christ.

The redefined terms allow them to use biblical language to promote non-biblical requirements. They can say, “The Bible says you must be born again to see the kingdom of God,” and you’ll nod in agreement—not realizing they’ve completely changed what “born again” means.

The Result: Speaking a Different Language

You end up speaking what sounds like Christian language, but you’re actually speaking a different language entirely. You talk about “faith in Jesus,” but you mean “membership in Shincheonji.” You talk about “being sealed by the Spirit,” but you mean “completing Lee Man-hee’s education program.” You talk about “the New Covenant,” but you mean “Revelation as interpreted by Lee Man-hee.”

This is how Shincheonji can claim to be biblical while teaching something fundamentally different from biblical Christianity. They use the Bible’s vocabulary but replace its dictionary. They speak with Christian words but communicate a different gospel.

This is why conversations between Shincheonji members and Christians often feel confusing and frustrating. You’re using the same words but meaning completely different things. It’s like two people speaking what sounds like English but using different definitions for every word—communication becomes impossible because you think you’re agreeing when you’re actually saying opposite things.

Before we move to the biblical response, let’s pause and consider the human impact of Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine. Theology isn’t just abstract ideas—it shapes how people live, how they relate to God and others, and whether they experience peace or anxiety, freedom or bondage.

The Tragedy of the Shifting Standard

Imagine you’re a sincere Christian who has believed in Jesus for years. You’ve prayed, read your Bible, served in your church, shared your faith with others. You’ve found peace with God through trusting in Christ’s sacrifice. You’ve experienced the joy of knowing your sins are forgiven. You’ve felt the assurance that comes from God’s promise: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).

Then someone from Shincheonji tells you: “Everything you’ve believed is incomplete. Jesus’s sacrifice wasn’t enough. You need to understand Revelation. You need to accept Lee Man-hee. You need to join our organization. Without this, you cannot be saved.”

Suddenly, everything you thought was secure becomes uncertain. The peace you had evaporates. The assurance you felt disappears. The joy you experienced seems naive. You’re told you’ve been living in darkness, believing an incomplete gospel, settling for milk when you need solid food.

Now you’re faced with a terrible choice:

• Reject this new teaching and risk losing salvation (if they’re right)
• Accept this new teaching and abandon everything you’ve believed (if they’re wrong)

This is the psychological trap Shincheonji creates. They take the simple, beautiful gospel—”Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”—and transform it into a complex, anxiety-producing system where salvation depends on understanding symbolic interpretations, accepting a modern mediator, and joining a specific organization.

The Loss of Rest

Jesus promised: “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).

Rest. That’s what Jesus offers. Rest from striving to earn salvation. Rest from anxiety about whether you’ve done enough. Rest from the burden of religious performance. Rest in His finished work.

But Shincheonji’s system offers no rest—only endless study, constant performance pressure, and perpetual uncertainty about whether you’ve understood enough, believed enough, worked enough. You must study hard. You must pass exams with 90% accuracy. 

You must work “even harder” and “even faster.” You must endure until the end. You must prove you’re wheat, not a weed. You must maintain your faithfulness. You must recruit others. You must never doubt, never question, never waver.

This is not the rest Jesus promised. This is exhausting, anxiety-producing religion that can never offer certainty because there’s always more to do, more to learn, more to prove.

The Broken Relationships

Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine doesn’t just affect your relationship with God—it destroys your relationships with others.

Your church becomes “Babylon” that you must flee. Your pastors become false teachers leading people to destruction. Your Christian friends become people in darkness who need to be harvested. Your family members who express concern become persecutors trying to keep you from truth.

You’re taught to see opposition as confirmation that you’re right. When your parents express concern, it’s because they’re in spiritual darkness. When your pastor warns you, it’s because he feels threatened by truth. When your friends distance themselves, it’s because they can’t handle the light. Every broken relationship becomes evidence that you’re on the right path.

But the Bible teaches that genuine faith produces love—love for God and love for others (Matthew 22:37-40). It produces unity among believers, not division (John 17:20-23). It produces peace in relationships, not constant conflict (Romans 12:18). When a teaching systematically destroys relationships and creates division, that’s a warning sign, not a confirmation of truth.

The Stolen Assurance

Perhaps the cruelest aspect of Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine is how it robs people of assurance.

The apostle John wrote: “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). Know. Not hope. Not work toward. Not try to achieve. Know. Present-tense, confident knowledge that you have eternal life.

This assurance is based on God’s promise and Christ’s finished work, not on your performance. “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). The promise is clear and unconditional—whoever believes has eternal life.

But Shincheonji’s system makes assurance impossible. You can never know if you’re saved because:

• You haven’t reached “the end” yet (you must endure until the end)
• You might be a weed instead of wheat (only the final harvest will tell)
• You might not have understood correctly (doctrinal accuracy is required)
• You might not be working hard enough (you must work “even harder and even faster”)
• You might fail to keep the covenant (those who fail will be destroyed)

The system provides no assurance because salvation depends on your performance, understanding, and continued faithfulness—all of which are variable and uncertain. You can never say with confidence, “I know I have eternal life,” because you don’t know if you’ve done enough, understood enough, or will endure enough.

This is not the gospel. This is a return to the very system of works-righteousness that the gospel was meant to free us from. It’s a return to the anxiety and uncertainty that characterized life under the Old Covenant, before Christ came to provide complete, perfect, permanent salvation.

What if everything you thought you knew about salvation was wrong?

Shincheonji Church of Jesus teaches that salvation changes with each era. The ark saved people in Noah’s time, but it won’t save you today. Believing in Jesus worked for 2,000 years, but now—according to their teaching—it’s insufficient. Today, they claim, you must find Lee Man-hee in South Korea and join Shincheonji to be saved. Different eras, different requirements, different locations.

But what if this entire framework is backwards?

This article examines a fundamental question: Has God’s plan of salvation evolved through history, or has it remained consistent from the beginning? The answer to this question doesn’t just affect minor theological details—it determines whether Shincheonji’s entire system stands or falls.

What You’ll Discover:

• The Real Problem: Why sin is far more than rule-breaking—it’s corruption at the deepest level
• God’s Eternal Solution: How justice and grace meet at the cross in a way that satisfies both
• Who Jesus Really Is: Not just a messenger, but God Himself in human form
• The Shincheonji Twist: How they use Scripture like Satan did—quoting it while changing its meaning
• Direct Access: Why you don’t need organizational membership, tribal registration, or a trip to South Korea
• True Transformation: The difference between religious performance and genuine relationship with God

This isn’t just about correcting false doctrine. It’s about understanding the heart of the gospel—God’s consistent, eternal plan to save humanity through Jesus Christ alone. From the Garden of Eden to the cross to eternity, the message has never changed: salvation comes through faith in God’s promised Redeemer.

[Read More]

Now that we’ve examined Shincheonji’s salvation doctrine in detail, let’s turn to what Scripture actually teaches. The contrast will be stark, but it’s important to see clearly how different the biblical gospel is from Shincheonji’s system.

One Mediator, Not Two

The Biblical Teaching:

“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).

One mediator. Not two. Not Jesus for atonement and Lee Man-hee for final salvation. Not Jesus for the foundation and Lee Man-hee for the completion. One mediator—Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself declared: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Not “through me and then through someone else.” Not “through me for 2,000 years and then through another.” Through me. Period.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji’s system requires you to go through Lee Man-hee to access God’s salvation in this era. They claim Jesus established the foundation, but Lee Man-hee completes it. They say Jesus provided atonement, but Lee Man-hee provides the revealed word necessary for eternal life.

This creates a functional second mediator, regardless of how carefully they word it. If you cannot be saved without Lee Man-hee’s testimony, if you cannot understand God’s word without his interpretation, if you cannot access salvation without joining his organization—then he has become a mediator between you and God.

But Scripture is clear: there is one mediator. Adding another—whether explicitly or functionally—contradicts the gospel.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith, Not Works

The Biblical Teaching:

“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).

This is the heart of the gospel: salvation is a gift, not a reward. It’s received by faith, not earned by works. It comes from God’s grace, not our achievement.

Faith is trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work—not intellectual mastery of complex doctrines, not completion of education programs, not organizational membership, not continued performance. Simple trust in Christ alone.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji’s system requires:

• Understanding Revelation with doctrinal accuracy (intellectual work)
• Completing a 6-9 month education program (educational work)
• Passing exams with 90% or higher (academic work)
• Leaving your church and joining Shincheonji (organizational work)
• Being registered in the twelve tribes (administrative work)
• Working “even harder and even faster” (ongoing work)
• Enduring persecution and remaining faithful until the end (endurance work)

This is salvation by works, regardless of how they frame it. If salvation depends on what you do, understand, achieve, or maintain—it’s works-based, not grace-based.

Paul warned the Galatians about this very thing: “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). When you add requirements to faith in Christ, you fall away from grace and return to a works-based system.

Christ’s Work Is Finished, Not Incomplete

The Biblical Teaching:

When Jesus died on the cross, His last words were: “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word “tetelestai” was used in ancient commerce to mean “paid in full.” When a debt was completely satisfied, the receipt was stamped with this word.

Jesus declared that the work of salvation was complete. The debt was paid in full. Nothing remained to be done. Nothing needed to be added. Nothing required completion by someone else 2,000 years later.

“By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Perfect. Forever. By one sacrifice. Not partially perfect. Not perfect except for one more thing. Perfect—complete, lacking nothing.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji teaches that Jesus’s work was the foundation but not the completion. His sacrifice provided atonement but not “final salvation.” He fulfilled the Old Testament but needs Lee Man-hee to fulfill Revelation. His work was necessary but not sufficient.

This contradicts Jesus’s own declaration. If it is finished, nothing needs to be added. If His one sacrifice made us perfect forever, no additional work is required. If His blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7), no further cleansing is needed.

To claim that Jesus’s work needs completion is to claim that Jesus was wrong when He said, “It is finished.”

Salvation Brings Immediate Assurance, Not Perpetual Uncertainty

The Biblical Teaching:

“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 so that believers could know—present-tense, confident knowledge—that they have eternal life. Not hope for it. Not work toward it. Not try to achieve it. Know that they have it.

This assurance is based on God’s promise, not our performance: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36). The promise is clear, unconditional, and certain. If you believe in Jesus, you have eternal life—not will have if you endure, not might have if you understand correctly, not could have if you work hard enough. You have it.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji’s system provides no assurance because salvation depends on your continued performance and understanding. You must endure until the end. You must maintain doctrinal accuracy. You must work hard enough. You must prove you’re wheat, not a weed.

But how do you know if you’ve endured enough? You haven’t reached the end yet. How do you know if you’ve understood correctly? There’s always more to learn. How do you know if you’ve worked hard enough? You’re told to work “even harder and even faster.” How do you know if you’re wheat? Only the final harvest will tell.

This is not biblical assurance. This is perpetual uncertainty that keeps you in bondage to fear and performance pressure.

The biblical gospel offers immediate, certain assurance based on God’s unchanging promise and Christ’s finished work. The moment you believe, you have eternal life. The moment you trust in Christ, you are saved. Not partially. Not provisionally. Not tentatively. Completely, permanently, certainly.

The Church Is All Believers in Christ, Not One Organization

The Biblical Teaching:

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The church is Christ’s body—all believers in Jesus Christ, regardless of denomination, location, or organizational affiliation. If you are in Christ through faith, you are part of His church. You don’t need to join a specific organization to be part of the body of Christ.

Paul emphasized the unity of all believers: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

One body. Not multiple competing bodies. Not one true organization and many false ones. One body consisting of all who believe in Jesus Christ.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji teaches that Christianity has fallen and become “Babylon.” The church—all of Christianity—is in darkness and under judgment. God has left Christianity and established His work exclusively in Shincheonji.

This means that faithful Christians around the world—people who love Jesus, serve Him sacrificially, share the gospel, care for the poor, worship God sincerely—are all in darkness and excluded from salvation unless they join Shincheonji.

But this contradicts Jesus’s promise: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus promised that His church would endure. He didn’t say, “I will build my church, but it will fall into complete darkness for 2,000 years until I establish a new organization in Korea.”

The church has always had problems—Paul’s letters address numerous issues in the early churches. But problems don’t mean God has abandoned His people. Imperfection doesn’t mean the church has ceased to be the church. 

Division doesn’t mean Christianity has become Babylon.

God’s people are found wherever people genuinely trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—in Baptist churches and Presbyterian churches, in house churches and megachurches, in Korea and Kenya, in cities and villages. The body of Christ is not limited to one organization with headquarters in South Korea.

The Holy Spirit Indwells All Believers, Not Just One Organization

The Biblical Teaching:

“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).

When you believe in Jesus, you are immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit. Not when you complete an education program. Not when you join an organization. Not when you achieve doctrinal mastery. When you believe.

The Holy Spirit is given to all believers as a seal—a mark of ownership, a guarantee of salvation, a deposit ensuring that God will complete what He started. This seal is permanent and certain, based on faith in Christ, not on organizational membership.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji teaches that the Holy Spirit works through Lee Man-hee and Shincheonji specifically in this era. Being “sealed” means completing their education program and having Lee Man-hee’s testimony written in your mind.

But this contradicts the clear biblical teaching that the Spirit indwells all believers at the moment of faith. The Spirit is not limited to one organization. He is not mediated through one human leader. He is given directly to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

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” (John 14:16-17). This promise is for all believers, not just members of one organization. The Spirit is with us forever, not just until an organization changes its teachings or adjusts its timeline.

God’s Character Is Unchanging, Not Shifting

The Biblical Teaching:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

“I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6).

“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’s character is unchanging. His promises are irrevocable. His plan of salvation is consistent. He doesn’t change the requirements for salvation from era to era. He doesn’t implement temporary solutions that expire after 2,000 years. He doesn’t revise His plan when circumstances change.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji’s system requires God to change the salvation requirements multiple times:

• Era 1: Salvation through the Mosaic covenant (temporary)
• Era 2: Salvation through faith in Jesus (temporary, now expired)
• Era 3: Salvation through Lee Man-hee and Shincheonji (supposedly final)

This makes God’s character inconsistent and His promises unreliable. If He changed the requirements twice before, how do you know He won’t change them again? If the salvation plan that worked for 2,000 years suddenly became obsolete, how do you know the current plan won’t also expire?

But the biblical God doesn’t work this way. His plan of salvation was always one unified plan, progressively revealed, culminating in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament pointed forward to Christ. The New Testament reveals Christ. The entire Bible is about one Savior, one plan, one foundation—Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Revelation Is Important But Not More Essential Than the Gospel

The gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins—is the power of God for salvation: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Paul summarized the gospel: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

This is the message of first importance. Not Revelation’s symbolism. Not understanding prophetic timelines. Not identifying modern fulfillments. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji teaches that Revelation is “fundamentally essential for salvation in the present era.” They claim that even not knowing Revelation is equivalent to adding to or subtracting from it—a damnable offense.

But this contradicts Paul’s clear statement about what is “of first importance.” If the gospel—Christ’s death and resurrection—was sufficient for salvation for 2,000 years, it remains sufficient today. God didn’t add a new requirement in the 1980s when Lee Man-hee claimed to receive revelation.

Yes, Revelation is part of Scripture and is valuable for understanding God’s plan. But it’s not more essential than the Gospels that tell us about Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It’s not more important than Romans that explains justification by faith. It’s not more crucial than John that declares “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The gospel is the power of God for salvation—not Revelation, not symbolic interpretations, not organizational membership. The gospel.

Faith Is Trust in a Person, Not Finding a Location

The Biblical Teaching:

Biblical faith is personal trust in Jesus Christ. It’s not intellectual mastery of doctrine, not geographic knowledge, not organizational affiliation. It’s trust—relying on Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Faith is receiving Christ, believing in His name, trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. It’s a relationship with a person, not information about a place.

The Contrast:

Shincheonji defines faith as “understanding where to locate your place of salvation.” This transforms faith from personal trust into geographic knowledge. You must understand that salvation is located in Shincheonji’s physical location in South Korea.

But this makes salvation dependent on access to information about an organization rather than trust in Jesus Christ. It makes salvation geographic rather than relational. It makes faith about knowing where rather than knowing whom.

The biblical gospel is accessible to all: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Not everyone who finds the right location. Not everyone who joins the right organization. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord—wherever they are, whatever their circumstances, whatever their access to information about organizations.

Conclusion: Two Paths, Two Destinations

We’ve examined two very different paths:

Shincheonji’s Path:

• Complex requirements progressively revealed
• Salvation by works (understanding, joining, completing, enduring)
• Christ’s work incomplete, needing human completion
• A second mediator (Lee Man-hee) functionally required
• The church redefined as one organization
• No assurance until the end
• Requirements that change when circumstances change
• Accessible only to those who find the right organization

The Biblical Gospel:

• Simple message clearly proclaimed
• Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone
• Christ’s work finished and sufficient
• One mediator (Jesus Christ)
• The church is all believers in Christ
• Immediate assurance based on God’s promise
• Unchanging truth for all eras
• Accessible to all who believe

These are not two versions of the same gospel. These are two different gospels leading to two different destinations.

One leads to anxiety, works, performance pressure, broken relationships, and perpetual uncertainty. The other leads to peace, rest, assurance, reconciliation, and eternal life.

One makes salvation complicated, conditional, and uncertain. The other makes salvation simple, free, and certain.

One adds to Christ. The other trusts in Christ alone.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been involved with Shincheonji, or if you’re currently studying with them, please hear this: The gospel of Jesus Christ is better than what Shincheonji offers. It’s simpler, more beautiful, more certain, and more powerful. 

You don’t need to understand complex symbolism to be saved. You don’t need to join an organization to have eternal life. You don’t need to work harder and faster to earn God’s acceptance.

You need Jesus Christ. Just Jesus. Not Jesus plus Lee Man-hee. Not Jesus plus Shincheonji. Not Jesus plus your understanding or your work or your endurance. Just Jesus.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). That’s the gospel. That’s the good news. That’s the message that has the power to save.

If you believe in Jesus Christ—that He died for your sins and rose from the dead, that He is Lord and Savior—you are saved. Right now. Completely. Permanently. You don’t need to do anything else. 

You don’t need to join anything else. You don’t need to understand anything else. You have eternal life because you believe in Jesus Christ.

That’s the gospel. And it’s far better than any system of works, any organizational requirement, or any human mediator could ever be.