The Inescapable Vicious Cycle

Before examining Shincheonji’s prophetic timeline or their claims about Lee Man-hee, we must ask a more fundamental question: Does their theological system make logical sense? Can an omniscient, omnipotent, loving God design a system where obedience to His commands guarantees disobedience to His purposes? 

This is not a question of biblical interpretation—it’s a question of basic logic. And the answer reveals fundamental flaws that undermine everything Shincheonji claims to teach.

The pattern in Noah’s time reveals a profound contradiction at the heart of Shincheonji’s theology: an inescapable vicious cycle that traps humanity in a system designed for failure.

The Cycle’s Mechanics

According to Shincheonji, every era follows an identical pattern: 

(1) God establishes a covenant with a faithful remnant; 

(2) God commands them to multiply; 

(3) Satan enters and corrupts descendants; 

(4) God judges and destroys the corrupted generation; 

(5) The cycle begins again with a new remnant.

What makes this cycle vicious is that each stage necessarily produces the next. 

The covenant requires multiplication → multiplication creates conditions for corruption → corruption necessitates judgment → judgment produces a new remnant → the remnant receives a covenant requiring multiplication. 

There is no exit point. According to Shincheonji, this has been God’s intentional design for 6,000 years.

The Impossible Dilemma

After the flood, God had the perfect opportunity to break any cycle: only eight people remained, all personally saved by God, all witnesses to His judgment. Yet according to Shincheonji’s framework, God commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply,” which guaranteed the cycle would continue.

This creates a logical trap with no escape:

If God keeps the population small: He can ensure pure truth, prevent corruption, and end the cycle—BUT this contradicts His command to “multiply and fill the earth.”

If Noah obeys God’s command to multiply: The population grows beyond oversight, Satan inevitably enters, and betrayal becomes inevitable—BUT this guarantees the cycle repeats.

The inescapable conclusion: God designed a system where obeying His command (multiply) guarantees disobeying His purpose (remain faithful). No matter which path 

Noah chose, he would fail. Is God setting humanity up to fail?

The Paradox of Multiplication

God’s command to multiply functions simultaneously as both blessing and curse. As a blessing, it echoes God’s creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) and represents life and growth. But in Shincheonji’s framework, multiplication creates conditions for inevitable corruption. The more faithfully people obey the command to multiply, the more certainly they ensure their descendants will be corrupted and destroyed.

Consider Noah’s impossible position: If he had known that multiplying would lead to Ham’s corruption and the destruction of nations, would he have been justified in limiting his family? But if he had, he would have disobeyed God’s explicit command. This is not a test of faithfulness—it’s a trap with no right answer. The system is rigged.

Divine Responsibility and the Predetermined Pattern

Shincheonji teaches that God designed the entire 6,000-year pattern from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). This means God designed the pattern that produces failure, knew each betrayal would occur, commanded multiplication knowing it would lead to corruption, and allows Satan to sow corruption in the field.

If all of this is true, then God is orchestrating a system that produces failure by design, then judges people for failing. If God designed a system where betrayal is inevitable, can He righteously judge people for betraying? The “test” is rigged from the start.

The Efficiency Problem: 0.000144% Success Rate

If God’s ultimate goal is to produce 144,000 faithful people, why does this require 6,000 years of repeated cycles, billions of people born and destroyed, and a 0.000144% success rate (144,000 out of ~100 billion)?

If God could create a generation that won’t betray (the 144,000), why couldn’t He have done this in the first generation? Why not give Noah the same “revealed word” that Shincheonji claims to possess? If the solution is special knowledge and sealing, why wait 6,000 years?

Shincheonji’s answer is that the 144,000 are only possible now because they’ve learned from all previous failures. But this means billions of people in previous generations never had a real chance—they lacked the knowledge only available in this final era. They were born, tested in a system designed for failure, and destroyed—all so a future generation could learn from their mistakes.

An omnipotent God could achieve His purposes through any means. The fact that He doesn’t—according to Shincheonji—raises questions about either His love or His omnipotence. Neither option is theologically satisfying.

The Pattern Designed to Fit Shincheonji’s Narrative

Here’s where the vicious cycle reveals its true purpose: this pattern looks suspiciously designed to fit Shincheonji’s narrative that their organization was part of God’s final plan all along.

By establishing that every era follows the same “Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation” (BDS) pattern, Shincheonji creates a framework where any historical event can be reinterpreted to fit the pattern, any religious conflict can be labeled as “betrayal,” any organizational split can be seen as “destruction,” and any new group can claim to be the “salvation” remnant.

This is why the prophecy-and-fulfillment method makes such a strong case for fitting a narrative. Once you accept the pattern as divinely designed, you can map it onto any situation—including the events at the Tabernacle Temple in 1966-1984.

The Tabernacle Temple as Case Study

The same historical facts about what happened at the Tabernacle Temple can be understood through multiple interpretive frameworks:

Through Shincheonji’s BDS lens:

• Betrayal: The seven messengers betrayed the Tabernacle Temple
• Destruction: The temple was destroyed/corrupted
• Salvation: Lee Man-hee was sent as the “one who overcomes” to establish the new thing

Through a neutral historical lens:

• A church experienced internal conflict
• Multiple factions emerged with competing claims
• One faction (Shincheonji) grew larger and reinterpreted the events as prophetic fulfillment

Same evidence, same timeline, same people—yet completely different stories emerge. The BDS pattern doesn’t reveal divine design; it provides a flexible interpretive framework that can be retrofitted onto any religious conflict to make it appear prophetically significant.

This approach is particularly effective because:

• It makes the pattern unfalsifiable – Any event can be forced to fit
• It creates the illusion of divine orchestration – Ordinary conflicts become cosmic battles
• It validates Shincheonji’s central role – They become the inevitable conclusion of 6,000 years of history
• It suppresses critical thinking – Questioning the pattern means questioning God’s design

For detailed examination of how this pattern was applied to create Shincheonji’s origin story, see “Testing Shincheonji’s Claims: Two Lenses, One Story.”

The Betrayal Definition: Control Through Loyalty

Central to how the cycle operates is Shincheonji’s definition of “betrayal”—not moral failure or idolatry, but dishonoring God’s chosen messenger.

In Noah’s era, Ham’s sin of seeing his father’s nakedness is interpreted as deliberately exposing and dishonoring Noah, who was God’s chosen pastor. This establishes the principle: Attacking God’s chosen messenger = Attacking God Himself (John 13:20).

Since Lee Man-hee is identified as the “promised pastor,” this means:

• Accepting Lee Man-hee’s testimony = Accepting Jesus = Accepting God
• Questioning Lee Man-hee = Questioning God
• Leaving Shincheonji = Betrayal equivalent to Ham’s sin

This creates a system where loyalty to the organization and its leader becomes functionally equivalent to loyalty to God Himself. (For more on how this authority structure is gradually revealed, see Chapter 7: “The Hidden Savior: New John”).

Three Troubling Implications

First, betrayal becomes dangerously easy to commit. If Ham’s relatively minor offense brought catastrophic consequences, then virtually any action could qualify as betrayal: a moment of doubt, a question asked in the wrong tone, a failure to show sufficient enthusiasm.

Second, it creates conditions for spiritual abuse. When loyalty to a human leader equals loyalty to God, that leader can demand absolute loyalty, suppress all criticism, and prevent members from leaving—all by equating disagreement with dishonoring God’s messenger.

Third, it contradicts biblical commands for discernment (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11). Members must choose between biblical discernment and organizational loyalty.

The Biblical Alternative

The biblical alternative is both simpler and more consistent with God’s character:

God’s covenant with Noah was unconditional (Genesis 9:8-17)—based entirely on God’s faithfulness, not human performance.

Ham’s sin was a family honor violation, not cosmic betrayal of a “promised pastor.”

Multiplication was a blessing, not a trap designed to produce betrayal.

The cycle of sin and redemption is not a designed pattern. It’s the interplay between human free will and divine mercy. God doesn’t orchestrate failures; He responds to them.

Most importantly, Christ broke the cycle once and for all. Jesus’s death and resurrection were the final, complete, once-for-all solution to sin and death (Hebrews 10:10-14). The cycle ends with Christ. Salvation is available to all who believe, not just 144,000 who join a specific organization.

Two Fatal Flaws

The vicious cycle in Shincheonji’s theology reveals two fundamental problems:

First, it’s a system designed for failure with a 0.000144% success rate where obedience to God’s commands guarantees disobedience to God’s purposes.

Second, it’s a pattern designed to validate Shincheonji’s narrative. The BDS pattern can be retrofitted onto any religious conflict, transforming ordinary organizational conflicts into cosmic prophetic fulfillment and making Shincheonji appear to be the inevitable conclusion of 6,000 years of history.

A loving, omniscient, omnipotent God would not design a system where obedience guarantees disobedience, orchestrate 6,000 years of repeated failure for a 0.000144% success rate, or make loyalty to a fallible human leader the definition of faithfulness to God.

The more logical explanation: Shincheonji’s framework is based on a misreading of Scripture. The vicious cycle doesn’t exist in God’s plan—only in Shincheonji’s interpretation. God is redeeming fallen humanity through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice—a redemption available to all who believe.

When we return to Scripture itself, we find not a vicious cycle but a loving God who gave His Son to break the power of sin and death once and for all (Matthew 11:28). We find not a system designed for failure but a Savior whose work guarantees success for all who trust in Him.

This is the gospel—the good news that stands in stark contrast to Shincheonji’s vicious cycle of designed failure.

We have established that Shincheonji’s theological framework contains fundamental logical contradictions—a vicious cycle where God designs failure, commands obedience that guarantees disobedience, and produces a 0.000144% success rate over 6,000 years. Yet despite these logical problems, Shincheonji has convinced hundreds of thousands of people that their system represents God’s true plan.

How do they do this?

The answer lies in their prophetic framework—a carefully constructed timeline that appears to validate their pattern, a gradual revelation of their leader’s central role, and an era-specific salvation system that makes joining Shincheonji seem like the only logical choice. 

In Part 2, we’ll examine how they build this narrative, starting with their prophetic timeline from Jeremiah to Jesus, which sets the foundation for everything that follows.

Shincheonji teaches that the existence of two types of believers—true and false—within Christianity was prophesied long before Jesus’s first coming and fulfilled during His earthly ministry.

The Original Prophecy (Approximately 600 BC)

According to Shincheonji’s interpretation, the foundation for the two seeds doctrine was laid roughly 2,600 years ago through the prophet Jeremiah. God declared through Jeremiah:

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals.” (Jeremiah 31:27)

Shincheonji interprets this verse as a prophecy about spiritual planting, not literal agricultural or demographic growth. They teach that “the seed of man” refers to God’s Word (truth and life), while “the seed of beast” refers to Satan’s word (lies and false doctrines). This prophecy, they claim, foretold that God would intentionally allow both types of spiritual seed to exist within His chosen people—setting the stage for a future separation and judgment.

The timing is significant in Shincheonji’s framework: Jeremiah prophesied during the final years of the Kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonian exile. This was a time when God’s people had become thoroughly corrupted by idolatry and false teaching. The prophecy, according to Shincheonji, looked forward to a future time when God would plant both good and bad seed, allowing them to grow together until a designated harvest.

Why Jeremiah Prophesied About the Two Seeds

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied about the sowing of two types of seed—the seed of man and the seed of beast—as a necessary part of God’s plan to bring about a “creation of a new thing.” This prophecy (Jeremiah 31:27) was delivered approximately 2,600 years ago during a time when the house of Israel and the house of Judah were facing destruction due to their repeated betrayal and disobedience. 

Because the previous chosen people (Physical Israel) continually broke the covenant by worshipping Gentile gods and following unrighteousness, God found fault with the first covenant. Therefore, Jeremiah prophesied a new beginning—a work of re-creation—which involved both sowing two kinds of seed and establishing a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31).

The prophecy ensured that the foundation of the new spiritual kingdom, which would begin with Jesus’s First Coming, would be established through a process of spiritual farming. God’s seed (the word of God, or the seed of man) and Satan’s seed (the devil’s lies/false doctrines, or the seed of beast) were designated to be sown in the same spiritual field, which symbolizes Jesus’s church (Spiritual Israel). 

This prophecy foreshadowed the critical reality that God’s words of truth would be mixed with Satan’s words of lies within the Christian church until the appointed time.

Jeremiah’s prophecy thus served as a promise that God would institute a new chosen people—the sons of the kingdom born of the good seed—who would be distinct from the corrupt descendants of Adam who sinned. This sowing prepared the way for the harvest, which Jesus prophesied would occur 2,000 years later at the “end of the age.” At the harvest, the two seeds sown according to Jeremiah’s prophecy would finally be separated: the wheat (God’s children) would be gathered for salvation, and the weeds (Satan’s children) would be bundled and burned.

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, this explains why God would allow His church to become a “mixed field.” It wasn’t a failure of God’s plan or an unexpected corruption—it was the intentional fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. 

The mixing was necessary because:

First, it created the conditions for testing and refining. Just as gold is refined by fire and wheat is separated from chaff through threshing, true believers would be identified through their response to both God’s word and Satan’s lies existing side by side.

Second, it fulfilled the pattern of re-creation. Just as God created the physical world in Genesis, He would create a new spiritual world through this process of sowing, growing, and harvesting. The “new thing” God promised to create (Jeremiah 31:22) required starting fresh with a new covenant and new people.

Third, it demonstrated that the fault lay with the first covenant and the people under it, not with God. By allowing both seeds to be sown and grow together, God would prove which seed produced genuine faith and which produced only the appearance of faith.

Fourth, it set the stage for the final separation. 

The harvest could only occur after both seeds had fully matured and their true nature became evident. Premature separation would have been unjust; allowing them to grow together until the appointed time ensures that the judgment is righteous and complete.

This theological framework is crucial to understanding why Shincheonji believes Christianity had to become corrupted. In their view, it wasn’t a tragic deviation from God’s plan—it was the fulfillment of God’s plan as prophesied through Jeremiah. The corruption, the false teachings, the mixing of truth and error—all of this was necessary to create the conditions for the harvest that Shincheonji claims is happening now.

The Fulfillment at Jesus’s First Coming (Approximately 30 AD)

Shincheonji teaches that this prophecy remained dormant for approximately 600 years until it was fulfilled during Jesus’s earthly ministry. Jesus Himself, they claim, was the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy—He was the farmer who came to plant the “seed of man” (God’s Word) in the field.

This fulfillment is based on Jesus’s Parable of the Weeds (also called the Parable of the Wheat and Tares) found in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43:

“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.'” (Matthew 13:24-26)

When the disciples asked Jesus to explain this parable, He provided the interpretation:

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.” (Matthew 13:37-39)

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, this parable is not merely a general illustration about good and evil coexisting until the final judgment. Rather, it is the precise fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy made 600 years earlier. 

Jesus, as the “Son of Man,” came to plant the good seed (His gospel, His word, His teaching) in His field. This planting occurred during His three-year ministry when He preached the gospel of the kingdom, taught His disciples, and established the foundation for what would become the Christian church.

The connection between Jeremiah’s prophecy and Jesus’s parable creates what Shincheonji calls a “prophetic link”—evidence that the Bible is a unified, interconnected revelation where Old Testament prophecies find their precise fulfillment in the New Testament. This interpretive approach is central to their entire theological system and is used to validate their claim that they alone understand how Scripture fits together.

For Further Exploration: Wheat and Tares

Shincheonji provides a detailed theological framework for understanding what these two seeds represent and how they function in the spiritual realm.

The Fundamental Equation: Seed = Word

At the core of Shincheonji’s interpretation is the equation that seed equals word. They base this on several biblical passages:

• Luke 8:11 – “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.”
• 1 Peter 1:23 – “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
• James 1:18 – “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

If seed equals word, and there are two types of seed, then logically there must be two types of word—God’s word (truth) and Satan’s word (lies). This creates a spiritual dualism that permeates Shincheonji’s entire theological system.

The Two Sources: God and Satan

Shincheonji teaches that the existence of two types of seed is rooted in the existence of two opposing spiritual powers: God and Satan. Each has their own word, their own message, their own gospel.

The good seed, which Shincheonji calls the “seed of man,” represents the Word of God—truth, life, and light. This seed was sown by the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry between 30-33 AD. When this seed takes root in a person’s heart, they become “sons of the kingdom” or “sons of heaven”—true believers who resemble God’s nature. These are the wheat in Jesus’s parable. 

They bear spiritual fruit—thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold—and are destined to receive eternal life. At the harvest, they will be gathered by angels and brought into God’s barn, which Shincheonji identifies as Mount Zion, their organization.

The bad seed, which Shincheonji calls the “seed of beast,” represents the word of Satan—lies, death, and darkness. This seed was sown by the devil while “everyone was sleeping”—a period Shincheonji interprets as the time after Jesus’s ascension when spiritual vigilance waned. 

When this seed takes root in a person’s heart, they become “sons of the evil one”—false believers who resemble Satan’s nature. These are the weeds (or tares) in Jesus’s parable. They appear similar to wheat when young but produce no genuine fruit. At the harvest, they will be gathered first, tied in bundles, and burned.

The Mechanism of Spiritual Birth

Shincheonji teaches a form of spiritual genetics: just as physical children inherit the nature of their biological parents, spiritual children inherit the nature of their spiritual parent based on which seed gave them birth.

If you are born again through God’s word (the good seed), you become a child of God—a son or daughter of the kingdom. Your spiritual DNA, so to speak, comes from God. You will naturally love truth, seek righteousness, and produce spiritual fruit.

If you are born through Satan’s word (the bad seed), you become a child of the devil—a son or daughter of the evil one. Your spiritual DNA comes from Satan. You will naturally love lies, embrace false teaching, and produce no genuine fruit, even if you appear religious on the surface.

This teaching creates a binary spiritual world: every person is either wheat or a weed, born of God or born of Satan, destined for the barn or destined for the fire. There is no middle ground, no spectrum, no gray area.

The Appearance of Similarity

One of the most psychologically powerful aspects of Shincheonji’s teaching is their emphasis on how similar wheat and weeds appear, especially when young. They often use the example of darnel (Lolium temulentum), a weed that closely resembles wheat in its early stages of growth. Only when both plants mature and produce seed heads can they be clearly distinguished—wheat produces edible grain, while darnel produces toxic seeds.

According to Shincheonji, this biological reality illustrates a spiritual truth: true believers and false believers can appear nearly identical, especially in the early stages of faith. Both attend church, read the Bible, pray, worship, and claim to follow Jesus. Both use Christian language and participate in Christian activities. But their fundamental nature is different—one is born of God’s seed, the other of Satan’s seed.

This teaching serves several psychological functions:

First, it creates doubt and suspicion. If wheat and weeds look the same, how can you know which you are? How can you trust your pastor, your church leaders, or your fellow believers? They might be weeds disguised as wheat.

Second, it validates Shincheonji’s claim to special knowledge. Only those who have received the “revealed word”—Shincheonji’s interpretation of Scripture—can accurately distinguish wheat from weeds. Without this special knowledge, you’re blind to the true spiritual reality around you.

Third, it explains why Christianity appears divided. The thousands of denominations, the conflicting doctrines, the theological debates—all of this is evidence that the field is mixed. If everyone were wheat (true believers), there would be unity. The division proves that weeds have infiltrated the church.

We’ve examined how Shincheonji identifies the two seeds in Jesus’s parable: they claim to be the wheat being harvested from Christianity, which they identify as the field of tares. This interpretation positions Shincheonji as God’s chosen harvesters, gathering the 144,000 firstfruits who will be sealed and, according to their doctrine, cannot fall away.

But this doctrine faces a critical test that no amount of biblical interpretation can avoid: What happens when those identified as “wheat”—high-ranking leaders who are supposedly part of the 144,000 sealed servants—leave the organization and speak against it?

If Shincheonji’s interpretation is correct, this should be impossible. The wheat cannot transform into tares. The sealed cannot fall away. Those who allegedly witnessed Revelation’s fulfillment firsthand cannot un-witness it. Those who taught the doctrine to thousands and rose to positions of tribe leader, senior instructor, and organizational chairwoman should be the most convinced, the most committed, the most certain.

Yet they leave. Repeatedly. And not quietly.

They testify in court. They give public interviews. They create YouTube channels. They write detailed accounts. They warn others. And their testimonies reveal something Shincheonji’s two seeds doctrine cannot explain: the closer you get to the organization’s leadership, the more problems you discover.

These departures present an insurmountable theological problem for Shincheonji. If these leaders were truly “wheat”—truly part of the 144,000, truly sealed by God—how can they leave? And if they were never actually “wheat” to begin with, then Shincheonji’s ability to identify who is wheat and who is tares is fundamentally flawed, undermining their entire harvesting mission.

The testimonies that follow are not from people who “didn’t understand the doctrine” or “had weak faith.” They are from people who mastered the doctrine, taught it to thousands, witnessed the organization’s inner workings at the highest levels, and had everything to lose by leaving. Their consistent message reveals a pattern that cannot be dismissed: those who know the most leave the most decisively.

We’ve examined Shincheonji’s two seeds doctrine from logical, biblical, and theological perspectives. Now we apply the most critical test: What do those identified as the “wheat”—who taught this doctrine and rose to leadership—say about it now?

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, high-ranking leaders leaving should be impossible. The wheat cannot become tares. Those who leave are said to have “betrayed” God and lost their salvation. Those harvested from false Christianity should recognize the truth so clearly that departure is unthinkable. Those who reach the highest levels—tribe leaders supposedly part of the 144,000, instructors who mastered the doctrine, those who worked directly with Lee Man-hee—should be the most convinced, the most committed, the most certain.

If Shincheonji’s claims were true, deeper knowledge should produce stronger conviction. Proximity to Lee Man-hee should increase faith. Higher levels of leadership should reveal greater truth.

But the opposite occurs.

Tribe leaders depart. The chairwoman who worked alongside Lee Man-hee testifies in court about financial exploitation. Senior instructors who taught thousands recognize they were manipulating people, not harvesting them. Those Shincheonji identified as “wheat,” as “firstfruits,” as “witnesses to Revelation’s fulfillment” now expose the organization’s deception.

Their testimonies reveal a devastating pattern: the closer you get to the organization’s leadership, the more problems you discover. This is the opposite of what should happen if Shincheonji’s claims were true. It is, however, exactly what you would expect if the organization’s foundation is built on deception rather than divine revelation. [Read More]

Before examining how Christianity allegedly “betrayed” God, we must understand what Shincheonji means by betrayal. The Korean word they use is baedo (배도), which carries connotations of apostasy, rebellion, and covenant-breaking.

The Definition of Betrayal Across Eras

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, betrayal in each era has specific characteristics, but follows a consistent pattern. Let’s examine how betrayal manifested from Adam to the present:

Adam’s Era (Genesis 3):

• The Covenant: God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17)
• The Betrayal: Adam listened to the serpent’s word instead of God’s word; he chose to believe Satan’s lie (“You will not certainly die”) over God’s truth
• The Result: Sin entered the world, God’s presence departed from humanity, and death became humanity’s destiny
• The Pattern: Choosing another voice over God’s voice = betrayal

Noah’s Era (Genesis 6-9):

• The Covenant: God established a covenant with Noah, saving him and his family through the ark, and promised never again to destroy the earth by flood (Genesis 9:8-17)
• The Betrayal: Noah’s descendants, particularly through Ham’s line, became corrupt; at the Tower of Babel, humanity united in rebellion against God, attempting to “make a name for ourselves” rather than honoring God’s name (Genesis 11:4)
• The Result: God confused their languages and scattered them; the unified people of God became divided nations
• The Pattern: Self-glorification and independence from God = betrayal

Abraham/Moses Era – Physical Israel (Exodus – Malachi):

• The Covenant: God chose Israel as His special people, gave them the Law through Moses at Mount Sinai, and promised to be their God if they would be His people (Exodus 19:5-6)
• The Betrayal: Israel repeatedly broke the covenant through idolatry, worshiping the gods of surrounding nations; they rejected God’s prophets, killed those He sent to warn them, and mixed God’s commands with pagan practices
• The Result: The northern kingdom (Israel) was destroyed by Assyria; the southern kingdom (Judah) was destroyed by Babylon; the temple was destroyed and the people exiled
• The Pattern: Mixing God’s truth with foreign lies = betrayal

Jesus’s Era – Spiritual Israel/Christianity (30 AD – Present):

• The Covenant: Jesus established the New Covenant through His blood, founding the church and promising that the Holy Spirit would guide believers into all truth (Luke 22:20; John 16:13)
• The Betrayal: According to Shincheonji, Christianity betrayed this covenant by allowing false teachers (the “Nicolaitans”) to infiltrate the church and introduce false doctrines that mixed truth with error
• The Result: Christianity became “Babylon,” a confused mixture of truth and lies; the church divided into thousands of denominations; God’s presence departed, leaving Christianity in spiritual darkness
• The Pattern: Allowing false teaching to corrupt pure doctrine = betrayal

The Specific Betrayal of Christianity

Shincheonji identifies several specific ways Christianity betrayed the New Covenant:

1. The Nicolaitans’ Infiltration

Revelation 2:6 and 2:15 mention the “Nicolaitans,” a group Jesus said He hated. Shincheonji teaches that the Nicolaitans represent false pastors and teachers who infiltrated the early church with false doctrines. 

The name “Nicolaitans” is interpreted as “those who overcome the people” (from Greek nikos = conquer, laos = people)—religious leaders who dominate and control believers rather than serving them.

According to Shincheonji, these Nicolaitans introduced the false teachings that became mainstream Christianity:

• The doctrine of the Trinity (mixing Greek philosophy with biblical monotheism)
• Salvation by faith alone without works (distorting Paul’s teaching on grace)
• Symbolic interpretation of Revelation (denying literal fulfillment)
• Human traditions elevated to the level of Scripture (denominational doctrines)

2. The Wine of Adultery

Shincheonji teaches that Revelation 17-18 describes Christianity as “Babylon the Great,” who made the nations drunk with “the wine of her adulteries” (Revelation 17:2). This “wine” represents false doctrines—teachings that appear spiritual but actually intoxicate and deceive believers, making them unable to discern truth from error.

Just as literal wine impairs judgment, the wine of false doctrine impairs spiritual judgment. Christians who have drunk this wine cannot see that their churches have become Babylon, that their pastors are teaching lies, or that they need to “come out” and join Shincheonji.

3. The Multiplication of Denominations

The existence of thousands of Christian denominations is, according to Shincheonji, irrefutable evidence of betrayal. If the church had remained faithful to the pure gospel Jesus taught, there would be unity. The fact that Christianity is divided proves that Satan’s seed has taken root and produced confusion (since God is not a God of confusion, but of peace—1 Corinthians 14:33).

Each denomination represents a different mixture of truth and error, a different version of the “wine of adultery.” Some have more truth than others, but all are compromised. None have the pure, unadulterated word of God—only Shincheonji possesses that.

The Irony: “No Lie in Their Mouths”

Revelation 14:5 describes the 144,000: “No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” Shincheonji teaches that this characteristic—speaking no lies—is what distinguishes the 144,000 from the rest of Christianity.

However, there’s a profound irony here. As we’ll explore in Chapter 7 on recruitment tactics, Shincheonji actively teaches deception as a strategy. They instruct members to:

• Hide their affiliation with Shincheonji when recruiting
• Use deceptive names for their Bible studies (like “Bible Academy” or “Christian study group”)
• Withhold information about Lee Man-hee until students are sufficiently indoctrinated
• Present themselves as mainstream Christians while secretly believing all other Christians are in Babylon

This deception is justified as “wisdom”—the same wisdom Jesus commended when He said, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). But is strategic deception the same as wisdom? Can those who practice deception in recruitment truly claim to have “no lie in their mouths”?

This contradiction reveals a deeper problem: Shincheonji defines “truth” and “lies” not by objective standards of honesty, but by alignment with their doctrine. If you teach Shincheonji’s interpretation, you’re speaking truth—even if you’re being deceptive about your identity and motives. If you teach traditional Christian doctrine, you’re speaking lies—even if you’re being completely honest and transparent.

In this framework, “no lie in their mouths” doesn’t mean “no deception in their methods.” It means “no doctrinal error in their teaching.” This redefinition allows Shincheonji to practice deception while claiming to be blameless.

Overcoming as a War of Words (War of Doctrines)

Shincheonji teaches that Lee Man-hee “overcame” Satan and his pastors, qualifying him to receive the opened scroll and become the promised pastor of Revelation. But what does this “overcoming” actually look like?

In Shincheonji’s framework, overcoming is primarily about winning theological debates and recruiting people away from their churches. It’s a war of words—whose interpretation is correct, whose doctrine is true, whose organization is legitimate.

This is remarkably similar to a common human dynamic: when a couple has a major fight, each person tries to get their mutual friends to “take their side.” Each presents their version of events, argues why they’re right and the other is wrong, and tries to win allies. The person who convinces more friends feels vindicated—they’ve “overcome” in the court of public opinion.

We see this pattern constantly in politics: opposing parties don’t primarily engage in reasoned debate seeking truth; they engage in rhetorical warfare, trying to win supporters, discredit opponents, and claim victory. The goal isn’t mutual understanding or compromise—it’s winning, overcoming, proving you’re right and they’re wrong.

But is this biblical overcoming? When Jesus spoke of overcoming in Revelation 2-3, He described:

• Overcoming through faithful endurance under persecution (Revelation 2:10)
• Overcoming by holding to sound doctrine and rejecting false teaching (Revelation 2:14-16)
• Overcoming by maintaining purity and not compromising with the world (Revelation 3:4-5)
• Overcoming by remaining faithful despite pressure to deny Christ (Revelation 3:8)

The overcomers in Revelation are those who remain faithful to Christ despite external pressure—not those who win theological debates or recruit the most followers. Yet Shincheonji has redefined “overcoming” to mean “successfully arguing that all other Christians are wrong and convincing people to join our organization.”

This is overcoming as human competition, not as spiritual victory. It’s overcoming through persuasion techniques and recruitment strategies, not through faithfulness unto death. It’s overcoming in the arena of public opinion, not in the crucible of persecution.

When John wrote, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5), he defined overcoming as faith in Christ—not as winning arguments about doctrine or building a large organization.

The Trap of Knowledge: When Learning Becomes Obligation

One of Shincheonji’s most psychologically coercive teachings is their doctrine that knowing the truth creates an obligation to join. According to their framework, once you recognize their teaching as truth, remaining neutral or declining to join is not simply a matter of personal choice—it constitutes betrayal equivalent to breaking God’s covenant.

This teaching is rooted in their interpretation of what happened to several key biblical figures who “knew” but didn’t fully commit. The pattern they establish is clear: knowledge without action equals betrayal.

John the Baptist: The Primary Example of “Knowing Without Joining”

His Role and Mission

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, John the Baptist (JTB) was sent as a messenger to prepare the way for Jesus. He was like a temporary lamp that burned and gave light during a time of darkness, shining only briefly until Jesus—the true light and promised messenger—arrived. JTB represented the end of the old era, as “the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John” (Luke 16:16). His mission was clear: prepare the people, then yield everything to Jesus and “become less important” (John 3:30).

The Betrayal: Failure to Fully Transition

Shincheonji teaches that John the Baptist betrayed Jesus in several specific ways:

1. He maintained his own disciples even after Jesus began His ministry. Instead of immediately directing all his followers to Jesus, JTB continued operating his own separate ministry. This divided loyalty is seen as the first sign of betrayal.
2. His faith weakened to the point of doubt. While imprisoned, JTB sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3). Shincheonji interprets this as evidence that JTB’s faith had been corrupted. Jesus’s response—comparing him to “a reed swayed by the wind”—is taken as confirmation of his weak, wavering faith.
3. He was influenced by the Pharisees and Sadducees. According to Shincheonji’s narrative, JTB spent time with these religious leaders whom Jesus called “snakes” and a “brood of vipers.” These false teachers “poisoned” JTB’s understanding of Jesus, causing his faith to wane. By allowing himself to be influenced by those who opposed Jesus, JTB failed to maintain his position and receive the one sent by God—which constituted betrayal.

The Consequences

Shincheonji teaches that John the Baptist’s betrayal had catastrophic consequences:

• He was arrested, persecuted, and destroyed by the false pastors (the Pharisees)
• His failure symbolized the end of Physical Israel as God’s chosen nation—JTB was “the greatest among those born of women,” representing the pinnacle of Physical Israel, so his destruction marked the abandonment of the entire old covenant system
• He is not saved in the kingdom—because he didn’t join Jesus’s congregation, he lost his position despite knowing the truth

This teaching creates a chilling precedent: Even someone as great as John the Baptist—praised by Jesus as the greatest born of women—can be lost if they know the truth but don’t fully commit.

The Pattern of Betrayal Throughout Scripture

The Consistent Structure Shincheonji Teaches

Shincheonji emphasizes a repeating pattern throughout biblical history where key figures who knew the truth failed to fully commit, resulting in betrayal and destruction. According to their teaching based on Isaiah 34:16 (“Seek from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate”), there is a consistent pairing structure where often the second person in the relationship betrays. 1

The key examples they teach are:

1. Adam and Eve

• Adam was the initial representative of orthodoxy and God’s chosen pastor
• Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
• The Betrayal: Eve’s failure to maintain the covenant resulted in spiritual unfaithfulness—she became “like one of us” (like Satan), knowing both good and evil
• The Consequence: God selected a new pastor (Noah), destroying the previous world and beginning re-creation

2. Moses and Aaron

• Moses was God’s chosen leader who established the covenant at Mt. Sinai
• Aaron was Moses’s spiritual helper and attendant of the lampstand
• The Betrayal: When Moses delayed returning from the mountain, Aaron yielded to the people’s demands and created the golden calf idol—a lapse in faith and trust in God’s power
• The Pattern: Aaron’s failure as a helper serves as a type for those who hold positions of authority but ultimately fail the one chosen by God

3. Jesus and John the Baptist

• Jesus was the promised Messiah and true light
• John the Baptist was the messenger sent to prepare the way
• The Betrayal: JTB failed to complete his mission by fully yielding his people and position to Jesus; his faith weakened under the influence of false teachers
• The Parallel: This establishes the pattern for the Second Coming

4. Lee Man Hee and Mr. Hong

• Lee Man Hee is identified as the “New John” (the promised pastor of Revelation)
• Mr. Hong was Lee’s helper, taking the figurative role of the second witness
• The Betrayal: Mr. Hong’s leaving the promised pastor was considered betrayal—his faith became weak and he left the Chairman, similar to how JTB’s faith weakened. He is symbolically referred to as a “reed shaken with the wind,” indicating weak faith
• The Fulfillment: This betrayal at the beginning of the Second Coming fulfillment demonstrates that “the persecution Paul prophesied must happen before the Lord comes”

The Critical Problem: Did John the Baptist Really Betray Jesus?

Examining John’s “Doubt” in Context

Shincheonji claims that John the Baptist’s question—”Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3)—proves his faith weakened and he doubted Jesus. But let’s examine this more carefully:

The Context of John’s Question:

• John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas for speaking truth to power (Mark 6:17-18)
• He had been in prison for an extended period, isolated from Jesus’s ministry
• He sent his own disciples to ask Jesus, possibly to help his disciples see Jesus’s works firsthand
• John may have been asking about the timing of judgment, not Jesus’s identity—he had proclaimed the coming one would bring judgment (Matthew 3:10-12), but Jesus was showing mercy

Jesus’s Response Affirms John:

Immediately after John’s disciples left, Jesus said to the crowd: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).

The Question: If John had truly betrayed Jesus through doubt and weak faith, would Jesus immediately praise him as the greatest born of women? This makes no sense according to Shincheonji’s interpretation.

The “Reed Swayed by the Wind” Misinterpretation

Shincheonji interprets Jesus’s question “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind?” (Matthew 11:7) as evidence that John was weak and wavering.

The Actual Meaning:

Jesus was using rhetorical questions to defend John’s character, not criticize it. He was asking the crowd:

• Did you go to see a weak person who changes with popular opinion? No!
• Did you go to see someone dressed in fine clothes? No!
• You went to see a prophet—and more than a prophet!

Jesus was contrasting John’s steadfast character with the fickleness of reeds and the luxury of royal courts. This was praise, not criticism.

Comparing John’s “Doubt” to the Disciples’ Actions

The Disciples’ Lack of Understanding

If Shincheonji’s standard for “betrayal” is applied consistently, we must examine how Jesus’s own disciples responded to His teaching:

1. The Disciples Didn’t Understand Jesus’s Death and Resurrection

Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples about His coming death and resurrection:

• “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
• “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” (Matthew 17:22-23)
• Jesus told them this at least three times (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19)

Yet the disciples:

• Peter rebuked Jesus for saying He would die: “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22)
• They didn’t understand what He meant: “But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” (Luke 9:45)
• They argued about who would be greatest in the kingdom, showing they expected an earthly reign, not death (Mark 9:33-34)

By Shincheonji’s standard: The disciples knew the truth (Jesus told them directly), but they didn’t believe it or understand it. Does this constitute betrayal?

2. All the Disciples Abandoned Jesus

When Jesus was arrested:

• All the disciples fled: “Then everyone deserted him and fled.” (Mark 14:50)
• Peter denied Jesus three times: Despite knowing Jesus for three years and witnessing His miracles, Peter denied even knowing Him (Matthew 26:69-75)
• They went back to their former lives: After the crucifixion, the disciples returned to fishing—their old occupation before following Jesus (John 21:3)

The Critical Questions:

• If John the Baptist is condemned for sending disciples to ask Jesus a question while imprisoned, what about the disciples who physically abandoned Jesus when He needed them most?
• If doubt equals betrayal, what about Peter’s denial—a direct rejection of Jesus three times?
• If not fully understanding equals betrayal, what about the disciples’ complete failure to comprehend Jesus’s mission for three years?

By Shincheonji’s standard, all the disciples should be considered betrayers who lost their salvation.

3. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Knew the Danger

Mary understood from the beginning that Jesus’s mission would involve suffering:

• Simeon prophesied to her: “And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35)
• At the wedding in Cana, Jesus said to her, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4)—indicating Mary knew there was a specific “hour” or time for His mission
• Mary witnessed the religious authorities’ increasing hostility toward Jesus

Mary knew:

• The danger Jesus faced by claiming to be the Son of God
• That claiming to be the Messiah could result in accusations of blasphemy
• That blasphemy was punishable by stoning under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 24:16)
• The religious authorities attempted to stone Jesus multiple times (John 8:59, 10:31-33)

Yet Mary didn’t abandon Jesus. She stood at the foot of the cross (John 19:25). She knew the truth and the danger, and she remained faithful.

The Contrast: If knowing the truth and the danger creates obligation, Mary fulfilled it—not by joining an organization, but by remaining faithful to her Son through His suffering and death.

The Judas Comparison: What Is True Betrayal?

Why Judas’s Betrayal Was Different

Shincheonji conflates different types of responses to Jesus:

• Doubt (John the Baptist’s question)
• Misunderstanding (the disciples’ confusion)
• Fear (the disciples fleeing)
• Denial (Peter’s three denials)
• Betrayal (Judas’s active opposition)

Judas’s betrayal was unique because:

• He actively conspired with Jesus’s enemies (Matthew 26:14-16)
• He accepted payment to hand Jesus over (30 pieces of silver)
• He led armed men to arrest Jesus (Matthew 26:47-50)
• He identified Jesus with a kiss, enabling His capture when He was alone
• His action was premeditated and deliberate, not a moment of weakness

The Distinction:

• Judas betrayed by actively working against Jesus
• Peter denied Jesus out of fear but later repented and was restored
• The disciples fled but returned and became the foundation of the church
• John the Baptist asked a question while imprisoned, which Jesus answered graciously

By biblical standards, only Judas’s actions constitute betrayal. The others showed human weakness, confusion, or fear—but not active opposition to Jesus.

The Logical Inconsistency of Shincheonji’s Standard

1. Doubt Cannot Equal Betrayal in a Relationship of Free Will

The Nature of Faith:

Faith involves trust, but genuine faith also involves questions, wrestling, and growth. Throughout Scripture, God’s people questioned:

• Abraham questioned God’s promise (Genesis 15:8, 17:17)
• Moses questioned his calling (Exodus 3:11, 4:10)
• Gideon asked for signs multiple times (Judges 6:36-40)
• Thomas doubted the resurrection until he saw Jesus (John 20:24-29)

Jesus’s Response to Thomas: Jesus didn’t condemn Thomas as a betrayer. He showed Thomas His wounds and said, “Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:27). Jesus met doubt with evidence and invitation, not condemnation.

The Principle: If God’s character throughout Scripture is to meet doubt with patience, evidence, and invitation to believe, then doubt cannot be equated with betrayal. Betrayal requires active opposition, not questions or uncertainty.

2. The Irony of “Testing the Spirits” vs. Forced Commitment

Scripture Commands Testing:

• “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
• “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
• The Bereans were praised for examining the Scriptures daily to see if Paul’s teaching was true (Acts 17:11)

The Logical Problem:

Shincheonji teaches that once you learn their doctrine, you must join immediately or you’re betraying the truth. But this creates an impossible contradiction:

If you must test the spirits (as Scripture commands), you need:

• Time to examine the teaching against Scripture
• Freedom to compare it with other interpretations
• Space to pray and seek God’s guidance
• Ability to experience the community before committing

But Shincheonji demands:

• Immediate commitment once you “recognize” the truth
• No comparison with other churches (they’re all Babylon)
• No delay for prayer or reflection (that’s allowing doubt to enter)
• No testing period (joining is required to prove you’re not a betrayer)

The Irony: Shincheonji demands you accept their teaching without testing, yet Scripture commands you to test all teaching. Following Scripture’s command to test becomes “betrayal” in Shincheonji’s system.

3. The Consumer Analogy: You Must Test Before Buying

In Every Other Area of Life:

• You test drive a car before purchasing it
• You try on clothes before buying them
• You sample food before ordering a full meal
• You read reviews before choosing a product
• You visit a church multiple times before becoming a member

This is wisdom, not betrayal. Making an informed decision requires experience, testing, and evaluation.

But Shincheonji’s Logic:

Imagine a car salesman who says: “You’ve seen the brochure and understand this car’s features. If you don’t buy it immediately, you’re betraying the truth about this car. You’re like John the Baptist who doubted. Test driving it shows weak faith.”

This would be absurd. Yet this is exactly Shincheonji’s approach to spiritual commitment.

4. Free Will vs. Dictatorship

God’s Character Throughout Scripture:

• God gave Adam and Eve choice in the garden (Genesis 2:16-17)
• God told Israel, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15)
• Jesus invited people to follow Him but didn’t force them (Matthew 19:21-22)
• The Holy Spirit convicts but doesn’t coerce (John 16:8)

The Principle of Free Will:

God values freely chosen love and commitment over forced compliance. If God Himself doesn’t demand immediate commitment without testing, questioning, or time for decision, how can Shincheonji demand it?

Forced commitment without freedom to test is:

• Dictatorship, not discipleship
• Manipulation, not genuine faith
• Control, not conviction
• Censorship of doubt, not confidence in truth

If Shincheonji’s teaching is true, it should withstand testing, questions, and time for reflection. Demanding immediate commitment without testing reveals insecurity about the teaching’s ability to withstand scrutiny.

Breaking Free from the Trap

The Real Betrayal

If we apply Shincheonji’s own standard consistently, we find that:

• The disciples betrayed Jesus by fleeing, denying Him, and not understanding His mission for three years
• Peter betrayed Jesus by denying Him three times
• Thomas betrayed Jesus by doubting the resurrection
• John the Baptist betrayed Jesus by asking a question while imprisoned

Yet Scripture shows that Jesus:

• Restored Peter and made him a foundation of the church
• Met Thomas’s doubt with evidence and welcomed his faith
• Commissioned the disciples who had fled and made them apostles
• Praised John the Baptist as the greatest born of women

The Inconsistency: If Jesus didn’t consider these actions as unforgivable betrayal, why does Shincheonji? The answer reveals their true purpose: the “betrayal” doctrine is a control mechanism designed to prevent members from leaving, not a biblical principle.

The Freedom of Testing

You are not obligated to join Shincheonji just because you studied their doctrine. Learning their interpretation does not create a covenant you must keep. Scripture commands you to test all teaching (1 John 4:1), which requires:

• Time to examine their claims against the whole counsel of Scripture
• Freedom to compare their interpretation with church history and other perspectives
• Space to pray and seek God’s guidance without pressure
• Wisdom to observe the fruit of the organization (Matthew 7:16)

Taking time to test is obedience to Scripture, not betrayal.

God’s Character vs. Shincheonji’s Demands

Throughout Scripture, God’s character is revealed as:

• Patient with doubt and questions
• Providing evidence to strengthen faith
• Restoring those who fail
• Valuing freely chosen commitment over forced compliance

Shincheonji’s demands reveal a different character:

• Intolerant of doubt or questions
• Demanding immediate commitment without testing
• Labeling those who leave as betrayers
• Requiring forced compliance through fear

The question is simple: Which character reflects the God of the Bible?

The Way Forward

If you’re studying with Shincheonji and feeling pressure to join immediately or be labeled a betrayer, remember:

• Jesus praised John the Baptist even after his question—doubt doesn’t equal betrayal
• Jesus restored Peter after his denial—failure doesn’t mean permanent rejection
• Scripture commands testing—taking time to examine teaching is wisdom
• Salvation is through faith in Christ—not through organizational membership
• God values free will—forced commitment without freedom to test is manipulation

You are free to:

• Ask questions without being labeled a betrayer
• Take time to test the teaching against Scripture
• Compare Shincheonji’s interpretation with church history
• Seek counsel from mature Christians outside the organization
• Decline to join without guilt or fear

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Understanding Shincheonji’s two seeds doctrine requires understanding their teaching about the 144,000—because the entire purpose of the harvest is to gather this specific number of people who will form the “firstfruits” of God’s kingdom.

For Further Exploration: Shincheonji’s Bible Study System: the Search for the 144,000

Who Are the 144,000?

Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 describe a group of 144,000 people who are “sealed” with God’s seal on their foreheads. Shincheonji teaches that these 144,000 are:

• Literal people, not a symbolic number
• Living believers who must be recruited and sealed before Christ’s return
• Organized into twelve tribes of 12,000 each (matching Shincheonji’s organizational structure)
• The “firstfruits” who will be harvested from Christianity
• The bride of Christ who will participate in the wedding supper of the Lamb
• Those who will receive the “first resurrection” and reign with Christ

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, the 144,000 are not all believers throughout history, nor are they ethnic Jews, nor are they a symbolic representation of the complete church. They are a specific, limited number of people who must be recruited from Christian churches, taught Shincheonji’s doctrine, and sealed as members of Shincheonji’s twelve tribes.

Why the 144,000 Are Critical

The 144,000 occupy a central place in Shincheonji’s theology for several reasons:

First, they are the “firstfruits” mentioned in Revelation 14:4—”These were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.” In agricultural terms, firstfruits are the initial harvest, the first portion that ripens and is gathered. They represent the best quality and are offered to God before the rest of the harvest.

Shincheonji teaches that the 144,000 are the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest—the first believers to be gathered from Christianity, the highest quality believers who accepted the truth quickly, the ones who will be offered to God before the rest of humanity is judged.

Second, the sealing of the 144,000 is a prerequisite for subsequent events in Revelation. According to Shincheonji’s interpretation, certain prophecies cannot be fulfilled until the 144,000 are complete:

• The descent of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) requires the earthly platform of the 144,000 to be prepared
• The wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9) cannot occur until the bride (the 144,000) is ready
• The first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6) involves the spirits of martyrs uniting with the bodies of the 144,000
• The judgment of Babylon (Revelation 18) cannot be completed until the wheat is separated from the weeds

In this framework, the 144,000 are not just one group among many—they are the linchpin of God’s entire end-times plan. Everything hinges on gathering this specific number.

Third, the 144,000 represent a limited opportunity. Unlike the “great multitude” mentioned in Revelation 7:9 (which Shincheonji teaches will be saved after the 144,000 are sealed), the 144,000 are a fixed number. Once the 144,000 spots are filled, that opportunity is closed forever. This creates intense urgency: “Join now, before all the spots are taken. Once the 144,000 are complete, you’ll have missed your chance to be part of the firstfruits.”

The Shifting Timeline Post-COVID

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Shincheonji taught with great confidence that the sealing of the 144,000 was imminent—perhaps only months or a few years away. This created tremendous urgency in recruitment efforts. Members were told they were living in the final moments of the harvest, and every day counted.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea in early 2020 was traced to Shincheonji gatherings, bringing intense public scrutiny, government investigations, and negative media coverage. Lee Man-hee was arrested and charged with violating quarantine rules and providing false information to contact tracers. Membership growth stalled. The organization faced existential challenges.

In the aftermath, Shincheonji’s teaching about the 144,000 timeline became less definite:

• Some instructors began teaching that the 144,000 might take longer to complete than previously thought
• Others suggested that the “great multitude” (previously taught as a secondary group saved after the 144,000) might be larger and more significant than earlier emphasized
• The urgency around “limited spots” decreased somewhat, with more focus on the quality of believers rather than rushing to fill a quota

This shift reveals the pragmatic nature of Shincheonji’s prophetic interpretations: when reality doesn’t match the prophecy, the interpretation adjusts rather than the organization admitting error.

The Question of Universal Salvation

An important theological question arises: According to Shincheonji, what happens to people who aren’t part of the 144,000? Are they lost forever?

Shincheonji’s answer has evolved over time, but their current teaching includes multiple tiers of salvation:

1. The 144,000 (Firstfruits):

• Highest status
• Sealed with God’s seal
• Participate in the first resurrection
• Become the bride of Christ
• Reign with Christ during the millennium
• Receive immortal, spiritual bodies

2. The Great Multitude (Revelation 7:9-17):

• Secondary status
• Saved, but not part of the firstfruits
• Come out of the “great tribulation”
• Serve God in His temple
• Do not participate in the first resurrection or the wedding

3. Those Outside:

• Not saved during the initial harvest
• May have opportunities for salvation during the millennium
• Subject to judgment at the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15)

This multi-tiered system creates a hierarchy of salvation that contradicts the biblical teaching that all who trust in Christ are equally saved, equally children of God, equally heirs of eternal life. In Shincheonji’s framework, not all salvation is equal—some believers get a better deal than others based on timing, knowledge, and organizational affiliation.

The New Song Only the 144,000 Can Sing

Revelation 14:3 states: “And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.”

Shincheonji teaches that this “new song” is not a literal musical composition, but rather the revealed word—the correct interpretation of Revelation that only the 144,000 possess. Just as a song has specific notes and lyrics that must be learned exactly, the revealed word has specific interpretations that must be accepted precisely.

According to their teaching:

• The “new song” is Lee Man-hee’s testimony about Revelation’s fulfillment
• Only the 144,000 can “learn” this song because only they have been taught the revealed word
• Other Christians cannot learn this song because they’re still drinking Babylon’s wine of false doctrine
• The ability to “sing” this song (testify about Revelation’s fulfillment) identifies you as one of the 144,000

This teaching serves several purposes:

First, it creates exclusivity. The 144,000 possess knowledge that no one else can access. They’re part of an elite group with special understanding.

Second, it validates Shincheonji’s complex interpretive system. The “new song” isn’t simple faith in Christ—it’s a detailed, intricate interpretation of symbolic prophecy that requires extensive teaching to understand.

Third, it creates a test of membership. If you can “sing the new song”—if you can accurately recite Shincheonji’s interpretation of Revelation—you’re demonstrating that you’re one of the 144,000. If you question or doubt any part of the interpretation, you’re showing that you haven’t truly “learned the song.”

But here’s a critical question: Why would God create a “new song” that only 144,000 people can learn? If the gospel is good news for all people, if God desires all people to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), why would He make salvation dependent on learning a complex interpretive system that only a tiny fraction of humanity can access?

The biblical gospel is simple enough for a child to understand: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). But Shincheonji’s “new song” requires months of intensive study, memorization of complex interpretations, and acceptance of a specific organizational structure. This is not simplification—it’s complication. It’s not good news for all—it’s exclusive knowledge for the few.

Shincheonji teaches that Lee Man-hee is the “overcomer” mentioned in Revelation who qualified to receive the opened scroll and become the promised pastor. Understanding how they define and justify this “overcoming” reveals the logical structure of their entire system.

The Biblical Context of Overcoming

The Book of Revelation repeatedly promises rewards to “the one who overcomes” or “those who overcome”:

• Revelation 2:7 – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life”
• Revelation 2:11 – “The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death”
• Revelation 2:17 – “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna”
• Revelation 2:26 – “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations”
• Revelation 3:5 – “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white”
• Revelation 3:12 – “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God”
• Revelation 3:21 – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne”

In the biblical context, “overcoming” means:

• Remaining faithful to Christ despite persecution
• Resisting false teaching and maintaining sound doctrine
• Enduring trials without denying Christ
• Living righteously in a corrupt world
• Persevering in faith until death

John explicitly defines overcoming in his first epistle: “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5). Overcoming is fundamentally about faith in Christ, not about achieving some special status or receiving secret knowledge.

Shincheonji’s Narrative of Lee’s Victory

Shincheonji teaches that Lee Man-hee is the unique overcomer mentioned in Revelation—the one person in this generation who successfully overcame Satan and his pastors, thereby qualifying to receive the opened scroll.

According to their narrative:

1. The Battlefield: The battle occurred within a previous religious organization (the Tabernacle Temple, led by Yoo Jae-yul) that Shincheonji identifies as the “tabernacle” mentioned in Revelation 13. This organization initially represented God’s work, but was infiltrated and destroyed by Satan’s pastors.
2. The Conflict: Lee Man-hee witnessed this destruction and opposed the false teachers who took over the organization. While others compromised or left in confusion, Lee remained faithful and testified against the corruption.
3. The Victory: Lee’s “overcoming” consisted of:

• Recognizing the false teachers (the “Nicolaitans”) who infiltrated the organization
• Refusing to compromise with their false teachings
• Maintaining his testimony despite opposition
• Eventually leaving and establishing a new organization (Shincheonji) based on pure doctrine

4. The Reward: Because Lee overcame, Jesus sent His angel to reveal the meaning of Revelation to him (Revelation 22:16). Lee received the “opened scroll” (Revelation 5), making him the only person on earth who truly understands Revelation’s fulfillment.

The Problematic Logic of “Overcoming”

Several logical and theological problems emerge when examining Shincheonji’s narrative of Lee’s overcoming:

First, the definition is circular. How do we know Lee Man-hee overcame? Because he received the opened scroll. How do we know he received the opened scroll? Because he overcame. The evidence for his overcoming is his claim to have received revelation, and the evidence for his revelation is his claim to have overcome. There’s no external verification, no objective standard—only Lee’s own testimony about himself.

Second, the “overcoming” is primarily organizational and political. As discussed earlier, Lee’s victory wasn’t primarily spiritual (enduring persecution, maintaining faith, resisting temptation). It was organizational—recognizing false teachers in a religious group, opposing them, and eventually starting his own competing organization. This is more akin to a corporate power struggle or political maneuvering than the biblical concept of overcoming through faith.

Third, the pattern is suspiciously self-serving. Lee’s narrative conveniently positions him as the hero of the story—the one person who saw through the deception, stood for truth, and qualified for special revelation. But this is exactly what every cult leader claims: “Everyone else was deceived, but I saw the truth. Everyone else compromised, but I remained faithful. Everyone else failed, but I overcame.”

Fourth, the exclusivity contradicts Scripture. The Bible presents overcoming as something all believers do through faith in Christ (1 John 5:4-5), not something one special person achieves to qualify for unique revelation. If Lee is the only overcomer, what does that say about the millions of Christians throughout history who remained faithful unto death? Did they not overcome? Are their martyrdoms meaningless because they didn’t receive an opened scroll?

Fifth, the timing raises questions. If Lee overcame in the 1960s-1980s (the period when these events allegedly occurred), why did it take until 1984 for him to receive the opened scroll? Why the delay? And if he received the opened scroll in 1984, why has it taken 40+ years to seal the 144,000? Why is the harvest taking so long if the revelation is so clear?

Shincheonji’s narrative of Christianity’s betrayal operates on two levels: the large-scale corruption of the entire church over 2,000 years, and the small-scale betrayal within specific organizations in the modern era.

The Large-Scale Betrayal: Christianity Becomes Babylon

According to Shincheonji, the betrayal of Christianity followed a predictable pattern:

Phase 1: The Pure Beginning (30-100 AD)

• Jesus established the New Covenant through His blood
• The apostles faithfully taught Jesus’s message
• The early church maintained doctrinal purity
• Believers were willing to die for their faith

Phase 2: The Infiltration (100-300 AD)

• False teachers (the “Nicolaitans”) began infiltrating the church
• Greek philosophy mixed with biblical teaching
• Human traditions started to be elevated alongside Scripture
• The warnings in Revelation 2-3 began to be fulfilled

Phase 3: The Institutionalization (300-1500 AD)

• Constantine made Christianity the state religion, mixing church and political power
• The Catholic Church developed hierarchical structures that concentrated power
• Doctrines like the Trinity were formalized through church councils
• The Bible was kept from common people, creating dependence on clergy

Phase 4: The Fragmentation (1500-Present)

• The Protestant Reformation broke the Catholic monopoly but created thousands of denominations
• Each denomination developed its own interpretations and traditions
• Christianity became a confused mixture of truth and error—Babylon
• The church became lukewarm, comfortable, and spiritually asleep

By the time of the “harvest” (which Shincheonji dates to the late 20th/early 21st century), Christianity had become so corrupted that it was unrecognizable from what Jesus originally established. This is why Revelation 18:4 commands: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins.”

The Small-Scale Betrayal: The Tabernacle Temple

In addition to the large-scale betrayal of Christianity over 2,000 years, Shincheonji teaches that a specific, small-scale betrayal occurred in Korea in the 1960s-1980s within an organization called the Tabernacle Temple (or Tent Temple).

According to their narrative:

• The Tabernacle Temple, led by Yoo Jae-yul, initially represented God’s work in Korea
• This organization was the “tabernacle” mentioned in Revelation 13, where God’s presence dwelt
• However, false pastors (identified as the “beast from the sea” in Revelation 13) infiltrated and took over the organization
• These false pastors corrupted the teaching and destroyed the organization from within
• Lee Man-hee witnessed this betrayal and opposed it, thereby “overcoming”
• Because the Tabernacle Temple was destroyed through betrayal, God had to establish a new organization—Shincheonji

This small-scale betrayal mirrors the large-scale pattern: God establishes a work, the chosen people betray, God judges and destroys, God raises up a new work. The Tabernacle Temple’s betrayal is presented as the specific fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies about the tabernacle being trampled (Revelation 11:2) and the beast making war against the saints (Revelation 13:7).

Why God Allows Repeated Betrayals

A fundamental question emerges: If God knows His people will betray Him, why does He keep establishing covenants that will be broken? Why set up a pattern that repeatedly fails?

Shincheonji offers several answers:

First, God’s holiness requires it. God cannot dwell with sinners. When His people break the covenant, He must depart. This isn’t God being capricious—it’s the necessary consequence of human sin meeting divine holiness.

Second, the pattern serves a refining purpose. Each cycle of covenant, betrayal, and judgment produces a “remnant seed”—a smaller group of faithful believers who become the foundation for the next phase. Through this process, God is progressively refining humanity, removing the unfaithful and preserving the faithful.

Third, the pattern was designed from the beginning. According to Shincheonji, God declared “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). The entire 6,000-year pattern of betrayal, destruction, and salvation was planned from Genesis 1. God knew Adam would betray, knew Israel would betray, knew Christianity would betray—and incorporated all of this into His ultimate plan.

This raises a troubling implication: If God designed the pattern of betrayal from the beginning, then He intentionally created a system where the vast majority of humanity would fail, be judged, and be destroyed—all to produce a small remnant of 144,000 who would finally remain faithful. This makes God’s plan look less like redemption and more like a laboratory experiment where most of the test subjects are sacrificed to produce a desired result.

Is this the God revealed in Scripture—the God who “so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16)? The God who “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9)? Or is this a distorted image of God that serves Shincheonji’s narrative?

This brings us to one of the most troubling aspects of Shincheonji’s theology: their explanation for why Jesus would allow His church—purchased with His own blood—to fall into complete darkness for two thousand years.

Shincheonji’s Explanation: The Pattern of Betrayal

Shincheonji’s answer is rooted in their understanding of biblical history as a repeating pattern of covenant, betrayal, and judgment. As detailed earlier in this chapter, this pattern has occurred repeatedly throughout Scripture, and Christianity is simply the latest iteration.

The key to understanding Shincheonji’s logic is this: God doesn’t abandon His people; the people break the covenant first, necessitating God’s departure and a new work. According to their doctrine, God cannot dwell with sinful people. When the chosen people break the covenant, God leaves, and that generation or world comes to an end.

The Mechanics of Betrayal in Christianity

According to Shincheonji’s narrative, the infiltration happened gradually. False teachers introduced doctrines that mixed truth with error—what Shincheonji calls “the wine of adultery” or “Babylon’s wine.” Over time, these false teachings became so pervasive that Christianity became unrecognizable from what Jesus originally established. The church divided into thousands of denominations, each teaching different doctrines. Pastors became more interested in building their own kingdoms than in teaching truth. Christians became comfortable, lukewarm, and spiritually asleep.

The 2,000-Year Experiment: Waiting for the Field to Ripen

But this explanation raises an even more troubling question: Why would Jesus wait 2,000 years for the field to ripen? If He knew Christianity would fall into darkness, if He knew false teachers would infiltrate, if He knew the harvest would be necessary—why the long delay?

Shincheonji’s answer is that the wheat needed time to mature and the weeds needed time to become clearly distinguishable. But let’s examine the logic of this explanation:

Imagine a farmer who plants a field with good seed. An enemy comes and sows weeds. The farmer knows the weeds are there, knows they’re choking the wheat, knows they’re producing toxic seeds. But instead of acting immediately, the farmer waits 2,000 years—watching generation after generation of wheat and weeds grow, die, and reseed—before finally deciding to harvest.

During those 2,000 years:

• Billions of people live and die, many of them sincere believers who never had access to the “revealed word”
• Countless Christians are martyred for their faith, dying in what Shincheonji calls “darkness”
• The church spreads throughout the world, translates the Bible into thousands of languages, establishes hospitals and schools, and transforms societies—all while supposedly being “Babylon”
• Revivals occur, reformations happen, missionary movements spread the gospel—all while supposedly lacking the “light”

This is not the patience of a loving Father waiting for His children to return. This is more like a laboratory experiment where a researcher allows conditions to deteriorate for millennia just to see what happens—like experimenting on rats in a lab, watching them struggle and die, all to produce a desired outcome.

The logic becomes even more troubling when we consider: If Jesus knew the field would become mixed, why not prevent the enemy from sowing weeds in the first place? If God is omnipotent, why allow Satan to corrupt His church? Why set up a system where billions of sincere believers would be deceived, only to reveal the truth to a small group in Korea in the 20th century?

Shincheonji might answer: “This was all prophesied. It had to happen this way.” But prophecy doesn’t negate God’s character. If God prophesied that He would abandon His church to darkness for 2,000 years, that would contradict His explicit promises to be with His people always (Matthew 28:20) and to send the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth (John 16:13).

The more logical explanation is that Shincheonji’s entire premise is false: Jesus never abandoned His church, Christianity never fell into complete darkness, and the 2,000-year “experiment” never happened. The church has always had the Light because Jesus, who is the Light, has always been present with His people.

The Definition of “The Field”

One of the most significant aspects of Shincheonji’s interpretation is their identification of “the field” where both seeds were sown.

Jesus explicitly stated in Matthew 13:38: “The field is the world.” This seems straightforward—the good seed (believers) and the weeds (unbelievers) exist together in the world until the final judgment.

However, Shincheonji adds a crucial qualification: while the field is technically “the world,” it specifically refers to Jesus’s field—the realm where Jesus’s work was done and where His word was planted. According to their interpretation, this field is not the entire secular world, but rather the world of Christian churches, also known as Spiritual Israel.

This reinterpretation has profound implications:

First, Christianity is the mixed field. According to Shincheonji, the Christian church is not the pure bride of Christ, but rather a mixed field containing both wheat (true believers who will accept Shincheonji’s teaching) and weeds (false believers who will remain in traditional Christianity).

Second, the weeds are not “out there” but “in here.” The danger is not primarily from atheists, other religions, or secular society. The danger is from within Christianity itself—from pastors who teach false doctrines, from denominations that have strayed from truth, from Christians who have been born of Satan’s seed rather than God’s seed.

Third, separation is necessary for salvation. Because the field is mixed, believers cannot simply remain in their current churches. They must be “harvested”—separated from the weeds and brought into the pure barn (Shincheonji).

Why the Wheat and Weeds Must Grow Together

A crucial question arises: If God knows which seed is which, why doesn’t He separate them immediately? Why allow the weeds to grow alongside the wheat for 2,000 years?

Jesus’s Explanation

In the parable, when the servants asked the owner if they should pull up the weeds, he replied:

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'” (Matthew 13:29-30)

Shincheonji’s Interpretation of the Reason

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, the wheat and weeds must grow together because:

• When young, they look nearly identical and cannot be distinguished
• The harvest cannot occur until the appointed time—which Shincheonji identifies as beginning in 1984
• The good seed needs time to grow, mature, and produce fruit
• The presence of weeds tests and refines the wheat
• The coexistence fulfills the prophetic pattern seen throughout Scripture

For detailed discussion of how this creates urgency and psychological pressure, see Chapter 7 on the harvesting strategy.

Shincheonji as the Barn—The New Place of Salvation

As discussed in Chapter 8, Shincheonji teaches that salvation is location-specific in each era. Understanding how they justify identifying themselves as the exclusive location of salvation in this era reveals the psychological power of their system.

The Barn Where Wheat Is Gathered

Shincheonji identifies itself as the “barn” mentioned in Jesus’s parable: “Gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” (Matthew 13:30). According to their interpretation:

• The field (Christianity) is mixed with wheat and weeds
• The harvest (current era) is the time of separation
• The barn (Shincheonji) is where the wheat must be gathered for safety
• Remaining in the field means being burned with the weeds

This creates a simple, urgent choice: Come into the barn (join Shincheonji) or burn in the field (remain in Christianity and face judgment). There is no middle ground, no option to be “wheat” while remaining in a traditional church. The wheat MUST be gathered into the barn to be saved.

Mount Zion: Heaven on Earth

Shincheonji also identifies itself as “Mount Zion” mentioned in Revelation 14:1: “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”

According to their teaching, Mount Zion is not a literal mountain in Jerusalem, nor is it a symbolic reference to heaven or the church universal. Mount Zion is specifically Shincheonji’s organization—the physical location where the 144,000 are gathered and where God’s throne is established on earth.

Lee Man-hee teaches that Shincheonji is the earthly counterpart to the heavenly temple, the place where God’s presence dwells, and the location where the 144,000 stand with the Lamb. To be part of the 144,000, you must physically be part of Shincheonji’s organizational structure—registered in one of their twelve tribes, attending their worship services, and submitting to their leadership.

But If Shincheonji Is Not Zion, Then Where Is Zion?

This claim raises a critical question: If Shincheonji is not Mount Zion, then where is it? If they’re wrong about being the exclusive location of salvation, what’s the alternative?

The biblical answer is both simpler and more profound than Shincheonji’s organizational claim:

Hebrews 12:22-24 tells believers: “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.”

Notice the verb tense: “you have come”—not “you will come” or “you must travel to.” Believers have already arrived at Mount Zion through faith in Christ. Mount Zion is not a physical organization you must join; it’s a spiritual reality you enter through faith.

Similarly, Galatians 4:26 says: “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.” The true Jerusalem is not an earthly organization but a heavenly reality that believers are already part of through Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5 explains: “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.” Believers themselves are the stones being built into God’s spiritual house—not through organizational membership, but through union with Christ.

So where is Mount Zion? It’s wherever believers are united to Christ by faith. It’s not a location you travel to; it’s a relationship you enter. It’s not an organization you join; it’s a family you’re born into. It’s not a physical place on earth; it’s a spiritual reality in heaven that believers already participate in.

Shincheonji’s error is the same error the Samaritan woman made when she asked Jesus whether people should worship in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim. Jesus responded: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

True worship—and true salvation—is not about location. It’s about Spirit and truth. It’s about relationship with God through Christ, not membership in a specific organization.

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

Shincheonji further identifies itself as the “Tabernacle of the Testimony” mentioned in Revelation 15:5: “After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened.”

They teach that just as God’s presence dwelt in the physical tabernacle in Moses’s time, God’s presence now dwells in Shincheonji. The “testimony” refers to Lee Man-hee’s eyewitness account of Revelation’s fulfillment. The “tabernacle” is the organizational structure he established. Together, these form the place where God meets with humanity in this final era.

This teaching creates multiple layers of exclusivity:

• Shincheonji is the only valid church (all others are Babylon)
• Shincheonji is the only place where God dwells (His presence has left other churches)
• Shincheonji is the only location of salvation (you must be physically part of this organization)
• Shincheonji is the only group with correct understanding (all other interpretations are false)

Awaiting New Jerusalem’s Descent and Heaven on Earth

Perhaps most significantly, Shincheonji teaches that they are the earthly preparation for the descent of the Holy City, New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21:2: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

According to their doctrine, the sealing of the 144,000 prepares the way for this heavenly city to descend to earth. Shincheonji is not merely a church or organization—it is the earthly platform where heaven will literally manifest. When the 144,000 are complete and sealed, New Jerusalem will descend and unite with Shincheonji, creating a literal “heaven on earth.”

This connects to the Lord’s Prayer in a way Shincheonji uses to validate their teaching. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), Shincheonji interprets this as a prophecy about the descent of New Jerusalem and the establishment of heaven on earth through their organization.

According to their interpretation:

• “Your kingdom come” = the establishment of Shincheonji as God’s kingdom on earth
• “On earth as it is in heaven” = the uniting of the heavenly New Jerusalem with the earthly Shincheonji
• The prayer is not a general petition for God’s will to be done, but a specific prophecy about Shincheonji’s role in the end times

This teaching serves several purposes:

First, it elevates Shincheonji’s status beyond that of a mere religious organization. They’re not just another church—they’re the location where heaven and earth will unite.

Second, it creates urgency around the 144,000. The descent of New Jerusalem cannot occur until this number is complete, so every member has a role in bringing about this cosmic event.

Third, it provides a concrete, physical fulfillment of biblical prophecy that members can point to. They’re not waiting for some vague, spiritual fulfillment—they’re part of the actual, physical preparation for heaven’s descent.

Fourth, it explains why Shincheonji invests so heavily in impressive buildings, large gatherings, and visible demonstrations of organizational strength. They’re not just building a church—they’re preparing the earthly platform for New Jerusalem’s arrival.

Waiting for the Destruction of Babylon

Shincheonji’s 2024 organizational slogan is “The Destruction of Babylon,” reflecting their belief that Christianity’s judgment is imminent. They teach that Revelation 18 describes the fall of Babylon (which they identify as Christianity), and this destruction must occur before the full establishment of God’s kingdom through Shincheonji.

According to their teaching:

• Babylon (Christianity) is currently falling—evidenced by declining church attendance, moral compromise, and doctrinal confusion
• God is calling His people out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4)—which Shincheonji interprets as recruiting people from churches into their organization
• When Babylon’s destruction is complete, only Shincheonji will remain as the true church
• The destruction validates Shincheonji’s claims—if Christianity collapses while Shincheonji grows, it proves they were right

This teaching creates a self-fulfilling prophecy mentality: any negative news about Christianity (scandals, declining membership, church closures) is interpreted as evidence that Babylon is falling. Any positive growth in Shincheonji is interpreted as evidence that God’s people are “coming out of Babylon.”

However, this raises important questions:

• If Christianity is Babylon and must be destroyed, why has it survived and even grown for 2,000 years?
• If Shincheonji is the true church established in 1984, why hasn’t Christianity collapsed in the 40+ years since?
• If the destruction of Babylon is imminent, why do they keep adjusting their timeline when it doesn’t happen?

The reality is that Christianity continues to grow globally, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While Western Christianity faces challenges, the global church is expanding. If Shincheonji’s interpretation were correct—if Christianity truly were Babylon destined for imminent destruction—we should see clear evidence of this collapse. Instead, we see a vibrant, growing global church that continues to transform lives and societies.

One final element ties together Shincheonji’s entire two seeds doctrine, their emphasis on the 144,000, and their recruitment urgency: the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the concept of the wedding, and the promise of the first resurrection.

The Ten Virgins: Missing Your Opportunity

Shincheonji frequently uses Jesus’s Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) to create urgency around joining their organization and being sealed among the 144,000. 

In this parable, ten virgins are waiting for the bridegroom to arrive for a wedding feast. Five are wise and bring extra oil for their lamps; five are foolish and bring no extra oil. When the bridegroom is delayed, all ten fall asleep.

At midnight, the cry goes out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” The five wise virgins trim their lamps and go in to the wedding feast. The five foolish virgins, whose lamps have gone out, rush to buy more oil. But while they’re gone, the bridegroom arrives, and the door is shut. When the foolish virgins return and knock, the bridegroom says, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”

Shincheonji interprets this parable as a warning about the 144,000:

• The ten virgins represent believers waiting for Christ’s return
• The five wise virgins represent those who join Shincheonji and are sealed among the 144,000 before the door closes
• The five foolish virgins represent those who delay, who want to “wait and see,” who don’t take the opportunity seriously
• The oil represents the revealed word—specifically, Lee Man-hee’s testimony about Revelation’s fulfillment
• The closed door represents the completion of the 144,000—once this number is reached, the opportunity is gone
• The bridegroom’s rejection (“I don’t know you”) represents being excluded from the wedding and the first resurrection

For Further Exploration: The Foolish and Wise Virgins
 

The Oil: Maintaining Lee Man-hee’s Testimony

The oil in the parable takes on special significance in Shincheonji’s teaching. It’s not just general spiritual preparedness or faith in Christ—it’s specifically maintaining Lee Man-hee’s testimony without doubting or questioning.

According to their interpretation:

• Having oil means accepting and maintaining Lee Man-hee’s interpretation of Revelation
• Running out of oil means doubting, questioning, or losing faith in Shincheonji’s teaching
• Buying oil means trying to gain understanding from other sources (other churches, other teachers)
• The wise virgins kept their lamps burning by continuously studying and affirming Lee’s testimony
• The foolish virgins let their lamps go out by neglecting study, entertaining doubts, or listening to critics

This creates a psychological pressure to suppress doubts and questions. If you question Shincheonji’s teaching, you’re like the foolish virgins letting your lamp go out. If you research criticisms or listen to former members, you’re trying to “buy oil” from the wrong sources. The only way to keep your lamp burning is to continuously immerse yourself in Shincheonji’s teaching and maintain unwavering faith in Lee Man-hee’s testimony.

One former member described this dynamic: “They would constantly ask us, ‘Is your lamp still burning? Do you have enough oil?’ It created this anxiety that if I had any doubts, if I questioned anything, my lamp was going out and I would miss the wedding. So I suppressed every question, every concern, every red flag—because I was terrified of being like the foolish virgins.”

The Wedding Supper and First Resurrection

The wedding imagery connects to Shincheonji’s teaching about what happens when the 144,000 are complete. They teach that the sealing of the 144,000 triggers the “wedding supper of the Lamb” described in Revelation 19:7-9:

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”

According to Shincheonji’s interpretation:

• The Lamb (Christ) is the bridegroom
• The 144,000 collectively form the bride
• The wedding represents the union of spirit and flesh—when the spirits of martyred saints descend and unite with the physical bodies of the 144,000
• This union is the “first resurrection” mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6
• Those who participate in the first resurrection will reign with Christ for a thousand years
• The wedding supper is the celebration that occurs when this union is complete

This teaching adds another layer of urgency and exclusivity: being part of the 144,000 means not just salvation, but:

• Participation in the wedding as the bride of Christ (the most intimate relationship possible)
• Receiving the first resurrection (becoming immortal while still physically alive)
• Reigning with Christ during the millennium (having authority and power)
• Experiencing the union of spirit and flesh (a transformation beyond ordinary salvation)

Those who miss this opportunity may still be saved (as part of the great multitude), but they will miss the wedding, miss the first resurrection, miss the privilege of reigning with Christ, and miss the intimate union with Him.

What Adding and Subtracting Means

Revelation 22:18-19 contains a stern warning: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

Shincheonji uses this passage in two ways:

First, they claim that traditional Christianity is guilty of adding and subtracting:

• Adding: Human traditions, denominational doctrines, theological systems (like the Trinity) that aren’t explicitly in Scripture
• Subtracting: Ignoring or spiritualizing prophecies that should be taken literally, especially in Revelation
• The result: Those who add or subtract will receive plagues and lose their share in eternal life

Second, they use this passage to discourage questioning their interpretation:

• If you question Lee Man-hee’s testimony, you’re “subtracting” from the revealed word
• If you suggest alternative interpretations, you’re “adding” your own ideas
• The only safe position is to accept Shincheonji’s interpretation exactly as taught, without addition or subtraction

However, there’s a profound irony here. Shincheonji’s entire interpretive system involves:

• Adding meanings to texts that aren’t there (like interpreting “seed of man and beast” in Jeremiah 31:27 as spiritual seeds)
• Subtracting the plain meaning of texts (like redefining “the field is the world” to mean “the field is Christianity”)
• Adding requirements to salvation (must join Shincheonji, must be sealed in their organization, must accept Lee’s testimony)
• Subtracting the sufficiency of Christ (salvation is not through faith in Christ alone, but through organizational membership and correct knowledge)

If the warning in Revelation 22:18-19 is taken seriously, Shincheonji’s interpretive system itself appears to be guilty of both adding and subtracting.

The Closed Door: A Point of No Return

The image of the closed door in the Parable of the Ten Virgins is particularly powerful in Shincheonji’s teaching. It represents a point of no return—a moment when opportunity ends and judgment begins.

Before COVID-19, Shincheonji taught that once the 144,000 were sealed, the door would close, and no one else could join. This created intense urgency: “Join now, before all the spots are taken. Once the 144,000 are complete, it will be too late.”

However, as mentioned earlier, this teaching has shifted since COVID-19. Now the relationship between the 144,000, the great multitude, and the closed door is less clear. Some instructors teach that the door closing refers to the end of the harvest period rather than the completion of the 144,000. Others teach that there are multiple “doors” or phases of opportunity.

Regardless of the specific interpretation, the psychological function remains the same: create a sense that time is running out, that opportunity is limited, that delay is dangerous. The closed door haunts students’ minds: “What if I wait too long? What if I miss my chance? What if I’m left outside, knocking, and Jesus says he doesn’t know me?”

An important reality that Shincheonji rarely discusses openly is the significant number of members who have left the organization, particularly after doctrinal changes in their interpretation of Revelation.

The Shifting Interpretation of Revelation

Despite claiming to have the definitive, revealed interpretation of Revelation, Shincheonji’s teaching has changed significantly over the years. Former members report that:

• The identification of specific entities in Revelation has changed (who represents the beast, the false prophet, the two witnesses, etc.)
• The timeline of fulfillment has been adjusted multiple times
• The role and significance of the 144,000 has evolved
• The relationship between the 144,000 and the great multitude has been redefined
• The imminence of certain events (like the descent of New Jerusalem) has been repeatedly postponed

These changes create a significant problem: If Lee Man-hee received the opened scroll and witnessed the fulfillment of Revelation as an eyewitness, why would the interpretation change? If this is revealed truth directly from Jesus’s angel, why would it need correction or adjustment?

Shincheonji’s response is typically that these aren’t changes but “clarifications” or “deeper understanding.” However, former members describe these as substantial doctrinal shifts that fundamentally altered their understanding of key prophecies.

The People of Revelation Who Left

Many long-time members—including some who held significant leadership positions and were considered “people of Revelation” (those who witnessed the fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies alongside Lee Man-hee)—have left Shincheonji over the years.

These departures are particularly significant because:

• These were not new members who misunderstood the teaching, but veterans who had been part of the organization for decades
• They were not people who fell away due to persecution or worldly temptation, but leaders who left due to doctrinal concerns and organizational problems
• They were not outsiders criticizing from a distance, but insiders who witnessed the inner workings of the organization

Shincheonji’s explanation for these departures follows their standard pattern: these people “betrayed,” they “fell away,” they “chose the world over truth,” they “became like Judas.” The organization rarely acknowledges that these departures might be due to legitimate concerns about doctrinal inconsistencies, failed prophecies, or problematic leadership.

However, the sheer number of departures—particularly among long-time members and leaders—raises important questions:

• If Shincheonji truly has the revealed word, why do so many who were deeply committed eventually leave?
• If the 144,000 are those who “overcome” and remain faithful, why is there such high turnover?
• If Lee Man-hee is the promised pastor with the opened scroll, why have some of his closest associates and earliest followers left?

These questions are rarely addressed honestly within Shincheonji. Instead, those who leave are dismissed as betrayers, and current members are warned not to have contact with them lest they be “infected” with doubt.


For Further Exploration:

→ Former Shincheonji Senior Leader (Mr. Shin) SPEAKS OUT!
→ Interview with Kim Nam-hee, former IWPG Chairwoman

While Shincheonji’s interpretation appears to be based on Scripture and seems to provide a comprehensive explanation for church history, there are significant problems with their application of these passages.

The Context of Jeremiah 31:27

First, let’s examine the actual context of Jeremiah 31:27. Shincheonji isolates this verse and interprets it as a prophecy about spiritual seeds, but what does the passage actually say in context?

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,’ declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:27-28)

The context reveals that God is speaking about restoration after judgment. The preceding verses describe the New Covenant God will make with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34)—a covenant of forgiveness, internal transformation, and direct knowledge of God. The “planting” in verse 27 refers to God’s promise to repopulate and restore the land of Israel after the Babylonian exile. It’s about demographic and agricultural restoration, not about planting two opposing spiritual seeds in the church.

Furthermore, the phrase “offspring of people and of animals” is a Hebrew idiom meaning “both people and livestock”—referring to the complete restoration of the land’s population and prosperity. It’s not a coded reference to God’s word versus Satan’s word.

The Context of Matthew 13:24-30

Second, let’s examine Jesus’s Parable of the Weeds in its actual context. What was Jesus teaching, and to whom?

Jesus told this parable to the crowds gathered around Him (Matthew 13:1-3). He was explaining what the kingdom of heaven is like—not establishing a prophetic timeline for church history or identifying which organization is the true church.

When Jesus explained the parable to His disciples, He made several key points that Shincheonji’s interpretation contradicts:

First, the field is the world (Matthew 13:38)—not specifically the Christian church, but the world. Jesus didn’t say “the field is the church” or “the field is Christianity.” He said “the field is the world.”

Second, the harvest is the end of the age (Matthew 13:39)—This refers to the final judgment at Christ’s return, not to a harvest happening through Shincheonji’s recruitment in the 21st century.

Third, the harvesters are angels (Matthew 13:39)—Literal angels, sent by Christ at His return, will perform the separation. This is not a metaphor for Shincheonji members recruiting people.

Fourth, the Son of Man will send out his angels (Matthew 13:41)—Jesus Himself will command the harvest. It’s not delegated to a Korean prophet or his organization.

Jesus’s Own Interpretation

It’s crucial to note that Jesus interpreted His own parable. We don’t need Shincheonji’s interpretation because Jesus already provided the authoritative explanation. When we have Jesus’s own words explaining what He meant, any interpretation that contradicts or adds to His explanation is suspect.

For a detailed examination of proper biblical interpretation versus eisegesis, see Chapter 1 on Shincheonji’s interpretive framework.

The False Premise: Did Jesus Abandon His Church?

The entire foundation of Shincheonji’s two seeds doctrine rests on a false premise: that Jesus abandoned His church after His ascension, allowing it to fall into complete darkness for 2,000 years. This premise contradicts Jesus’s own explicit promises about His church and His presence with believers.

Jesus’s Promise About His Church

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus made a clear and unequivocal promise: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

This promise has several critical implications:

First, Jesus Himself is the builder of the church. He said “I will build”—not “I will start building and then leave it to fall apart.” The church is Jesus’s project, His work, His responsibility.

Second, the church will endure. The phrase “the gates of Hades will not overcome it” means that the powers of death, evil, and hell itself cannot destroy the church. If Christianity fell into complete darkness and became “Babylon, the dwelling place of demons,” then the gates of Hades did overcome it. But Jesus promised this would not happen.

Third, this is an ongoing promise. Jesus didn’t say “the gates of Hades will not overcome it for a few decades, but then I’ll abandon it for 2,000 years.” He made an absolute promise with no time limit.

If Shincheonji’s teaching is correct—if Christianity became Babylon, if the church fell into complete apostasy, if the light was extinguished for two millennia—then Jesus’s promise in Matthew 16:18 failed. But can Jesus’s promises fail?

Jesus’s Promise About His Presence

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave the Great Commission and concluded with this promise: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The word “always” (Greek: pasas tas hēmeras, literally “all the days”) means continuously, without interruption, every single day. Jesus promised to be with His disciples—and by extension, all who follow Him—always, until the end of the age.

This promise directly contradicts Shincheonji’s teaching that “when Jesus ascended, the Light left, and the world entered spiritual night.” If Jesus left and darkness came, then He was not with His people always. His promise was broken.

But Jesus’s promises do not break. He is called “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11). God “is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19).

Jesus’s Promise About the Holy Spirit

Perhaps most significantly, Jesus made explicit promises about the Holy Spirit who would come after His departure:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17)

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

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)

Notice the promises Jesus made about the Holy Spirit:

• He will be with you forever (not for a few decades, then absent for 2,000 years)
• He will teach you all things (not leave you in darkness and ignorance)
• He will guide you into all the truth (not allow you to wander in error and deception)

If these promises are true—if the Holy Spirit has been with the church forever, teaching believers, guiding them into truth—then Christianity cannot have fallen into complete darkness.

The Pattern of the Faithful Remnant

Shincheonji’s teaching about Christianity falling into complete darkness ignores the biblical principle of the faithful remnant. Throughout Scripture, even in the darkest times, God always preserves a faithful remnant who maintain true worship and genuine faith.

When the prophet Elijah believed he was the only faithful one left, God corrected him: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18).

Paul applied this same principle to his own time: “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5).

This pattern continues throughout church history. During the medieval period when the institutional church became corrupt, there were groups like the Waldensians who preserved biblical teaching. During the Reformation, God raised up leaders to call the church back to Scripture. In every generation, God has maintained His faithful witnesses.

The idea that Christianity completely apostatized and became “Babylon” contradicts both biblical principle and historical reality. God has always preserved a faithful remnant. The gates of Hades have never overcome the church. Jesus has never abandoned His people.

Understanding Shincheonji’s two seeds doctrine helps us see how psychologically powerful and manipulative it is, especially when combined with their narrative about Jesus abandoning the church.

Creating Fear and Uncertainty

By teaching that the Christian church is a “mixed field” containing both wheat and weeds, and that Christianity fell into darkness when Jesus ascended, Shincheonji creates profound uncertainty in students’ minds:

• “Am I wheat or a weed?”
• “Is my pastor teaching God’s word or Satan’s lies?”
• “Is my church part of the kingdom or part of Babylon?”
• “Have I been born of God’s seed or Satan’s seed?”
• “If Jesus left and the Light departed, how can I know truth?”

This uncertainty is deeply unsettling. Most Christians have a basic confidence that they are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But Shincheonji’s teaching undermines that confidence.

Devaluing Previous Faith

The narrative that Jesus abandoned the church and Christianity fell into darkness has a devastating psychological effect: it devalues everything students have previously believed and experienced.

• Those prayers you prayed? They were in darkness.
• That worship you experienced? It was in a church filled with weeds.
• Those sermons that moved you? They were mixed with Satan’s lies.
• That sense of God’s presence? It might have been deception.
• Those years of faithful service? They were in Babylon, the dwelling place of demons.

Everything students have built their spiritual lives upon is suddenly called into question. The foundation crumbles beneath their feet.

Offering False Assurance

After creating this fear and uncertainty, Shincheonji offers a solution: “Complete our course, accept our teaching, join our organization, and you can be certain you’re wheat. We have the light that returned. We are the barn where the wheat is gathered. We are the place where God and Jesus have returned.”

This provides psychological relief—the anxiety is resolved by submitting to Shincheonji’s authority. But this assurance is false because it’s based on human authority (Lee Man-hee’s interpretation) rather than on God’s promise.

Justifying Separation

The two seeds doctrine also justifies breaking relationships with family members and leaving one’s church.

If your church is full of “weeds” and your pastor is teaching “Satan’s seed,” then staying there is spiritually dangerous. You must “come out of Babylon” and flee to the “barn” (Shincheonji).

For detailed discussion of how this affects families and relationships, see Chapter 7 on recruitment tactics and Chapter 11 on the cost of leaving.

Creating Dependency

Finally, the narrative that Christianity has been in darkness for 2,000 years creates complete dependency on Shincheonji:

• You cannot trust your own understanding of Scripture (you’ve been taught in darkness)
• You cannot trust your pastor’s teaching (he’s been trained in darkness)
• You cannot trust Christian scholarship or theology (it’s all been developed in darkness)
• You cannot trust your spiritual experiences (they occurred in darkness)

The only source of light, the only source of truth, the only reliable guide is Shincheonji and Lee Man-hee. This creates total dependency on the organization.

How Shincheonji Connects Genesis to Revelation

One of Shincheonji’s most compelling teaching strategies is showing how everything is connected from the beginning. In their final Revelation-level classes, they bring students full circle back to Genesis, demonstrating that the entire Bible tells one continuous story with one repeating pattern—a pattern they claim was designed by God before creation.

Shincheonji teaches that understanding Revelation requires understanding Genesis, because Revelation is the restoration of what was lost in Genesis. The Tree of Life lost in Genesis is restored in Revelation. Access to God’s presence lost in the garden is restored when God dwells with humanity. Satan who entered and deceived is permanently destroyed. Death that entered through sin is eliminated. The paradise from which humanity was expelled becomes the new heaven and new earth. This creates a powerful narrative: The Bible is one complete story from Genesis to Revelation, and Shincheonji is the fulfillment of that story.

The Three-Part Pattern: Sowing, Growing, Harvesting

In their Introductory Parables course, Shincheonji establishes the foundational pattern using Matthew 13:24-30, the Parable of the Weeds. The pattern is simple: First, God plants good seed (the word and truth). Second, while people sleep, the enemy sows weeds among the wheat. Third, at harvest time, God separates wheat from weeds.

Shincheonji teaches that this pattern repeats in every era—from Adam to Noah to Israel to Christianity to Shincheonji. In each era, God plants truth, Satan corrupts it, and judgment comes. At the Second Coming, God plants truth through Shincheonji, and the harvest happens now—in our lifetime.

“Declaring the End from the Beginning”

Shincheonji frequently quotes Isaiah 46:10: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'” According to their interpretation, this verse means God designed the entire 6,000-year pattern before creation. The pattern we see repeating throughout Scripture was not a response to human failure, but a predetermined plan.

In this framework, God knew Adam would betray before He created him. God knew Israel would betray before He chose them. God knew Christianity would betray before Jesus established the church. The entire pattern was designed to produce the final, permanent kingdom—Shincheonji.

In their Intermediate Level Bible Logic course, Shincheonji teaches: “What was planted before must be pulled out and the new must be planted. This is being born again. This is destroying the old house and making a new house. This is new wine, new education, new seed and the beginning of new creation.”

The cycle repeats in every era. Each previous “new creation” becomes corrupted, leading to the next one. The implication is clear: If you remain in “old Christianity,” you’re part of what must be destroyed. Only by joining Shincheonji—the “final new creation”—can you be saved.

The “Fulfillment” Framework

In their Advanced Level Revelation course, Shincheonji teaches that John saw the future fulfillment in vision form, while Lee Man-hee is the one who saw the actual fulfillment in reality. Just as John testified to what he saw, Lee Man-hee testifies to what he saw. Therefore, believing Lee Man-hee’s testimony equals believing John’s testimony, which equals believing Jesus’s testimony, which equals believing God.

This creates the complete connection: Genesis is the beginning (what was lost), Revelation is the end (what is restored), Lee Man-hee is the one who saw Revelation fulfilled and testifies to it, and Shincheonji is the physical fulfillment of the new heaven and new earth.

This “pattern from the beginning” framework serves several purposes. It validates the repeating pattern as God’s sovereign plan rather than evidence of failure. It explains why God allows betrayal—He planned for it. It positions Shincheonji as the culmination of 6,000 years of history. It creates urgency—this is the final era, your last chance. And it makes leaving seem like betraying God’s eternal plan.

The Core Problem

However, this teaching creates the same troubling implications we examined in Chapter 9. If God designed this pattern from the beginning, then He intentionally created billions of people knowing they would fail and be destroyed—all to produce 144,000 faithful followers. This contradicts Scripture’s clear teaching that God “so loved the world” (John 3:16), is “not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9), and “wants all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).

If Shincheonji’s interpretation is correct, then God’s expressed desire for all to be saved contradicts His actual design, which ensures most will not be saved. This makes God duplicitous and His love selective rather than universal. It also makes human choice meaningless—if the pattern was predetermined, then every betrayal was scripted and your decision to join Shincheonji isn’t free will but predetermined.

Furthermore, Isaiah 46:10 in context is about God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge—His ability to know the future and ensure His purposes prevail despite human rebellion. It’s not teaching that God orchestrates a 6,000-year pattern of designed failure.

The Biblical Alternative

The biblical alternative is that God genuinely desires all to be saved, genuinely grieves over human rebellion, and genuinely works to redeem humanity through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ that is sufficient for all who believe (Hebrews 10:10-14). Christ’s work was complete and final—the permanent solution that broke the power of sin and death forever (John 19:30). The “new creation” is in Christ through faith (2 Corinthians 5:17), not in joining a specific organization.

Shincheonji’s “pattern from the beginning” teaching is strategically brilliant—it makes their organization appear to be the culmination of 6,000 years of history and makes leaving seem like rejecting God’s eternal design. But it does so by misinterpreting Isaiah 46:10, contradicting God’s revealed character, and positioning Shincheonji as necessary for salvation despite Christ’s finished work. The more compelling explanation is that Shincheonji has created a theological framework that retrofits history to fit their narrative, making their organization appear to be the inevitable conclusion of God’s eternal plan—when in reality, they are reinterpreting Scripture to validate their own existence.

Shincheonji builds their entire theological system on the foundation of the two seeds doctrine, supported by their narrative that Jesus abandoned the church and Christianity fell into darkness. They claim this teaching is rooted in prophecy (Jeremiah 31:27) and fulfilled by Jesus (Matthew 13:24-30). But as we’ve seen, this foundation is built on:

• Misinterpretation of Jeremiah’s context (restoration after exile, not spiritual seeds)
• Reinterpretation of Jesus’s own explanation of His parable
• Contradiction of Jesus’s explicit promises about His church, His presence, and the Holy Spirit
• Denial of the biblical principle of the faithful remnant
• Addition of meanings not present in the text

When the foundation is faulty, everything built upon it is unstable. If the two seeds doctrine is based on misinterpretation, and if the narrative about Jesus abandoning the church contradicts His own promises, then the entire harvesting strategy, the identification of Christianity as Babylon, the urgency around the 144,000, the claim that Shincheonji is the barn/Mount Zion/New Jerusalem—all of it collapses.

The Real Question

The real question is not “Am I wheat or a weed?” The real question is: “Do I trust Jesus’s promises or Shincheonji’s narrative?”

Jesus promised:

• “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18)
• “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)
• The Holy Spirit “will be with you forever” and “will guide you into all the truth” (John 14:16; 16:13)

Shincheonji claims:

• Jesus’s church fell into complete darkness
• Jesus left and the Light departed for 2,000 years
• The Holy Spirit was ineffective in guiding believers into truth
• Christianity became Babylon, the dwelling place of demons
• Only Shincheonji has the light and truth

You cannot believe both. Either Jesus’s promises are true and Shincheonji’s narrative is false, or Shincheonji’s narrative is true and Jesus’s promises failed.

The True Light

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Notice what Jesus said: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” Not “whoever follows me will walk in darkness for 2,000 years until a Korean prophet brings back the light.” Not “whoever follows me will walk in darkness unless they join the right organization.” Simply: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.”

The light has never left because Jesus has never left. He promised to be with His people always, and He keeps His promises. The Holy Spirit has been guiding believers into truth for 2,000 years, and He continues to do so today. The church that Jesus is building has endured through persecution, heresy, and corruption because the gates of Hades cannot overcome it.

You don’t need Shincheonji’s light because you have Jesus, the true Light. You don’t need Lee Man-hee’s testimony because you have the Holy Spirit, who guides you into all truth. You don’t need to join an organization to be certain you’re wheat because your assurance comes from faith in Christ’s finished work, not from human affiliation.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The light of God’s glory is displayed in the face of Christ—not in the face of Lee Man-hee, not in the organization of Shincheonji, but in Jesus Christ alone. That light has been shining in the hearts of believers for 2,000 years, and it will continue to shine until Jesus returns in glory.