The phrase “already and not yet” describes the tension between what Christ has already accomplished through His first coming and what remains to be completed at His second coming.
- “Already”: Christ has already inaugurated God’s kingdom, secured salvation, and united believers to Himself through the New Covenant.
- “Not yet”: The fullness of that salvation and kingdom has not yet been revealed; Christians still await the visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment.
This framework appears throughout the New Testament and helps explain why the early Church could say they were already saved and already joined to Christ, yet still waiting for the wedding banquet and the complete restoration of all things.
Shincheonji (SCJ) teaches that while Jesus did initially establish the New Covenant at His first coming, its fulfillment does not take place until the time of the Second Coming, when believers are supposedly re-united with God through the “promised pastor.” According to their view, the covenant Jesus made with His disciples was only a promise awaiting completion, and it is only when Lee Man-Hee appears to deliver the “hidden manna” that believers can truly be restored to God.
However, Scripture presents a very different picture. The New Covenant was not a deferred promise awaiting a future mediator; it was inaugurated and fulfilled in Christ Himself. From the first century onward, believers were already brought into fellowship with God, spiritually married to Christ, and awaiting not another revelation, but the consummation of that covenant when Christ returns. This tension—what theologians call the “already and not yet”—reveals that salvation and union with Christ are already real, even as believers still look forward to their complete realization at the wedding banquet of the Lamb.
Be aware that groups like Shincheonji often respond to criticism by subtly adjusting their doctrine—a common tactic involving denial, adaptation, and manipulation; is a common tactic among high-control organizations. They may gather information on critics and “flip the script,” portraying exposure as persecution or misinformation. It’s essential to carefully observe doctrinal shifts rather than accepting new explanations at face value. Stay vigilant against gaslighting through evolving teachings designed to counter today’s realities and criticisms. (Read More)
SCJ “Already and Not Yet”
Within Shincheonji’s doctrine, there is a similar tension between what has already been fulfilled and what is still to be completed. They apply this framework to the process of Revelation’s fulfillment and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, identifying specific milestones that mark the “already” and “not yet” stages in redemptive history.
For Shincheonji, the “already” refers to the present fulfillment of Revelation through the establishment of the New Heaven and New Earth (NHNE), which they identify with the 12 tribes of Shincheonji.
This stage is considered the visible realization of God’s kingdom on earth, where Jesus, working spiritually through the Promised Pastor (Lee Man-Hee), gathers and seals the 144,000 described in Revelation 7 and 14.
Key aspects of the “already” stage include:
- The fall of Babylon (Revelation 18) – interpreted as the judgment of the false churches of the world (on a small scale through the judgement of the Tabernacle Temple).
- The wedding banquet of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–9) – seen as the spiritual union between Jesus (the Lamb) and His bride (the sealed believers of Shincheonji).
- The establishment of Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1) – identified as the physical headquarters of Shincheonji in Gwacheon, South Korea.
- The sealing of the 144,000 – representing the completion of the priestly class who will reign with Christ.
In this stage, Shincheonji teaches that the kingdom of God has already begun to be established on earth in a physical and organizational form. The “already” represents the formation of the new spiritual Israel and the restored tabernacle where God’s dwelling is now with His people.
Although Shincheonji teaches that the kingdom has already been established through the creation of NHNE, they also maintain that the work of salvation is not yet complete. The full realization of God’s promises awaits the first resurrection and the complete fulfillment of Revelation.
Key aspects of the “not yet” stage include:
- The first resurrection (Revelation 20:4–6) – understood as the moment when the sealed 144,000, having overcome through the revealed word, attain spiritual perfection and immortality.
- The judgment of the dead and the completion of Revelation – when all remaining prophecies are fulfilled, and the great multitude joins the 144,000 to form the complete kingdom of priests.
- The eternal reign of God and Jesus – marking the final and complete unification of heaven and earth, where the spiritual and physical worlds become one.
- The end of death and corruption (Revelation 21:4) – interpreted as the point when sin and spiritual ignorance are fully removed from creation.
At this stage, the promises of eternal life, perfection, and God’s complete dwelling among His people are said to be fully realized. The “not yet” thus represents the final phase of redemption, where the visible work of Shincheonji transitions into the eternal kingdom of God.
The Christians today also have the same concept and view when it comes to the book of Revelation, and the culmination of Jesus’s kingdom here on earth.
The “Already and Not Yet” in Christian Theology for Spiritual Marriage
We can see through numerous passages throughout the epistles that the first century Christians already believed that they were spiritually married to the Lamb.
The phrase “already and not yet” describes the tension between what Christ has already accomplished through His first coming and what remains to be completed at His second coming.
- “Already”: Christ has already inaugurated God’s kingdom, secured salvation, and united believers to Himself through the New Covenant.
- “Not yet”: The fullness of that salvation and kingdom has not yet been revealed; Christians still await the visible return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment.
This framework appears throughout the New Testament and helps explain why the early Church could say they were already saved and already joined to Christ, yet still waiting for the wedding banquet and the complete restoration of all things.
When Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15), He proclaimed that the reign of God had already broken into history through Him.
By His death and resurrection, Jesus established the New Covenant – the new and eternal relationship between God and His people.
We can already see that believers are already saved:
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Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”
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Colossians 1:13: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
Both verses are past tense, showing that salvation is already here.
Believers are also already in union with Christ:
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Romans 7:4: “You also have died to the law… so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead.”
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2 Corinthians 11:2: “I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.”
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Ephesians 5:25–27: Christ “gave himself up” for the Church to “present her to himself in splendor.”
These verses describe an existing, spiritual marriage covenant between Christ and His people, established by His blood (Luke 22:20).
In other words, the Church is already the Bride – sanctified, redeemed, and indwelt by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14)—but not yet in the fullness of glory.
Even though the covenant relationship is real and active, believers still live in a fallen world. The final stage of salvation—the glorification of the body and the visible reign of Christ, remains in the future.
Philippians 3:20–21 – “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body.”
Romans 8:23 – “We wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
Revelation 19:7 – “Let us rejoice… for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.”
These passages show that believers are waiting not for a new mediator or new revelation, but for the return of the same Christ who already redeemed them.
The wedding banquet of the Lamb is the culmination – the public celebration – of a union that already exists spiritually.
In biblical marriage imagery:
- Betrothal represents the believer’s present relationship to Christ through the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 11:2).
- Marriage consummation represents Christ’s return, when believers will see Him face to face (Revelation 19:6–9).
Just as an engaged couple is already bound by covenant but awaits the wedding day, so too the Church is already united to Christ but awaits the day of perfect fellowship.
The “banquet” is not when the relationship begins – it’s when it’s celebrated and fulfilled.
Shincheonji’s theology denies the “already” aspect by claiming that the marriage covenant between God and His people begins only through their “promised pastor” at the end of time.
But Scripture shows the opposite:
- The Church has already been betrothed to Christ.
- The Holy Spirit is the down payment guaranteeing that union (Ephesians 1:13–14).
- The wedding banquet in Revelation 19 is the consummation, not the inauguration, of that union.
Thus, the New Covenant is not incomplete or awaiting new revelation through a man – it is a finished work of Christ, awaiting its final manifestation at His return.
Potential Counters – Hebrews 9:28
Shincheonji may point to Hebrews 9:28 to try to make the argument that one needs to properly “wait” for salvation for Jesus Christ, and that would eventually point to joining the Shincheonji organization.
Reading
Hebrews 9:28 –
“…so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
This verse does not imply that believers must join a particular organization or receive a new revelation to “wait properly.” Rather, it contrasts Christ’s first appearance, where He bore sin, with His second appearance, where He brings the final consummation of salvation to those who already believe and belong to Him.
In context, “waiting” is an expression of faithful perseverance, not hidden knowledge or alignment with a new religious body.
If Shincheonji claims that all Christians fell into spiritual darkness after the first century, then, according to their logic, no one was truly “waiting” for Christ for nearly two millennia. That would make Hebrews 9:28 meaningless for the Church age, because there would have been no one for Christ to return to “save.”
This collapses SCJ’s theology internally. The verse presupposes that there are faithful believers already saved by grace through faith, who await Christ’s return. This is consistent with New Testament theology but incompatible with SCJ’s total apostasy narrative.
The New Testament presents salvation as a present reality with a future completion:
- Past:
“By grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
- Present:
“The gospel… is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
- Future:
“We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20–21).
The “waiting” in Hebrews 9:28 corresponds to this eschatological hope, not ignorance. Christians already possess salvation and the Holy Spirit as a deposit (Ephesians 1:13–14), while they await its final manifestation – resurrection glory.
Therefore, those in the first-century church (and throughout history) were already “enlightened” (Hebrews 6:4), having received the knowledge of the truth. The idea that no one had proper understanding until the 20th century denies the continuity of the body of Christ and the indwelling Spirit.
Potential Counter: Luke 22:14-20
Shincheonji would also point to Luke 22:14-20, specifically focusing on verse 18:
“18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Shincheonji would then tie in the part of the “I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” to show that the Kingdom of God has not yet come, and neither has the fulfillment of the New Covenant.
The Last Supper in Luke 22:14–20 occurs before Jesus’ crucifixion, serving as a prophetic act that anticipates the ratification of the new covenant. In this setting, Jesus says, “I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (v. 18), which expresses His temporary abstinence until the kingdom’s future consummation. It does not mean the kingdom was absent, but that its final fulfillment lay ahead. The very next verses clarify this: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (v. 19), and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (v. 20). The covenant’s establishment therefore depended upon His imminent death – the shedding of His blood on the cross -not on a distant or hidden fulfillment two thousand years later.
Thus, when Jesus spoke these words, the new covenant had not yet been sealed because His sacrificial act was still future. But the fulfillment began on the cross when He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and was confirmed by His resurrection. From that point onward, the new covenant was in effect, bringing forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God for all who believe. The moment Jesus shed His blood, the covenant He promised at the Last Supper was inaugurated—making any claim that it awaited a modern organizational revelation both unnecessary and theologically inconsistent.
Jesus’ ministry inaugurated the kingdom of God during His earthly life and teaching. He declared, “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20), revealing that the kingdom was already present and active in His person and works. Similarly, He taught that “The law and the prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached” (Luke 16:16). In other words, with the arrival of Christ, God’s reign had already broken into human history. The kingdom was not something to be postponed to a future physical organization or event, but a spiritual reality established through Christ’s presence, power, and authority.
While the kingdom was inaugurated in Christ’s ministry, it still awaits its visible consummation when He returns in glory. This is why believers live in the “already but not yet” tension—redeemed and transferred into Christ’s kingdom now (“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” – Colossians 1:13), yet still longing for its full realization (“Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father” — 1 Corinthians 15:24–28). Shincheonji’s interpretation collapses this biblical tension, claiming the kingdom only arrived through their modern organization. But Scripture shows the kingdom began with Christ Himself and continues in His Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, until it reaches completion at His return.
When Jesus spoke of not drinking again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes, He was pointing forward to the great eschatological banquet—the ultimate celebration of redemption and fellowship between the Lamb and His people. This future banquet is described in Revelation 19:9: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Jesus’ words express a temporary abstinence, not because the kingdom was absent, but because He would not celebrate again until the kingdom reaches its final consummation. His statement was one of anticipation and promise—that one day He would share this cup anew with His redeemed people in the fullness of the Father’s kingdom.
Believers today participate in that same anticipation each time they partake in communion. As 1 Corinthians 11:26 declares, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” The Lord’s Supper is both a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and a forward-looking proclamation of His return. It reminds the Church that the new covenant is already in effect, granting believers fellowship with God through Christ’s blood, while they await the full manifestation of that fellowship in the coming kingdom. Therefore, Jesus’ words in Luke 22 do not suggest that the new covenant or the kingdom were delayed until a modern fulfillment—they affirm the ongoing reality of the covenantal relationship that began at the cross and will be consummated in eternal glory.
If Shincheonji claims that the kingdom of God and the new covenant were not inaugurated until the establishment of their organization, then this view creates major theological contradictions. It would mean that Jesus’ declaration at the Last Supper –“This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20)- was merely symbolic for nearly two thousand years. According to that logic, the covenant had no real effect until a human leader appeared to “reveal” its meaning. This interpretation undermines the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s sacrifice, implying that His blood accomplished nothing for believers across the centuries. Yet Scripture consistently teaches that Christ’s sacrifice was once for all, fully effective in reconciling humanity to God (Hebrews 10:10–14).
Moreover, if the covenant and the kingdom were delayed until Shincheonji’s founding, then the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost would have been meaningless. The Spirit was poured out precisely as the Spirit of the new covenant, empowering believers and marking them as God’s people (Acts 2; 2 Corinthians 3:6). The apostles preached “the kingdom of God” immediately after the resurrection (Acts 8:12; 28:31), demonstrating that it was already a present reality in the Church. To claim that the true kingdom only appeared centuries later not only denies the work of the Spirit and the truth of apostolic preaching but also strips the gospel of its power throughout history. Such a view implies that Christ’s body—the Church—was lifeless until revived by a modern organization, a belief entirely foreign to the New Testament.