Before we can evaluate Shincheonji’s system, we need to understand exactly what they teach about how divine communication flows in our era.

The Twelve Blessings That Create Absolute Authority

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, Lee Man-hee is “the one who overcomes” mentioned in Revelation 2-3. Because he overcame “the Nicolaitans/dragon’s group, aka Stewardship Education Center (SEC)” at the Tabernacle Temple, he received twelve specific blessings that grant him unprecedented authority:

Blessings of Divine Identity and Union:

• Becoming God’s Son and Heir – He inherits the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life. God, Jesus, and the heavenly kingdom are united with him.
• Three Names Written on Him – The name of God, the name of the Holy City New Jerusalem (signifying that God’s spiritual kingdom descends and unites with him), and Jesus’ new name (described as a “spiritual marriage” making them one).
• Made a Pillar in God’s Temple – He is trustworthy, reliable, holds the most important task in building God’s kingdom on earth, and will “never depart from” the temple.
• Right to Sit on Jesus’ Throne – “Just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Because he is chosen as God and Jesus’ throne, they work through him.

Blessings of Authority and Judgment:

• The White Stone – Authority to judge truth from lies, carrying out God’s judgment.
• The Iron Scepter – Eternal authority to rule all nations with “the word of truth.”
• The Morning Star – This is where the system becomes explicit: “Jesus is the bright Morning Star in Revelation 22:16. Therefore, when Jesus promises to give the Morning Star to the one who overcomes, it means that Jesus, who is in spirit, will become one with the one who overcomes, who is in flesh, and they will work together in unity.”
• The Book of Life – His name is permanently written and will never be blotted out.

Blessings of Eternal Sustenance:

• Hidden Manna – The revealed word from the opened scroll Jesus gave him in Revelation 10.
• Fruit of the Tree of Life – The word of life from the opened book.
• The Crown of Life – Eternal life and victory.
• Protection from the Second Death – He will not suffer hell’s punishment.

These twelve blessings aren’t just symbolic honors. According to Shincheonji, they establish Lee Man-hee as the exclusive vessel through whom God and Jesus now work on earth.

The Divine Chain: God → Jesus → Angel → New John → Believers

Here’s how their SCJ Bible Study notes explain the hierarchy:

1. God to Jesus:

• Jesus is “born of God’s seed, the Holy Spirit”
• He is “the Numerator to God’s Denominator”—created from the same element (the word) but not equal
• Jesus “did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6)
• Jesus is exalted but fundamentally subordinate: “Everything is placed under Christ so that God may be all in all”

2. Jesus to Angel to New John:

• “Jesus sends his angel to give the opened scroll (Revelation) to the promised pastor (New John)”
• Jesus sends his angel as the messenger carrying revelation
• The angel is the intermediary between the spiritual realm and physical realm
• The authority to rule (Iron Scepter) is given from God, to Jesus, and then to the one who overcomes
• Lee Man-hee is “chosen by Jesus as his ‘horse’ or vessel at the second coming”

3. New John as the Necessary Intermediary:

• Lee Man-hee receives the interpretation first
• He then passes it on to believers
• “Just as Moses was the necessary intermediary between the Israelites and God at Mount Sinai, the one who overcomes is the necessary intermediary between God/Jesus and humanity today”
• “Jesus overcame in the spiritual world, but someone was needed to overcome Satan’s pastors in the physical world”
• “Jesus is working now through New John to achieve this physical fulfillment, uniting the spiritual realm (God, Jesus, Holy City New Jerusalem) with the physical realm (the one who overcomes)”

4. The Role of the Physical Advocate:

• “Lee Man-hee is identified as the Advocate, or the physical advocate through whom the spiritual advocate (Holy Spirit/Spirit of Truth) works and speaks”
• “The spirit of the advocate comes to and is received by the promised pastor, meaning the promised pastor speaks on Jesus’ behalf”
• “As the promised pastor/New John, he does not speak his own words, but only testifies to what he has seen and heard from Jesus and the angel, fulfilling the role of a messenger”

The Crucial Question: Why Jesus’ Vessel, Not God’s?

This is where the theology gets revealing.

If God is the ultimate source of authority, why does Lee Man-hee serve as Jesus’ vessel rather than God’s vessel directly?

The answer lies in Shincheonji’s Christology—their understanding of who Jesus is.

According to their teaching:

• Jesus is a created being, not God Himself
• Jesus is “the Son/Word” but “fundamentally distinct from and subordinate to God the Father”
• Jesus is “a Servant, Not Co-equal”
• “Divine Authority is Delegated” down through Jesus

This creates a hierarchical chain where:

• God (the ultimate source) delegates to
• Jesus (the exalted but created intermediary) who delegates to
• Lee Man-hee (the physical vessel) who teaches
• Believers (who receive truth through this chain)

The system requires this chain because it positions Lee Man-hee as the final, physical link in God’s communication to humanity.

Just as Jesus was God’s spokesperson at the First Coming, Lee Man-hee is Jesus’ spokesperson at the Second Coming.

To question Lee Man-hee is to question Jesus. To reject Lee Man-hee’s teaching is to reject the opened scroll. To seek verification outside this chain is to step outside God’s ordained system.

The Critical Claim: Lee Man-hee IS New John—The One Who Sees and Testifies

This is where Shincheonji’s interpretation becomes crucial to understand fully.

Their SCJ Bible Study notes explain it using the “movie script” analogy: “Revelation is like a movie script. When creating a movie, it doesn’t begin with cameras rolling. It starts as a draft, a script. This script contains the names of characters, their roles, and what they will do and say… However, the script is not the end goal. The script must be filmed and turned into a movie.”

According to Shincheonji:

The Original John (2,000 years ago):

• Received vision revelation (prophecy sealed in parables)
• Saw events in a vision/dream and wrote them down
• “John didn’t actually write letters, ascend to heaven, see four angels on horses, or speak to people of various nations, languages, and kings. He recorded these visions in the scroll of Revelation before his death.”
• “John didn’t personally experience the events we read about. He saw them in a vision or dream and wrote down what he saw.”

New John/Lee Man-hee (Today):

• Receives actual reality revelation (fulfillment witnessed in physical events)
• “For fulfillment to occur, someone must witness these events taking place in reality. This is the essence of fulfillment.”
• “When the word is opened, we can understand real people and real events. We learn the details: who, what, when, where, why, and how.”
• He witnessed the betrayal at the Tabernacle Temple, the destruction by the beast with seven heads and ten horns, and overcame to establish salvation

The Two Types of Revelation on God’s Side:

Vision Revelation (Prophecy) – What the original John received

• “God’s plan is revealed to His servants, the prophets, before He acts. This plan is sealed in parables.”
• “It’s only a vision… someone must come later to see the reality of what John saw as parables.”

Actual Reality Revelation (Fulfillment) – What New John receives

• “In actual reality revelation, when the word is opened, we can understand real people and real events.”
• “This is how actual reality revelation works, following the 5W1H principle.”
• The 5W1H Principle is Shincheonji’s specific terminology for claiming their interpretation is based on “actual reality” rather than symbolism: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

The Instructor’s Explanation:

“Jesus, who is the master and spirit, opens and fulfills the words of Revelation. New John is a servant in the flesh, a person like you and me. He ages, experiences aches and pains, and must overcome himself, just as we do. However, he was chosen to see, hear, and testify as God’s witness, Jesus’ witness, and an advocate. Therefore, we must listen to his words.”

The Seven Stars: Not Seven Churches, But Seven People

This is a crucial distinction in Shincheonji’s teaching that must be understood clearly:

According to their SCJ Bible Study notes, the “seven churches” in Revelation 2-3 are not seven different church congregations. They are seven specific people—seven angels or messengers—within one church: the Tabernacle Temple.

Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Shincheonji’s interpretation:

• The seven stars = seven angels/messengers = seven specific leaders at the Tabernacle Temple
• These seven people were initially appointed by Jesus (“in his right hand”) to deliver God’s word
• Jesus wrote letters to these seven specific individuals, asking them to repent
• They failed to repent and were destroyed by the beast with seven heads and ten horns

The key figure: Mr. Yoo (Yoo Jae-yeol)

According to Shincheonji’s teaching:

• Mr. Yoo was one of these seven messengers at the Tabernacle Temple
• He represents the betrayers, just as John the Baptist represented physical Israel at the First Coming
• Just as John the Baptist prepared the way but many in Israel rejected Jesus, Mr. Yoo and the seven messengers were prepared but fell into betrayal
• Lee Man-hee witnessed this betrayal firsthand and overcame the destroyers who invaded

The SCJ Bible Study notes explain:

“Those who engage in rebellion are referred to as the seven stars. According to Revelation 1:20, they were in Jesus’ right hand. Jesus appointed them to deliver a new word during a time of darkness. They were called lampstands.

These lampstands shined in a time of darkness, faithfully fulfilling their role for a period. However, when a lamp shines, it attracts attention. Satan dislikes God’s light shining. Consequently, Satan invades and brings destroyers.”

“The destroyers mentioned in Revelation are the seven pastors and ten authority figures of the beast. This beast is described as having seven heads and ten horns. These destroyers invade the tabernacle and destroy its occupants.

They force people to eat food sacrificed to idols, commit spiritual sexual immorality, or drink maddening wine.”

So the structure is:

• Seven specific individuals at the Tabernacle Temple (the seven stars/angels)
• They were Jesus’ appointed messengers but fell into betrayal
• Lee Man-hee witnessed this, overcame, and became the one who testifies
• Now he teaches believers what he saw and heard

How This Creates the Communication Flow

According to Shincheonji’s teaching:

Step 1: The Prophecy Was Given

• God → Jesus → Angel → Original John → Written down 2,000 years ago for seven angels/messengers (not seven different churches)
• This was sealed in parables, a “script” waiting to be fulfilled

Step 2: The Fulfillment Happens at the Tabernacle Temple

• God → Jesus → Angel → New John (witnesses the actual events involving the seven messengers)
• “The events, people, times, dates, and everything described have been fulfilled in reality.”
• New John sees the betrayal of the seven stars (seven specific people including Mr. Yoo), the destruction by the beast with seven heads and ten horns, and overcomes to establish salvation

Step 3: The Testimony Goes Out

• New John → Shincheonji (the twelve tribes he establishes after overcoming) → All Nations
• “He witnesses the destruction and the betrayal. He then testifies to many peoples, nations, languages, and kings, urging them to leave Babylon and come to Zion.”

The Key Teaching Point:

Just as the original John received the vision and wrote it down, New John (Lee Man-hee) witnesses the fulfillment involving seven specific people at the Tabernacle Temple and teaches what he saw to believers.

Just as John the Baptist represented physical Israel and prepared the way (but many rejected the message), Mr. Yoo and the seven messengers represented the prepared group but fell into betrayal.

The instructor explains:

“Where’s Jesus? This one right here, right? Yeah, okay. All right. Here we go. Here’s a sickle. And… I’ve never taken a course this long before, but I guess now’s as good a time as any. You think it’s you? It wasn’t you. I can guarantee it. You were called.”

The Standard of Truth:

• “The standard of truth is prophecy and its fulfillment, not guesses, conjectures, commentaries, or people’s assumptions about how things will unfold. It’s about the actual fulfillment of prophecy.”
• “A testimony without actual reality, which is abundant, is a lie. But a testimony backed by reality, fulfilling not just one verse but all of them, is the truth.”

Why Only New John Can Interpret:

According to their teaching, New John is the only one who:

• Witnessed the physical fulfillment of Revelation at the Tabernacle Temple
• Saw the seven specific messengers (including Mr. Yoo) fall into betrayal
• Witnessed the beast with seven heads and ten horns destroy them
• Overcame the Nicolaitans/dragon’s group
• Received the opened scroll from the angel
• Has the “5W1H” (who, what, when, where, why, how) of the actual events

Therefore, only he can properly interpret Revelation because only he saw what actually happened.

The SCJ Bible Study notes emphasize:

“The open word didn’t come from extensive Bible study or concordance use… The open word also didn’t emerge from combining various teachings. It came directly from God to Jesus, then to an angel, to new John, and finally to many people, nations, languages, and kings as prophesied.”

Now here’s the problem: This entire structure—the chain of delegation, the singular witness, the exclusive interpretation based on events only one person claims to have witnessed, the unverifiable authority—contradicts the pattern God established throughout Scripture.

Let’s examine what the Bible actually shows.

Before we examine the “overcoming” that supposedly grants Lee Man-hee all authority, we need to address a foundational question: Were the seven churches in Revelation really seven specific people at one location, as Shincheonji claims?

This matters because if Shincheonji’s interpretation of the seven churches is wrong, then their entire framework for identifying the “betrayal,” “destruction,” and “salvation” at the Tabernacle Temple collapses.

Were the Seven Churches Really Seven Specific People in One Location?

Let’s carefully examine what Scripture actually says versus what Shincheonji claims.

Revelation 1:4:

“John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne.”

Notice:

• “Seven churches in the province of Asia” – This indicates geographical distribution, not seven people in one location
• The seven churches are named: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 1:11)
• These were actual cities in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey)

Revelation 1:11:

“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

These are real, geographical locations—cities that existed in the first century and can still be identified today.

Each message addresses specific, local conditions:

Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7):

• “You have forsaken the love you had at first” (v. 4)
• “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (v. 5)

Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11):

• “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!” (v. 9)
• “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you” (v. 10)

Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17):

• “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne” (v. 13)
• “You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam” (v. 14)

Each message reflects the specific historical, geographical, and spiritual circumstances of that particular city and congregation.

For example:

• Pergamum was known for its massive altar to Zeus (possibly “where Satan has his throne”)
• Smyrna had a significant Jewish population hostile to Christians (“the synagogue of Satan” – v. 9)
• Laodicea was famous for its lukewarm water supply (Revelation 3:15-16)

These details make sense only if the seven churches were actual congregations in different cities, not seven individuals in one location.

The “Angel” of Each Church

Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14:

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write…”

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write…”

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write…”

The word “angel” (Greek: ἄγγελος, angelos) can mean either:

• A heavenly messenger/angel
• A human messenger/representative

Many scholars believe these “angels” refer to the human leaders or representatives of each congregation—possibly the pastors or elders.

But here’s the critical point:

Even if “angel” refers to a human leader, the text clearly indicates these are leaders of different congregations in different cities, not seven people in one location.

The phrase “the angel of the church in [city name]” appears seven times, with seven different cities named.

Shincheonji’s interpretation requires us to believe:

• These seven different city names don’t refer to actual cities
• The geographical distribution is symbolic
• The specific local conditions mentioned are actually describing events at one location (the Tabernacle Temple) in the 1960s-1980s

But Scripture gives no indication this is symbolic geography. The cities are real. The messages address real, local conditions.

The Seven Churches: Different Types of Believers Facing Real Persecution

Here’s what’s crucial to understand: The messages to the seven churches had immediate, pastoral relevance for believers facing real persecution and spiritual challenges in the first century—and continue to speak to believers in every era.

The Historical Context: Persecution and Suffering

When John wrote Revelation (around 95 AD), Christians were facing intense persecution under the Roman Empire, particularly under Emperor Domitian. The seven churches weren’t just receiving symbolic prophecies about events 2,000 years in the future—they were receiving urgent encouragement to remain faithful in the face of immediate suffering.

Consider what these churches were actually experiencing:

Smyrna – Facing Imprisonment and Death:

Revelation 2:9-10:

“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

This wasn’t symbolic. Believers in Smyrna were literally being imprisoned and killed for their faith. Jesus was telling them: “I know what you’re going through right now. Stay faithful, even if it costs you your life.”

Would it make sense for Jesus to send a message to believers facing imminent martyrdom that was actually a coded prophecy about seven people at a church in Korea 1,900 years later?

Pergamum – Living Where Satan Has His Throne:

Revelation 2:13:

“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”

Antipas was a real person who was really martyred in Pergamum. Jesus was acknowledging their faithfulness in an extremely hostile environment. This was immediate encouragement for believers living in a city known for emperor worship and pagan temples.

Philadelphia – Facing Opposition but Given an Open Door:

Revelation 3:8-10:

“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

Jesus was encouraging a struggling congregation that they would be protected through coming trials. This had immediate relevance for their situation.

The Seven Churches Represent Universal Spiritual Conditions

Beyond the immediate historical context, the seven churches represent different types of believers and spiritual conditions that exist in every era:

• Ephesus – Believers who have lost their first love; doctrinally sound but lacking passion
• Smyrna – Faithful believers facing persecution and suffering
• Pergamum – Believers living in hostile environments, facing compromise
• Thyatira – Believers tolerating false teaching and immorality
• Sardis – Believers with a reputation for being alive but spiritually dead
• Philadelphia – Faithful believers with little strength but great perseverance
• Laodicea – Lukewarm believers who are self-satisfied and spiritually blind

Throughout church history, believers have identified with these conditions and been encouraged by these messages. During the Roman persecutions, during the Reformation, during modern persecution in various countries—believers have found themselves in these same spiritual situations.

Each Message Ends with Universal Application

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22:

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

• “Whoever has ears” – Not “whoever waits 2,000 years for the fulfillment witness.”
• “What the Spirit says to the churches” (plural) – The Spirit speaks to all churches in all eras.

This phrase appears after every single message to the seven churches. It indicates that these messages have ongoing, universal relevance—not exclusive application to seven specific people at one location in one time period.

The Devastating Questions This Raises

If the seven churches were actually seven specific people at the Tabernacle Temple in the 1960s-1980s, then:

• What were believers facing persecution under Domitian supposed to do with these messages?
• How were Christians being martyred in Smyrna supposed to be encouraged by a prophecy about people 1,900 years in the future?
• Why would Jesus tell them “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer” if the message wasn’t actually for them?
• Why would He mention Antipas, who was killed in Pergamum, if the real meaning was about someone else entirely?
• How have believers throughout 2,000 years of church history been encouraged and corrected by these messages if they weren’t actually relevant until the 1960s-1980s?

The evidence is overwhelming: The seven churches were real congregations in real cities, facing real persecution and spiritual challenges, receiving immediate pastoral care from Jesus through John’s letter.

They also represent types of believers and spiritual conditions that exist in every era, which is why the messages end with “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Shincheonji’s interpretation requires us to ignore:

• The geographical specificity (seven named cities)
• The historical context (persecution under Domitian)
• The immediate pastoral relevance (encouragement to face imminent suffering)
• The universal application (“Whoever has ears, let them hear”)
• The specific local details (Antipas martyred in Pergamum, lukewarm water in Laodicea, etc.)

And instead believe that all of this was actually a coded message about seven people at one location that only one person could interpret after witnessing events no one else can verify.

Which interpretation makes more sense? Which one honors the text and serves the people who first received it?

John Didn’t Control the Interpretation—He Distributed the Text

Let’s look carefully at what John actually did and what he was told to do:

Revelation 1:11:

“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

Notice what John was told to do:

• Write what he saw
• Send it to seven churches (in different cities)

He wasn’t told:

• “Interpret what you see and then teach your interpretation”
• “Keep the scroll with you and explain it to others”
• “Wait for someone in the future who will witness the fulfillment and become the exclusive interpreter”

John distributed the text itself to multiple congregations simultaneously.

Revelation 1:1-3:

“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Notice several critical points:

• “To show his servants” (plural) – Not just one servant, but multiple servants
• “Blessed is the one who reads aloud” – Anyone could read it
• “Blessed are those who hear it” – Multiple people hearing
• “Take to heart what is written in it” – They engage with the text directly
• “Because the time is near” – The urgency suggests immediate relevance, not a 2,000-year delay

There’s no indication that the seven churches had to wait for a future interpreter to understand what they received, or that they couldn’t engage with the text themselves.

The Churches Received Direct Messages from Jesus

Look at how the messages are structured:

Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14:

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars…”

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last…”

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword…”

Each message begins with “These are the words of…”—indicating direct communication from Jesus to each church.

John was the scribe, the one who wrote it down. But the messages were from Jesus directly to each church.

And each message ends the same way:

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22:

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

• “Whoever has ears”—not “whoever comes to John for interpretation” or “whoever waits for the future fulfillment witness.”
• “What the Spirit says to the churches”—plural, not singular. The Spirit speaks to all of them.

The pattern is clear: Multiple churches in different cities receiving the same revelation, able to read and respond to it directly, with immediate pastoral relevance for their situations.

But Didn’t John See Things He Didn’t Understand?

Shincheonji’s teaching emphasizes that John saw visions sealed in parables that he couldn’t fully understand, and that someone later would witness the actual fulfillment.

It’s true that John saw things that amazed him:

Revelation 17:6-7:

“I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: ‘Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.'”

John was astonished—surprised, amazed. But what happened next?

The angel explained it to him right there in the vision.

Revelation 17:8-18 contains the angel’s explanation of the mystery. The angel didn’t say, “John, write this down and someone 2,000 years from now will figure it out when they see it happen.”

The angel explained the meaning to John in the vision itself.

This pattern repeats throughout Revelation:

• John sees something symbolic
• The angel or Jesus explains what it represents
• John writes down both the vision and the explanation

Examples:

Revelation 1:20:

“The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Jesus explained the symbols to John right there.

Revelation 7:13-14:

“Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?’ I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'”

The elder explained who the people in white robes were.

Revelation 21:9-10:

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.”

The angel showed John what the symbols represented.

The pattern is clear: When John didn’t understand something, explanation was provided within the vision itself. John received both the vision and its interpretation, and he wrote both down for the churches.

The Critical Difference: Distribution vs. Mediation

Here’s the fundamental distinction we must understand:

Do you see the difference?

John was a distributor of revelation—he made sure multiple communities received the same complete message (vision + explanation) that had immediate relevance for their situations.

Lee Man-hee is positioned as a mediator of interpretation—the exclusive channel through whom the meaning must flow because only he witnessed events that no one else can verify.

One distributes access to the text. The other controls access to the meaning.

One empowers multiple communities to engage with Scripture. The other creates dependency on a single interpreter’s testimony of events only he claims to have witnessed.

Now that we’ve established that the seven churches were real congregations in real cities (not seven people at one location), we need to examine the event that supposedly grants Lee Man-hee all his authority: his “overcoming” at the Tabernacle Temple.

This is critical because Shincheonji’s entire system rests on this claim. If Lee Man-hee didn’t actually “overcome” in the biblical sense, then the twelve blessings, the exclusive authority, the right to sit on Jesus’ throne—all of it collapses.

What Shincheonji Claims Happened: The Tabernacle Temple Story

According to Shincheonji’s narrative, here’s what happened:

1. The Preparation (1966-1980):

• The Tabernacle Temple was established by Mr. Yoo (Yoo Jae-yeol) in 1966
• This was God’s prepared work, like John the Baptist preparing the way
• Seven specific leaders (the “seven stars” or “seven messengers”) were appointed
• Lee Man-hee was among those who joined this movement

2. The Betrayal (around 1980):

• The Stewardship Education Center (SEC)—described as having “seven pastors and ten authority figures”—invaded the Tabernacle Temple
• This SEC is identified as the physical fulfillment of “the beast with seven heads and ten horns” from Revelation
• The seven stars/messengers betrayed the Tabernacle Temple and joined with the SEC
• Mr. Yoo and the other leaders fell into spiritual adultery, eating “food sacrificed to idols” and drinking “maddening wine”
• The Tabernacle Temple was destroyed

3. The Overcoming (1980-1984):

• Lee Man-hee and a small group remained faithful
• Through “spiritual warfare”—primarily doctrinal arguments and debates—Lee Man-hee overcame the dragon’s group (the SEC and the betrayers)
• He witnessed the betrayal, destruction, and then established the new work
• Because he overcame, he received the twelve blessings promised to “the one who overcomes” in Revelation 2-3
• He became the vessel through whom Jesus works, sitting on Jesus’ throne

4. The New Beginning (1984 onwards):

• Lee Man-hee established Shincheonji Church of Jesus in 1984
• He organized the twelve tribes, fulfilling the 144,000
• He began teaching what he “saw and heard” at the Tabernacle Temple
• This testimony is the “opened word” that only he can provide because only he witnessed the fulfillment

This narrative is presented as the physical, verifiable fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies. It’s the “actual reality” that gives Lee Man-hee authority to interpret all of Revelation.

But let’s examine this carefully. What actually happened at the Tabernacle Temple? And does it match what Revelation describes as “overcoming”?

The Historical Reality: What Actually Happened at the Tabernacle Temple

Let’s look at the documented historical facts:

1. The Tabernacle Temple Property Was Sold in 1977—Three Years Before the Supposed “Invasion”

According to historical records and former members’ testimonies:

• The Tabernacle Temple property in Gwacheon was sold to the Korean government in 1977
• This was three years before the supposed “invasion” by the SEC in 1980
• The sale was a financial transaction, not a hostile takeover
• The government needed the land for development projects

This raises an immediate question: How could the SEC “invade” and “destroy” the Tabernacle Temple in 1980 when the property had already been sold to the government in 1977?

2. The SEC Was a Church-Based Stewardship Education Program, Not a Government Organization

The Stewardship Education Center (SEC) was:

• A program focused on teaching biblical stewardship and church management
• Not a government organization with authority to shut down churches
• Not an entity with “seven heads and ten horns” representing governmental power
• A religious education initiative, not a persecuting force

Shincheonji identifies the SEC as the “beast with seven heads and ten horns”—a symbol that in Revelation represents governmental/political power that persecutes believers.

But the SEC had no such power. It couldn’t:

• Force churches to close
• Arrest believers
• Confiscate property
• Ordain or remove pastors

It was a stewardship education program, not a persecuting government.

3. The Transition to Isaac Church Was Voluntary, Not Forced

After the Tabernacle Temple property was sold:

• The congregation transitioned to what became known as Isaac Church
• This was a voluntary reorganization, not a hostile takeover
• The transition was motivated by a desire to rehabilitate the group’s reputation after controversies
• There was no “invasion” or “destruction” by an outside force

Former members have testified that:

• The internal conflicts were primarily about leadership and direction
• There were doctrinal disagreements and personality conflicts
• Some members left, some stayed, some formed new groups
• This was a church split, not a persecution or invasion

4. The “Overcoming” Was Winning Doctrinal Arguments, Not Enduring Persecution

According to Shincheonji’s own narrative:

• Lee Man-hee’s “overcoming” consisted of engaging in theological debates
• He argued against the teachings of Mr. Yoo and the other leaders
• He convinced some people that his interpretation was correct
• Those who disagreed left or were expelled
• Eventually, Lee Man-hee established his own organization

This is described as “spiritual warfare” and “overcoming the dragon’s group.”

But let’s be clear about what actually happened:

• No one was imprisoned for their faith
• No one was martyred
• No one faced physical persecution from a governmental authority
• The “warfare” was doctrinal debate within a religious group
• The “victory” was establishing a separate organization after a church split

Comparing Lee Man-hee’s “Overcoming” to What Revelation Actually Describes

Now let’s compare what happened at the Tabernacle Temple to what Revelation actually says about “overcoming.”

What Revelation Says About Overcoming:

To Smyrna (Revelation 2:10-11):

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

Overcoming = Being faithful even to the point of death in the face of imprisonment and persecution

To Pergamum (Revelation 2:13, 17):

“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives… Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.”

Overcoming = Remaining true to Jesus’ name even when living where Satan has his throne, even when fellow believers are being martyred

To Thyatira (Revelation 2:26-27):

“To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father.”

Overcoming = Doing Jesus’ will to the end, remaining faithful through trials

To Philadelphia (Revelation 3:10-12):

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth… The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it.”

Overcoming = Enduring patiently, keeping Jesus’ command through trials

The Pattern Is Clear:

“Overcoming” in Revelation means:

• Remaining faithful through persecution, imprisonment, and even martyrdom
• Enduring patiently when living in hostile environments
• Not renouncing faith even when facing death
• Doing Jesus’ will to the end, despite suffering

It’s addressed to believers (plural) facing real persecution from governmental authorities (Rome) and hostile religious opponents.

Now compare this to what happened at the Tabernacle Temple:

The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

What Revelation describes as “overcoming” is faithfulness through persecution and suffering—the kind of faithfulness demonstrated by believers throughout church history who were imprisoned, tortured, and killed for their faith.

What Shincheonji describes as “overcoming” is winning doctrinal arguments and establishing a new organization after a church split.

These are not the same thing.

The Amplified Drama: Turning a Church Split into Cosmic Warfare

Shincheonji’s narrative takes what was essentially a church split—with all the typical elements of doctrinal disagreement, personality conflicts, and organizational division—and amplifies it into:

• A cosmic battle between good and evil
• The physical fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies
• The destruction of God’s prepared temple by the beast
• The betrayal of seven specific messengers appointed by Jesus
• The overcoming that grants one person all authority

But when you examine the actual events:

• The property was sold to the government for development (1977)
• The congregation reorganized voluntarily (transition to Isaac Church)
• There were internal conflicts about leadership and doctrine (typical church split dynamics)
• Some people left, some stayed, some formed new groups (normal church split outcome)
• Lee Man-hee established Shincheonji as a separate organization (1984)

This is a pattern we see in many religious movements:

Take ordinary events (church conflicts, leadership disputes, organizational changes) and reinterpret them as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, thereby granting the leader divine authority.

Examples from church history:

• Many groups have identified their opponents as “the beast” or “Babylon”
• Many leaders have claimed their struggles were the fulfillment of Revelation
• Many movements have identified their founding as the establishment of the “true church”

The pattern is always the same:

• Experience a conflict or split
• Reinterpret it as the fulfillment of prophecy
• Claim special authority based on having “witnessed” the fulfillment
• Use this authority to establish a new organization
• Teach that only those who accept this interpretation are truly saved

Shincheonji follows this pattern exactly.

The Foundation That Isn’t: Why This Matters

Shincheonji’s entire system rests on the claim that Lee Man-hee “overcame” at the Tabernacle Temple and therefore received the twelve blessings.

But if:

• The seven churches weren’t seven people at the Tabernacle Temple (they were real churches in real cities)
• The “overcoming” wasn’t what Revelation describes (faithfulness through persecution unto death)
• The events at the Tabernacle Temple were a church split, not a cosmic battle
• The SEC wasn’t a persecuting governmental power (it was a stewardship education program)
• The property was sold in 1977, not “destroyed” in 1980

Then the foundation collapses.

The twelve blessings aren’t his.

The authority to sit on Jesus’ throne isn’t his.

The claim to be the exclusive interpreter isn’t valid.

The entire system is built on a reinterpretation of ordinary events as extraordinary fulfillment—a reinterpretation that only one person claims to have witnessed and that no one else can verify.

The Devastating Questions About the “Overcoming”

1. If “overcoming” means faithfulness through persecution unto death, how does winning doctrinal arguments in a church split qualify?

2. If the seven churches were real congregations in real cities facing real persecution, how can the “overcoming” promised to them be claimed by one person based on events at one location?

3. If the Tabernacle Temple property was sold to the government in 1977, how could it be “destroyed” by the SEC in 1980s?

4. If the SEC was a stewardship education program without governmental authority, how can it be identified as “the beast with seven heads and ten horns”—a symbol of persecuting governmental power?

5. If the transition to Isaac Church was voluntary reorganization, where is the “invasion” and “destruction”?

6. If no one was imprisoned, martyred, or persecuted by governmental authorities, how does this match Revelation’s description of believers being “faithful even to the point of death”?

7. If this was a church split with typical dynamics of doctrinal disagreement and organizational division, why is it presented as the cosmic fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies?

8. Who else witnessed these events and can verify that they were the fulfillment of Revelation? Or must we accept Lee Man-hee’s interpretation on faith?

9. If believers throughout 2,000 years of church history have “overcome” through faithfulness in persecution—many dying for their faith—what makes Lee Man-hee’s experience unique enough to grant him exclusive authority?

10. Why does Jesus address “the one who overcomes” to believers (plural) in seven different churches, but Shincheonji claims it refers to one person at one location?

The Real Overcomers: What History Shows

Throughout church history, countless believers have “overcome” in the biblical sense:

The Early Church (1st-4th centuries):

• Believers thrown to lions in Roman arenas
• Burned alive as human torches to light Nero’s gardens
• Imprisoned, tortured, and executed for refusing to worship Caesar
• Yet they remained faithful, singing hymns as they died

The Reformation Era:

• William Tyndale, burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English
• Jan Hus, burned for challenging church corruption
• Countless believers martyred for their faith

Modern Persecution:

• Believers in North Korea imprisoned in labor camps
• Christians in the Middle East beheaded by ISIS
• House church leaders in China arrested and tortured
• Believers in many countries facing imprisonment, torture, and death

These are the ones who “overcome” in the biblical sense:

• They remain faithful even to the point of death
• They endure persecution from governmental authorities
• They don’t renounce Jesus even when facing martyrdom
• They do Jesus’ will to the end, despite suffering

They don’t claim exclusive authority.

They don’t establish organizations based on their suffering.

They don’t interpret their persecution as granting them the right to sit on Jesus’ throne.

They simply remain faithful—and Jesus honors that faithfulness.

This is what “overcoming” looks like in Scripture and in church history.

Winning doctrinal arguments in a church split doesn’t compare.

Before we continue examining the biblical pattern of multiple witnesses, we need to address a crucial New Testament teaching that directly contradicts the idea of singular, concentrated authority: the Body of Christ.

The Body Has Many Members, Not Just One

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 provides one of the most detailed explanations of how God designed His church to function:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14:

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Notice the emphasis:

• “Many parts” – Not one part
• “All its many parts form one body” – Unity through diversity, not uniformity
• “We were all baptized by one Spirit” – All believers, not just one
• “We were all given the one Spirit to drink” – All receive the Spirit directly

1 Corinthians 12:15-20:

“Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

Paul’s point is clear: God designed the body to have many different members with different functions. If the whole body were just one part, it wouldn’t be a body at all.

This directly contradicts a system where:

• One person receives all revelation
• One person interprets all Scripture
• One person mediates all understanding
• Everyone else depends on that one person

That’s not a body with many members—that’s one member claiming to be the whole body.

1 Corinthians 12:21-26:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Key principles:

• “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!'” – No member is self-sufficient
• “The head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!'” – Even the “head” (leadership) needs the other members
• “God has put the body together” – God designed mutual interdependence
• “So that there should be no division in the body” – Unity comes through mutual dependence, not singular authority
• “Its parts should have equal concern for each other” – Mutual care, not one-way dependence

1 Corinthians 12:27-30:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?”

Notice:

• “Each one of you is a part of it” – Every believer is a member of the body
• God has placed different gifts in the church – Distributed gifts, not concentrated in one person
• The rhetorical questions expect “No” as the answer – Not everyone has the same gift, and that’s by design

The implication is clear: God distributes gifts and functions among many members. No one person has all the gifts. No one person is meant to be the sole channel through which everything flows.

Different Gifts, Same Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:4-11:

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

Key points:

• “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given” – Every believer receives something from the Spirit
• “For the common good” – Gifts are for mutual benefit, not individual authority
• Different gifts are listed – Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation
• “He distributes them to each one, just as he determines” – The Spirit distributes gifts among many, not concentrates them in one

This teaching directly contradicts a system where:

• One person claims to have the opened scroll
• One person claims to have witnessed the fulfillment
• One person claims to be the vessel through whom the Spirit works
• Everyone else must receive understanding through that one person

That’s not how Paul describes the Body of Christ functioning.

Ephesians: Christ Gave Gifts to Build Up the Body

Ephesians 4:7-13:

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.’ … So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Notice:

• “To each one of us grace has been given” – Distributed to many, not concentrated in one
• “He gave gifts to his people” (plural) – Multiple people receive gifts
• Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (plural) – Multiple leaders with different functions
• “To equip his people for works of service” – The purpose is to equip everyone, not create dependency on one person
• “Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God” – The goal is that all believers grow in knowledge, not that all depend on one person’s knowledge

Ephesians 4:14-16:

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Key principles:

• “We will no longer be infants” – The goal is maturity for all, not perpetual dependence
• “We will grow to become in every respect the mature body” – Corporate maturity, not individual authority
• “The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament” – Every part supports the others
• “As each part does its work” – Every member has a function, not just one person

This is radically different from a system where:

• One person has the opened word
• Everyone else is in the process of receiving it through that person
• Questioning that person’s interpretation is treated as immaturity or rebellion

The biblical model is mutual interdependence, distributed gifts, and corporate growth toward maturity—not singular authority with everyone else in a dependent, receiving position.

Romans: Many Members, Different Functions

Romans 12:4-8:

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Notice:

• “Each member belongs to all the others” – Mutual belonging, not hierarchical dependence
• “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” – Distributed gifts
• Multiple gifts are listed – Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy
• The gifts are meant to be exercised – “If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy… if it is teaching, then teach”

This assumes multiple people exercising different gifts, not one person through whom all gifts flow.

Tongues and Interpretation: A Concrete Example of Distributed, Interdependent Gifts

Here’s a powerful, concrete example that demonstrates God’s intentional design for distributed gifts and mutual accountability:

1 Corinthians 12:10:

“To another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”

Notice the deliberate distribution: “to another… to another… to still another”

God separates the gift of speaking in tongues from the gift of interpreting tongues. These are given to different people.

Why is this significant?

Think about it: Speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues are complementary gifts that work together. They concern the same message. One person speaks in tongues, another interprets what was said.

God could have given both gifts to the same person. That would be more efficient, wouldn’t it?

But He didn’t.

He deliberately separated them between different people.

Why?

To create interdependence. To require mutual verification. To prevent one person from being self-sufficient and self-authenticating.

1 Corinthians 14:27-29:

“If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.”

Notice the built-in accountability:

• “Someone must interpret” – Not the same person who spoke in tongues, but someone else
• “If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet” – The gift cannot function in isolation
• “Two or three prophets should speak” – Multiple prophets, not just one
• “The others should weigh carefully what is said” – The community evaluates prophecy; it’s not self-authenticating

This creates a system of checks and balances:

• Person A speaks in tongues
• Person B interprets
• The community can verify if the interpretation edifies the church and aligns with Scripture
• Neither person can function alone—they need each other
• The community has a role in discerning whether what’s spoken is from God

Now consider the devastating parallel to Shincheonji’s system:

Do you see the stark contrast?

Even in the gift of tongues and interpretation—where both gifts come from the same Spirit and concern the same message—God separates them between different people to create accountability and interdependence.

Yet Shincheonji’s system concentrates receiving, interpreting, and teaching all in one person, with no mechanism for independent verification.

If God deliberately separated tongues and interpretation to prevent one person from being self-authenticating, why would He suddenly reverse this pattern and concentrate all revelation, interpretation, and teaching in one person for Revelation?

The answer is clear: He wouldn’t. This contradicts His established pattern.

The Question This Raises for Shincheonji’s System

If God designed the church to function as a body with many members, each having different gifts distributed by the Spirit, how does Shincheonji’s system reflect this?

In their system:

• Lee Man-hee receives the opened scroll – One person, one gift
• Lee Man-hee witnesses the fulfillment – One person, one experience
• Lee Man-hee interprets Revelation – One person, one function
• Lee Man-hee teaches believers – One person, one role
• Everyone else receives through him – Many people, one dependent role

Where is the body with many members?

Where are the distributed gifts?

Where is the mutual interdependence?

Where is the “each part does its work”?

Where is the separation of complementary gifts to create accountability, like tongues and interpretation?

The biblical pattern is clear: God distributes gifts, functions, and understanding among many members of the body. No one person has all the gifts. 

No one person is meant to be the sole channel. Even complementary gifts are separated to create interdependence and verification.

Shincheonji’s system concentrates everything in one person, creating a structure that looks nothing like the Body of Christ described in Scripture.

This isn’t unique to Revelation or the Body of Christ teaching. It’s the consistent pattern throughout Scripture.

The Law Was Given to All Israel, Not Just Moses

Yes, Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law. But what happened next?

Exodus 24:3-4:

“When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’ Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said.”

Exodus 24:7:

“Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, ‘We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.'”

Moses didn’t keep the Law to himself and dole out interpretations. He wrote it down and read it to all the people.

Deuteronomy 31:9-13:

“So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them: ‘At the end of every seven years… when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.'”

Everyone—men, women, children, even foreigners—was to hear the Law directly.

Not filtered through Moses’ exclusive interpretation. The text itself.

Why?

So that everyone could know what God said, verify it, hold each other accountable to it, and pass it on to future generations.

The Prophets Wrote Down Their Messages for All to Read

Isaiah 30:8:

“Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness.”

Jeremiah 36:2:

“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.”

Habakkuk 2:2:

“Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.'”

Why write it down?

So it could be distributed, read, and examined by multiple people.

So it wouldn’t be controlled by one person’s interpretation.

So future generations could verify what God actually said.

So there would be multiple witnesses to what was written.

The Bereans Were Commended for Examining Scripture Themselves

Acts 17:10-11:

“As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Think about this carefully.

Paul—an apostle who received direct revelation from Christ (Galatians 1:12), who had a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road—was teaching in Berea.

The Bereans didn’t just accept his teaching because of his authority or his testimony of what he “saw and heard.”

They examined the Scriptures themselves to verify what he said.

And they were commended for this.

They were called “of more noble character” because they tested Paul’s teaching against Scripture.

Now contrast this with Shincheonji’s approach:

According to their SCJ Bible Study notes:

• “The open word didn’t come from extensive Bible study or concordance use”
• “The open word also didn’t emerge from combining various teachings”
• “It came directly from God to Jesus, then to an angel, to new John”
• “Therefore, we must listen to his words”

If you examine Lee Man-hee’s interpretation against Scripture, you’re often told:

• “You don’t understand because you haven’t been taught the opened word”
• “You need the actual reality revelation to understand”
• “Only the one who overcomes can properly interpret because only he witnessed the fulfillment”
• “Satan provides false revelations that sound similar to confuse people”

The Bereans tested an apostle’s teaching against Scripture and were praised.

Shincheonji treats testing as a sign you haven’t received the proper teaching yet.

Which approach reflects the biblical pattern?

The New Testament Letters Were Circulated Among Multiple Churches

Colossians 4:16:

“After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.”

Paul’s letters were circulated among multiple churches.

They weren’t kept by one church leader who then mediated the interpretation to everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 5:27:

“I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.”

“All the brothers and sisters”—not just the leaders, not just the “mature” believers, not just those who had witnessed certain events.

Everyone was to hear it.

This is perhaps the most critical point, and it’s where Shincheonji’s system most clearly contradicts the New Covenant.

The Old Covenant Pattern: Mediated Access

In the Old Covenant, access to God was mediated:

• The High Priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year
• Prophets received and delivered God’s word
• The people received revelation through intermediaries

Why?

Because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given to all believers.

John 7:39:

“By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

The New Covenant Pattern: Direct Access for All

But everything changed at Pentecost.

Acts 2:1-4:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Not just Peter. Not just the apostles. Not just the one who would witness future fulfillment. All of them.

Peter explained this was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy:

Acts 2:17-18:

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.'”

“On all people”—not on one person who then mediates to others.

“Your sons and daughters”—both genders, all ages.

“Even on my servants, both men and women”—even those of lower social status.

“They will prophesy”—plural, multiple people speaking God’s truth.

This is the New Covenant reality: the democratization of the Spirit.

Every Believer Has Direct Access to God

Hebrews 8:10-11:

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

“They will all know me”—not through one intermediary who witnessed fulfillment, but directly.

“From the least of them to the greatest”—no hierarchy of access based on who saw what events.

Hebrews 4:14-16:

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

“Let us approach God’s throne”—all of us, not through a human mediator who witnessed fulfillment.

“With confidence”—not with dependence on someone else’s testimony of what they saw.

One Mediator, Not a Chain of Mediators

1 Timothy 2:5:

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

One mediator.

Not God → Jesus → Angel → Lee Man-hee → Believers.

Jesus alone.

Shincheonji’s system recreates the Old Covenant pattern of mediated access—the very pattern the New Covenant abolished.

Their SCJ Bible Study notes acknowledge this chain:

“God’s plan was revealed to him but sealed in parables. This means someone must come later who will see the real people and events… The open word came directly from God to Jesus, then to an angel, to new John, and finally to many people, nations, languages, and kings as prophesied.”

But the New Testament teaches that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have direct access through Him:

Ephesians 2:18:

“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Ephesians 3:12:

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

We don’t need a “New John” to mediate our access to understanding God’s word. We have the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Teaches All Believers

1 John 2:20, 27:

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth… As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.”

“All of you know the truth”—not just the one who witnessed fulfillment.

“You do not need anyone to teach you”—the Spirit teaches directly.

This doesn’t mean we don’t need teachers in the church (Ephesians 4:11 lists “teachers” as one of Christ’s gifts). It means we don’t need a human mediator to access God’s truth. The Holy Spirit teaches all believers directly.

The role of teachers is to help believers understand what the Spirit is already teaching them through Scripture, not to be the exclusive channel through whom all understanding must flow.

Shincheonji’s system contradicts this fundamental New Covenant reality.

According to their teaching:

• Lee Man-hee is the necessary intermediary
• “Just as Moses was the necessary intermediary between the Israelites and God at Mount Sinai, the one who overcomes is the necessary intermediary between God/Jesus and humanity today”
• Believers cannot properly understand Revelation without his interpretation
• The Holy Spirit works through him as the vessel

But this recreates the Old Covenant pattern that the New Covenant abolished.

Under the New Covenant:

• Every believer has the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9)
• Every believer can approach God directly (Hebrews 4:16)
• Every believer has an anointing that teaches them (1 John 2:27)
• Every believer can understand Scripture through the Spirit’s illumination

There is no need for a “New Moses” or “New John” to mediate access to God’s truth.

Jesus is the final and complete mediator.

Shincheonji’s system grants Lee Man-hee twelve blessings that seem to place him beyond accountability. His name is “permanently written” in the Book of Life. He will “never depart” from God’s temple. He’s protected from the second death.

But let’s examine what Scripture shows about even the greatest leaders—including those who received direct revelation.

Moses: The Mediator Who Faced Consequences

Shincheonji compares Lee Man-hee to Moses—the unique mediator at Sinai who received the Law directly from God.

But what does Scripture actually show about Moses’ role?

1. Moses Had Accountability Partners

When Moses’ leadership became overwhelming, God didn’t say, “Moses, you’re my chosen vessel—handle it all yourself.”

Exodus 18:21-22:

“Select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times.”

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro gave this advice, and Moses listened.

Even God’s chosen mediator recognized he needed help and distributed authority.

2. Moses Consulted the High Priest for Divine Guidance

Moses didn’t claim to have all revelation directly without verification.

Numbers 27:21:

“He [Joshua] is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD.”

Even Moses operated within a system of verification and shared spiritual authority.

The Urim and Thummim—sacred lots kept in the high priest’s breastpiece—provided a way to discern God’s will on specific matters.

1 Samuel 30:7-8 shows David using this same system:

“David said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Bring me the ephod.’ … And David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?’ And He said to him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.'”

Why did God establish this system?

So that even anointed leaders would seek confirmation rather than relying solely on their own perception—or their own testimony of what they witnessed.

3. Moses Faced Consequences for Disobedience

Here’s the most critical point: Moses was not above accountability.

Numbers 20:12:

“Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

Moses—who spoke with God face to face, who received the Law directly, who witnessed God’s mighty acts—was punished for his disobedience. He died before entering the Promised Land.

This raises a devastating question:

If Lee Man-hee has received all twelve blessings—including permanent inscription in the Book of Life, the promise he will “never depart” from God’s temple, and protection from the second death—what happens if he disobeys? What mechanism exists for accountability?

Moses could be—and was—held accountable by God.

But Shincheonji’s system places Lee Man-hee beyond accountability.

David: The King Who Needed Prophetic Correction

David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). He was anointed king, received revelations, wrote inspired Scripture.

Yet David didn’t operate in isolation.

1. David Consulted the High Priest

As we saw above, David regularly “inquired of the LORD” through the priest with the Urim and Thummim (1 Samuel 23:9-12; 30:7-8).

Even God’s anointed king showed humility by seeking divine guidance through proper channels.

2. David Was Held Accountable by Prophets

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged Uriah’s murder, God didn’t whisper correction privately.

2 Samuel 12:1-7:

“The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor…’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!'”

David—the anointed king—was subject to prophetic accountability.

Nathan could challenge the king because no one in God’s kingdom is above correction.

3. David Faced Consequences

David repented, but consequences followed: the child died, and violence plagued his house.

Even God’s chosen king was not immune to discipline.

Let’s take a look at Saul, the first king of Israel:

Saul: Chosen by Lot, Confirmed by Multiple Witnesses

Before Saul’s reign, Israel was a theocracy—God ruled through judges and prophets. When the people demanded a king, God allowed it but ensured the selection process was transparent and verifiable:

Samuel used the ancient method of casting lots (1 Samuel 10:19-24).

This wasn’t superstition—it was a sacred procedure used under God’s control:

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33)

The process narrowed down from tribe → clan → family → individual, publicly, in front of all the tribes.

Why this public, verifiable process?

So that no one could claim personal bias or manipulation. The choice was visibly God’s decision, confirmed before witnesses.

Contrast this with Shincheonji’s claim:

Lee Man-hee’s status as “the one who overcomes” is based entirely on:

• His own testimony about what he “saw and heard”
• His interpretation of Revelation applied to events at the Tabernacle Temple
• His organization’s internal verification

There is no external, independent confirmation. No public, transparent process. No multiple witnesses.

It’s a closed loop: “I am the promised pastor because I say I fulfilled the prophecies, and my interpretation of those prophecies confirms I’m the promised pastor.”

The Apostle Paul: Direct Revelation, Yet Submitted to Verification

This is perhaps the most powerful parallel to Lee Man-hee’s claims.

Paul claimed direct revelation from Christ:

Galatians 1:11-12:

“I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”

Paul received direct revelation from Jesus—not through an angel, but from Jesus Himself.

Paul had a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road. He saw Jesus. He heard Jesus speak to him. He received his gospel directly from Christ.

If anyone could claim to be the exclusive channel based on what he “saw and heard,” it would be Paul.

But what did Paul do?

Galatians 2:1-2:

“Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.”

Paul submitted his gospel to the other apostles for verification.

“I wanted to be sure I was not running… my race in vain.”

Even with direct revelation from Christ, even after fourteen years of ministry, Paul sought confirmation from other apostles.

He didn’t claim his revelation was self-authenticating.

He didn’t say, “I received this directly from Jesus, so no one can question it.”

He didn’t say, “Only I saw and heard what happened, so you must accept my testimony.”

He submitted to verification.

Peter: The Chief Apostle Who Was Publicly Corrected

Galatians 2:11-14:

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all…”

Paul opposed Peter “to his face” and “in front of them all.”

Even the chief apostle—the one to whom Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom, the one who witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration, the one who walked on water—was subject to correction.

No one’s authority was so absolute they couldn’t be challenged.

No one’s testimony of what they witnessed was beyond examination.

The Pattern Is Clear

Even the greatest leaders in Scripture:

• Had accountability partners (Moses with Jethro’s advice, the seventy elders)
• Consulted others for divine guidance (Moses and David with the Urim and Thummim)
• Faced consequences for disobedience (Moses not entering the Promised Land, David’s house suffering violence)
• Submitted their revelations to verification (Paul presenting his gospel to the other apostles)
• Were subject to public correction (Peter confronted by Paul)

No one was beyond accountability.

No one’s authority was absolute.

No one’s testimony was self-authenticating.

Yet Shincheonji’s system places Lee Man-hee beyond all of this:

• No mechanism for accountability
• No process for verification
• No way to challenge his interpretations
• His twelve blessings seem to make him incapable of error or falling away

If the greatest leaders in Scripture—Moses, David, Paul, Peter—were all subject to accountability and correction, why would God suddenly change this pattern for Lee Man-hee?

The answer is: He wouldn’t.

Shincheonji’s claim that Lee Man-hee is the exclusive channel through whom God’s revelation flows has a striking parallel in another religious movement: Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Understanding this parallel is important because it reveals a pattern—a structural similarity that transcends specific doctrines and points to a deeper problem with how authority is concentrated and exercised.

The “Faithful and Discreet Slave”

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that their Governing Body is the “faithful and discreet slave” mentioned in Matthew 24:45-47—the exclusive channel through which Jesus feeds spiritual food to His followers.

Like Shincheonji, they claim:

1. Exclusive interpretation rights: Only the Governing Body can properly interpret Scripture
2. Progressive revelation: God reveals truth gradually through this channel as “light gets brighter”
3. Rejection equals rebellion: To question the Governing Body is to question God’s organization
4. Mediated access: Believers receive truth through the organization, not directly from Scripture alone
5. Unique witness: They alone have the correct understanding because they have the “opened” truth

The structure is remarkably similar:

Both create a bottleneck where all truth must flow through one human channel.

The Christology Connection

Both groups also share strikingly similar views of Jesus:

Jehovah’s Witnesses:

• Jesus is a created being (Jehovah’s first creation, identified as Michael the Archangel)
• Jesus is not God, but subordinate to the Father
• Jesus is God’s “spokesman” or “Word” but not co-equal with God

Shincheonji:

• Jesus is “born of God’s seed”—created, not eternal
• Jesus is “the Numerator to God’s Denominator”—created from the same element but not equal
• Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped”
• Jesus is exalted but subordinate: “Everything is placed under Christ so that God may be all in all”

This creates the same hierarchical chain:

God (ultimate source) → Jesus (created intermediary) → Human Channel (Governing Body / Lee Man-hee) → Believers

But the New Testament teaches something radically different:

What Scripture Actually Says About Jesus

John 1:1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Not “the Word was created by God.” “The Word was God.”

John 1:14:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Colossians 1:15-17:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

“In him all things were created”—Jesus is the Creator, not a created being.

“He is before all things”—Jesus existed before creation, not as part of creation.

Colossians 2:9:

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

“All the fullness of the Deity”—not a portion, not a subordinate role, not a created being. All of God’s fullness.

Hebrews 1:3:

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

“The exact representation of his being”—not a created intermediary, but God Himself revealed.

Hebrews 1:8:

“But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.'”

God the Father calls the Son “God.”

Why This Matters

Because if Jesus is merely a created being, then the entire chain of authority rests on a created intermediary, not on God Himself.

But if Jesus is God incarnate, then we have direct access to God through Him—no human mediator needed.

1 Timothy 2:5:

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

One mediator. Not two. Not a chain. Not God → Jesus → Angel → New John.

Jesus alone.

The denial of Christ’s full deity serves a functional purpose in both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Shincheonji: it creates space for a human mediator to insert themselves into the chain of authority.

If Jesus is fully God, then access to God through Him is complete and direct—no human channel needed.

But if Jesus is a created intermediary, then the door is open for another intermediary to claim a necessary role.

The Pattern of Control

Both systems exhibit similar patterns of control:

1. Information Control:

• JW: Only Watchtower publications provide correct interpretation
• SCJ: Only Lee Man-hee’s teaching provides the “opened word”

2. Thought Control:

• JW: Questioning the Governing Body is spiritual rebellion
• SCJ: Testing Lee Man-hee’s interpretation shows you haven’t received the proper teaching

3. Emotional Control:

• JW: Fear of being “disfellowshipped” and losing salvation
• SCJ: Fear of being outside the 144,000 and losing eternal life

4. Isolation:

• JW: Limiting contact with “worldly” people and former members
• SCJ: Separating from family and friends who don’t accept the teaching

5. Us vs. Them Mentality:

• JW: “We are God’s organization; everyone else is part of Babylon”
• SCJ: “We are the true church; everyone else is deceived by the dragon”

6. Reinterpretation of Scripture:

• JW: Their own translation (New World Translation) to support their theology
• SCJ: Allegorical reinterpretation where historical events become symbolic of modern events

7. Unverifiable Claims:

• JW: The Governing Body receives “new light” that others cannot verify
• SCJ: Lee Man-hee witnessed fulfillment that others cannot verify

The Functional Purpose of Denying Christ’s Deity

When you deny that Jesus is fully God, you create a theological gap that must be filled.

If Jesus is just a created intermediary—even an exalted one—then:

• His mediation is incomplete
• His revelation might be partial
• His authority might need supplementation
• Another mediator might be necessary

But if Jesus is fully God:

• His mediation is complete (Hebrews 7:25)
• His revelation is final (Hebrews 1:1-2)
• His authority is absolute (Matthew 28:18)
• No other mediator is needed (1 Timothy 2:5)

This is why the doctrine of Christ’s deity is so crucial. It’s not just abstract theology—it has practical implications for how we understand authority and access to God.

Hebrews 1:1-2 makes this clear:

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

God’s final and complete revelation is in His Son. Not in a prophet. Not in a human channel. Not in a “New John.”

In His Son—who is God Himself.

The Warning Against Adding to Christ

The New Testament repeatedly warns against adding to what Christ has accomplished:

Galatians 1:6-9:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”

Notice the severity: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”

Paul doesn’t say, “Wait for someone to come later with additional revelation.”

He says, “The gospel we preached is complete. Don’t accept anything else, even from an angel.”

Colossians 2:8-10:

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”

“In Christ you have been brought to fullness.”

Not “in Christ plus Lee Man-hee’s interpretation.”

Not “in Christ plus the opened word from New John.”

In Christ alone.

The Question This Raises

If both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Shincheonji:

• Deny Christ’s full deity
• Create a chain of mediated authority
• Claim to be the exclusive channel of truth
• Discourage independent verification
• Reinterpret Scripture to support their system
• Use fear and isolation to maintain control

And if both systems contradict the New Testament teaching of:

• Christ’s full deity
• Direct access to God through Christ alone
• The Holy Spirit given to all believers
• The sufficiency of Christ’s revelation

Then shouldn’t we recognize this as a pattern to avoid, not a model to follow?

The structural similarities aren’t coincidental. They reveal a common approach: concentrating authority in a human channel by diminishing Christ’s sufficiency.

Jesus told a parable that directly addresses the danger of singular, unaccountable authority:

Matthew 24:45-51:

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Notice several critical points:

1. It’s a Question, Not a Declaration

Jesus asks: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant?”

It’s a question, not a statement. The servant’s faithfulness must be demonstrated over time, not assumed from the beginning.

This is the same passage Jehovah’s Witnesses use to identify their Governing Body as the “faithful and discreet slave.”

But Jesus is asking a question about ongoing faithfulness, not declaring someone’s permanent status.

2. The Possibility of Corruption Is Real

Jesus warns: “But suppose that servant is wicked…”

Even the servant put in charge by the master can become wicked.

The servant’s authority is conditional, not absolute.

The servant’s faithfulness is not guaranteed by their position.

3. The Warning Is Specific

What does the wicked servant do?

1. a) Says “My master is staying away a long time” (assumes no accountability)

• The servant believes the master won’t return soon
• This creates a sense of being beyond immediate accountability
• The servant acts as if there’s no one to answer to

1. b) Begins to “beat his fellow servants” (abuses authority)

• Uses position of power to harm those under their care
• Treats other servants harshly
• Exploits the authority given for service

1. c) Eats and drinks with drunkards (compromises standards)

• Lives contrary to the master’s values
• Associates with those who reject the master’s ways
• Indulges in behavior unfitting for a servant

4. The Consequences Are Severe

The master will come unexpectedly and “cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites.”

Even the servant put in charge faces judgment if he becomes wicked.

Position doesn’t protect from accountability.

Authority doesn’t exempt from judgment.

The Devastating Questions This Raises for Shincheonji’s System

Question 1: If Lee Man-hee’s name is permanently in the Book of Life and he’s protected from the second death, can he still become like the wicked servant?

According to Shincheonji’s teaching, Lee Man-hee received these blessings:

• His name is permanently written in the Book of Life
• He will “never depart” from God’s temple
• He’s protected from the second death

If these blessings are absolute and unconditional, then he cannot become like the wicked servant—he’s guaranteed to remain faithful regardless of his actions.

But if that’s true, then Jesus’ warning doesn’t apply to him. He’s beyond the possibility Jesus is warning about.

Question 2: If he can’t become wicked, doesn’t that contradict Jesus’ warning that the servant could become wicked?

Jesus’ parable assumes the servant in charge could become wicked. The warning is real, not hypothetical.

But if Lee Man-hee’s blessings make it impossible for him to become wicked, then he’s in a different category than the servant Jesus is describing.

Question 3: If he can become wicked, what mechanism exists for identifying and addressing it?

If it’s possible for Lee Man-hee to become like the wicked servant, then there must be a way to:

• Recognize the signs (beating fellow servants, compromising standards)
• Hold him accountable
• Correct the situation

But Shincheonji’s system has no such mechanism. His interpretation cannot be questioned. His authority cannot be challenged. His testimony of what he witnessed cannot be verified.

Question 4: Who can say, “You are the man!” like Nathan said to David?

When David sinned, God sent Nathan to confront him directly: “You are the man!”

Nathan could challenge the king because prophetic accountability existed.

In Shincheonji’s system, who has the authority to confront Lee Man-hee if he errs?

Who can say, “You are wrong”?

Who can challenge his interpretation?

The answer appears to be: no one.

Question 5: If the twelve blessings make him a “pillar who will never depart from God’s temple,” does that mean he’s incapable of error or falling away?

If “never depart” means he cannot fall away, then:

• He’s guaranteed to remain faithful regardless of his choices
• His actions don’t affect his standing
• Accountability is unnecessary

But this contradicts the biblical pattern where even the greatest leaders:

• Could and did sin (Moses, David, Solomon, Peter)
• Faced consequences for their sins
• Were held accountable by God and others

Question 6: If he’s incapable of error, how does that square with the biblical pattern where even the greatest leaders—Moses, David, Solomon, Peter—made serious mistakes and faced consequences?

Moses struck the rock in anger and was barred from the Promised Land.

David committed adultery and murder, and his house suffered violence.

Solomon’s idolatry led to the kingdom being torn apart.

Peter denied Jesus three times and later compromised on the gospel (Galatians 2).

If these leaders—who received direct revelation, performed miracles, and wrote Scripture—could err and face consequences, why would Lee Man-hee be different?

What makes him immune to the possibility that affected every other leader in Scripture?

The Pattern Jesus Warns Against

Jesus’ parable warns against exactly the kind of system Shincheonji has created:

1. Concentrated Authority: “The master has put in charge of the servants in his household”

• One servant is given authority over all the others
• This creates the potential for abuse

2. Assumed Accountability Gap: “My master is staying away a long time”

• The wicked servant believes he won’t be held accountable soon
• This creates a sense of being beyond immediate correction

3. Abuse of Power: “Begins to beat his fellow servants”

• Uses position to harm those under their care
• Exploits authority for personal benefit

4. Compromised Standards: “Eat and drink with drunkards”

• Lives contrary to the master’s values
• Indulges in behavior unfitting for a servant

Jesus warns that this can happen to the very servant put in charge.

The solution isn’t to assume it can’t happen. The solution is to maintain accountability.

The Biblical Alternative: Distributed Authority and Mutual Accountability

The New Testament provides a different model:

1. Plural Leadership:

• Acts 14:23: “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church”
• Titus 1:5: “Appoint elders in every town”
• 1 Peter 5:1: “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder”

Notice: “elders” (plural), not “elder” (singular)

2. Mutual Accountability:

• Galatians 2:11: Paul opposed Peter to his face
• Acts 15: The Jerusalem Council made decisions collectively
• 1 Timothy 5:19-20: Elders who sin are to be rebuked publicly

3. Servant Leadership:

• Matthew 20:25-28: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant”
• 1 Peter 5:2-3: “Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples”

4. Accountability to Scripture:

• Acts 17:11: The Bereans examined Scripture to verify Paul’s teaching
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: Scripture is sufficient for teaching, correcting, and training

This is the pattern Jesus established: distributed authority, mutual accountability, servant leadership, and submission to Scripture.

Not concentrated authority in one person who cannot be questioned.

Let’s bring this into sharp focus by comparing the two systems side by side.

God’s Biblical Pattern:

✓ Revelation is distributed to multiple recipients

• Moses wrote down the Law and read it to all Israel (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 31:11-12)
• The prophets wrote down their messages for all to read (Isaiah 30:8; Jeremiah 36:2)
• John sent Revelation to seven churches in different cities (Revelation 1:11)
• Paul’s letters were circulated among multiple churches (Colossians 4:16)

✓ Multiple witnesses required to establish truth

• “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1)
• Jesus pointed to multiple witnesses to verify His identity (John 5:31-39)
• The Bereans examined Scripture themselves to verify Paul’s teaching (Acts 17:11)

✓ The Holy Spirit given to all believers

• “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Acts 2:17)
• “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given” (1 Corinthians 12:7)
• “They will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:11)

✓ The Body of Christ has many members with distributed gifts

• “Just as a body, though one, has many parts… so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
• “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7)
• “From him the whole body… grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16)
• Even complementary gifts like tongues and interpretation are separated between different people to create interdependence and accountability (1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:27-29)

✓ Direct access to God through Jesus

• “Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16)
• “There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)
• “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20)

✓ Accountability for leaders at every level

• Moses was punished for disobedience (Numbers 20:12)
• David was confronted by Nathan (2 Samuel 12:7)
• Peter was corrected by Paul (Galatians 2:11)
• Paul submitted his gospel to other apostles for verification (Galatians 2:2)

✓ Distributed authority, not concentrated power

• Moses appointed judges over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (Exodus 18:21)
• Jesus sent out the Twelve, then the Seventy-Two (Luke 9:1; 10:1)
• The Jerusalem Council made decisions collectively (Acts 15:28)
• Paul lists multiple gifts distributed among many believers (1 Corinthians 12:28-30)

✓ Revelation had immediate pastoral relevance

• The seven churches received messages addressing their specific situations—persecution, compromise, spiritual deadness, faithfulness
• Believers facing martyrdom under Domitian were encouraged to remain faithful
• The messages represent types of believers in every era, which is why they end with “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches”

Shincheonji’s Pattern:

✗ Revelation is mediated through one person

• Lee Man-hee receives “actual reality revelation” by witnessing fulfillment at the Tabernacle Temple
• He alone can properly interpret because he alone saw seven specific people (including Mr. Yoo) fall into betrayal
• Believers receive truth through his teaching, not directly from Scripture
• “The open word came directly from God to Jesus, then to an angel, to new John, and finally to many people”

✗ Single witness authenticates himself

• Lee Man-hee’s testimony about what he “saw and heard” at the Tabernacle Temple is self-authenticating
• His interpretation verifies his identity as the one who overcomes
• “A testimony backed by reality, fulfilling not just one verse but all of them, is the truth”
• But the “reality” is verified only by his testimony of what he witnessed—events no one else can independently confirm

✗ The Holy Spirit works through one vessel

• “New John is a servant in the flesh… chosen to see, hear, and testify as God’s witness, Jesus’ witness, and an advocate”
• “The physical advocate through whom the spiritual advocate (Holy Spirit) works and speaks”
• Believers don’t receive direct revelation; they receive it through New John’s teaching

✗ One member claims to function as the whole body

• Lee Man-hee receives the opened scroll (knowledge)
• Lee Man-hee witnesses the fulfillment (experience)
• Lee Man-hee interprets Revelation (teaching)
• Lee Man-hee establishes the twelve tribes (leadership)
• Everyone else receives through him (dependent role)
• Where are the many members with different gifts? Where is the mutual interdependence?
• Unlike God’s pattern of separating even complementary gifts (tongues and interpretation), Shincheonji concentrates receiving, interpreting, and teaching all in one person

✗ Mediated access to God

• God → Jesus → Angel → Lee Man-hee → 12 Tribes  → Believers
• “Just as Moses was the necessary intermediary between the Israelites and God at Mount Sinai, the one who overcomes is the necessary intermediary between God/Jesus and humanity today”
• Without his interpretation of the fulfillment he witnessed, believers cannot properly understand Revelation

✗ No accountability mechanism

• Lee Man-hee’s twelve blessings place him beyond correction
• His name is permanently in the Book of Life
• He will “never depart” from God’s temple
• He’s protected from the second death
• Who can hold him accountable if he errs?
• What happens if he becomes like the wicked servant in Matthew 24:48-51?

✗ Concentrated authority in one person

• All interpretation of Revelation flows through Lee Man-hee
• All spiritual authority rests in the one who overcomes
• The organization exists to spread his teaching of what he witnessed
• “Therefore, we must listen to his words”

✗ Revelation’s meaning was hidden for 2,000 years

• The seven churches weren’t actually seven churches in different cities, but seven people at one location
• Believers facing persecution under Domitian couldn’t benefit from the messages because they were actually about events 1,900 years in the future
• The immediate pastoral relevance was an illusion; the real meaning was sealed until one person witnessed the fulfillment

Do You See the Fundamental Difference?

God’s pattern distributes, verifies, and holds accountable.

Shincheonji’s pattern concentrates, self-authenticates, and resists accountability.

One pattern protects. The other endangers.

If you’re a Shincheonji member reading this, or if you’re studying with them, these questions deserve honest, thoughtful consideration. Don’t dismiss them. Don’t let anyone tell you that asking these questions shows spiritual immaturity or that “Satan is confusing you.”

These are legitimate questions that arise directly from comparing Shincheonji’s system to the biblical pattern we’ve examined.

Questions About the Seven Churches and John’s Role

1. If John distributed the text of Revelation to seven churches in different cities so they could read it themselves, why does Lee Man-hee mediate the interpretation so that believers must receive it through him?

What changed between John’s distribution and Lee Man-hee’s mediation?

Why would God establish a pattern of distribution (giving the text to multiple churches simultaneously) and then reverse it to mediation (one person controlling the interpretation)?

2. If the seven churches were real congregations in real cities (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) facing real persecution under Domitian, what were they supposed to do with messages that were actually about seven people at the Tabernacle Temple 1,900 years later?

How were believers being imprisoned and martyred in Smyrna supposed to be encouraged by a prophecy about future events they would never witness?

Why would Jesus tell them “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer” (Revelation 2:10) if the message wasn’t actually for them?

Why would He mention Antipas, who was killed in Pergamum (Revelation 2:13), if the real meaning was about someone else entirely?

3. If each message ends with “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), why does this phrase appear if the messages weren’t meant to have universal, ongoing application?

“Whoever has ears”—not “whoever waits 2,000 years for the fulfillment witness.”

“What the Spirit says to t

he churches” (plural)—not “what the Spirit says to seven specific people at one location.”

Why would Jesus use this phrase after every single message if only one person in one era could properly understand them?

Questions About the Holy Spirit and Mediation

4. If the New Covenant promise is that “they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:11) and “you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20), why do you need a human mediator to access God’s truth?

The New Covenant abolished the Old Covenant pattern of mediated access. Why would God reinstate it?

If the Holy Spirit was given to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18), why can’t believers understand Scripture through the Spirit’s illumination without Lee Man-hee’s interpretation?

5. If the Bereans were commended for examining Scripture themselves to verify what Paul said (Acts 17:11), why is examining Lee Man-hee’s interpretation treated as a sign you haven’t received the proper teaching yet?

Paul—who received direct revelation from Christ—submitted to the Bereans’ examination.

Why can’t Lee Man-hee’s interpretation be examined the same way?

What makes his testimony different from Paul’s?

Questions About Accountability and Error

6. If Lee Man-hee’s interpretation of what he witnessed at the Tabernacle Temple is wrong—if he misidentified the fulfillment, misinterpreted the symbols, or misunderstood what he saw—what happens?

How would anyone know?

What mechanism exists to correct the error?

Who has the authority to say, “You are wrong”?

7. If Lee Man-hee received the twelve blessings that include permanent inscription in the Book of Life and the promise he will “never depart” from God’s temple, doesn’t that make him immune to the warning Jesus gave about the servant becoming wicked (Matthew 24:48-51)?

If he can’t fall away or become wicked, then Jesus’ warning doesn’t apply to him.

But if Jesus’ warning can apply to him, then the twelve blessings don’t guarantee permanent faithfulness.

Which is it?

And if he’s immune to falling away, how does that square with the biblical pattern where even the greatest leaders—Moses, David, Solomon, Peter—made serious mistakes and faced consequences?

Questions About the Body of Christ

8. If the Body of Christ has many members with different gifts distributed by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), and if even complementary gifts like tongues and interpretation are separated between different people to create interdependence and accountability (1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:27-29), how does Shincheonji’s system reflect this?

In Shincheonji:

• Lee Man-hee receives the opened scroll
• Lee Man-hee witnesses the fulfillment
• Lee Man-hee interprets Revelation
• Lee Man-hee teaches believers
• Everyone else receives through him

Where are the many members?

Where are the distributed gifts?

Where is the mutual interdependence?

If God deliberately separates even complementary gifts to prevent one person from being self-sufficient, why would He suddenly reverse this pattern and concentrate everything in one person?

Questions About Christology and the Chain of Authority

9. If Shincheonji teaches that Jesus is a created being (“born of God’s seed,” “the Numerator to God’s Denominator,” not equal with God), and if Jehovah’s Witnesses teach essentially the same thing (Jesus is Jehovah’s first creation, Michael the Archangel), why is there such similarity?

Both groups:

• Deny Christ’s full deity
• Create a chain of mediated authority (God → Jesus → Human Channel → Believers)
• Claim to be the exclusive channel of truth
• Discourage independent verification

Is this similarity coincidental?

Or does denying Christ’s deity serve a functional purpose—creating space for a human mediator to insert themselves into the chain of authority?

10. If Jesus is fully God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3, 8) and if there is “one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5), why do we need the chain God → Jesus → Angel → Lee Man-hee → 12 Tribes → Believers?

If Jesus is fully God, then access to God through Him is complete and direct—no human mediator needed.

But if Jesus is a created intermediary, then the door is open for another intermediary to claim a necessary role.

Which interpretation honors Scripture?

Questions About the Pattern Throughout Scripture

11. If God’s pattern throughout Scripture is to distribute revelation (Moses wrote it down for all Israel, the prophets wrote for all to read, John sent Revelation to seven churches), require multiple witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1), and maintain accountability for leaders (Moses, David, Paul, Peter all faced correction), why would He suddenly change this pattern for Lee Man-hee?

What makes our era different?

Why would God abandon the protective pattern He established throughout Scripture?

12. If 1 John 2:27 says “you do not need anyone to teach you” because “his anointing teaches you about all things,” how do you reconcile this with the claim that you need Lee Man-hee’s interpretation to properly understand Revelation?

This doesn’t mean we don’t need teachers in the church (Ephesians 4:11 lists “teachers” as one of Christ’s gifts).

But it does mean we don’t need a human mediator to access God’s truth. The Holy Spirit teaches all believers directly.

The role of teachers is to help believers understand what the Spirit is already teaching them through Scripture, not to be the exclusive channel through whom all understanding must flow.

How does Shincheonji’s system reflect this?

Questions About Verification

13. If Lee Man-hee’s authority rests on his testimony of witnessing events at the Tabernacle Temple that fulfill Revelation’s prophecies, how can anyone verify this testimony?

The events he claims to have witnessed:

• Seven specific people (including Mr. Yoo) representing the seven angels/messengers
• The SEC (Stewardship Education Center) representing the beast with seven heads and ten horns
• The betrayal, destruction, and overcoming

Can anyone independently verify:

• That these people and events were the fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies?
• That the SEC was “the beast” rather than a stewardship education program?
• That the Tabernacle Temple property sale in 1977 and transition to Isaac Church was “destruction by the beast” rather than a voluntary reorganization?
• That winning doctrinal arguments in a church split qualifies as the “overcoming” described in Revelation (faithfulness through persecution unto death)?

Or must you accept his interpretation of what he witnessed on faith?

14. If Paul—who received direct revelation from Christ—submitted his gospel to other apostles for verification (Galatians 2:2), and if the Bereans examined Scripture to verify Paul’s teaching (Acts 17:11), why is examining Lee Man-hee’s interpretation treated as spiritual immaturity or evidence you haven’t received the proper teaching?

What makes his testimony exempt from the verification that even apostles submitted to?

Questions About the Comparison to John the Baptist

15. If Shincheonji compares Mr. Yoo to John the Baptist (both prepared the way but many rejected the message), how is this comparison valid?

John the Baptist:

• Was prophesied in Scripture (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1)
• Fulfilled specific prophecies about preparing the way
• Pointed people to Jesus, not to himself
• Decreased so Jesus could increase (John 3:30)
• Was recognized by Jesus Himself as the fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 11:10-14)

Mr. Yoo:

• Where is he prophesied in Scripture?
• What specific prophecies did he fulfill?
• Did he point people to Jesus, or to a particular interpretation?
• Who verified that he was the fulfillment of prophecy?

And if Mr. Yoo represents those who prepared the way but fell into betrayal, doesn’t that raise questions about the reliability of the entire Tabernacle Temple movement?

If the foundation was flawed (Mr. Yoo and the seven messengers betrayed), how can the structure built on it (Shincheonji) be sound?

These aren’t just theological technicalities. They have profound practical implications for your spiritual life, your relationships, and your eternal destiny.

Why God’s Pattern of Distribution, Verification, and Accountability Protects You

1. It prevents one person from having absolute, unquestionable authority

When revelation is distributed to multiple recipients, when multiple witnesses are required, when even the greatest leaders are held accountable—no one person can claim absolute authority that cannot be questioned.

This protects you from:

• Following a leader who becomes corrupt (like the wicked servant in Matthew 24:48-51)
• Being deceived by someone who misinterprets Scripture
• Becoming dependent on one person’s interpretation
• Losing the ability to think critically and examine Scripture yourself

2. It allows you to verify truth independently

When you have direct access to Scripture, when you can examine it yourself (like the Bereans), when you have the Holy Spirit teaching you—you can verify what you’re being taught.

You don’t have to accept someone’s interpretation on blind faith.

You can test it against Scripture.

You can ask questions.

You can seek confirmation from other mature believers.

3. It maintains the sufficiency of Christ

When Jesus is recognized as fully God and the one mediator between God and humanity, you don’t need another human mediator.

Your access to God is direct and complete through Christ.

You don’t need someone to witness fulfillment on your behalf.

You don’t need someone to interpret Scripture for you because only they saw certain events.

Christ is sufficient.

4. It preserves the New Covenant reality of the Holy Spirit given to all

Under the New Covenant, every believer receives the Holy Spirit.

Every believer has an anointing that teaches them.

Every believer can know God directly.

This is the glorious reality of the New Covenant—not mediated access through human channels, but direct access through Christ by the Spirit.

5. It creates mutual interdependence and accountability

When gifts are distributed among many members, when even complementary gifts are separated between different people, when the Body has many members with different functions—you need each other.

No one is self-sufficient.

No one is beyond accountability.

Everyone contributes.

Everyone can be corrected.

This is healthy. This is protective. This is God’s design.

6. It allows Scripture to speak to every generation

When the seven churches were real congregations facing real persecution, when the messages had immediate pastoral relevance, when they end with “Whoever has ears, let them hear”—believers in every era can be encouraged, corrected, and challenged by these messages.

You don’t have to wait for someone to witness fulfillment before you can benefit from God’s word.

Scripture speaks to you now, in your situation, through the Holy Spirit’s illumination.

Why Shincheonji’s Pattern Endangers You

1. It concentrates absolute authority in one person

When all revelation, interpretation, and teaching flow through one person, when that person’s testimony is self-authenticating, when questioning is treated as rebellion—you’ve created a system ripe for abuse.

What if that person is wrong?

What if they misinterpret Scripture?

What if they become like the wicked servant?

There’s no mechanism to correct the error.

2. It makes verification impossible

When authority rests on witnessing events that no one else can verify, when the interpretation depends on seeing things only one person saw, when the “actual reality” is confirmed only by that person’s testimony—you can’t independently verify the claims.

You must accept them on faith.

But faith in what? In Scripture? Or in one person’s interpretation of events they claim to have witnessed?

3. It undermines the sufficiency of Christ

When you need a human mediator to access God’s truth, when Jesus is presented as a created intermediary rather than God Himself, when the chain becomes God → Jesus → Angel → Lee Man-hee → 12 Tribes →You—Christ’s sufficiency is diminished.

You’re told you need something more than Christ.

You need the “opened word” that only one person can provide.

You need the testimony of someone who witnessed fulfillment.

But Scripture says: “In Christ you have been brought to fullness” (Colossians 2:10).

4. It denies the New Covenant reality

When you’re taught that you need a human mediator, that you can’t understand Scripture without someone who witnessed fulfillment, that the Holy Spirit works through one vessel—you’re being taught an Old Covenant pattern.

But the New Covenant abolished mediated access.

“They will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:11).

“You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20).

This is your inheritance as a believer. Don’t let anyone take it from you.

5. It creates unhealthy dependence

When one person has all the gifts, all the knowledge, all the authority, and everyone else receives through that person—you’re not functioning as the Body of Christ.

You’re dependent.

You can’t think critically.

You can’t examine Scripture yourself.

You can’t verify what you’re being taught.

You’re perpetually in a receiving position, never growing into the maturity God intends for you.

6. It makes Scripture irrelevant until one person interprets it

When the seven churches weren’t actually seven churches, when the messages didn’t have immediate relevance for believers facing persecution, when the meaning was sealed until one person witnessed fulfillment—Scripture becomes a closed book until that person opens it.

But Scripture is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12).

It speaks to every generation.

It has immediate relevance.

You don’t need to wait for someone to witness fulfillment before God’s word can transform your life.

Conclusion: The Choice Before You

You’ve seen two patterns:

God’s pattern:

• Distributes revelation to multiple recipients
• Requires multiple witnesses to establish truth
• Gives the Holy Spirit to all believers
• Creates a Body with many members and distributed gifts
• Provides direct access to God through Christ alone
• Maintains accountability for leaders at every level
• Separates even complementary gifts to create interdependence
• Gives Scripture immediate relevance for every generation

Shincheonji’s pattern:

• Mediates revelation through one person
• Relies on one person’s testimony of events no one else can verify
• Teaches that the Holy Spirit works through one vessel
• Concentrates all functions in one person with everyone else dependent
• Creates a chain of mediated access (God → Jesus → Angel → Lee Man-hee → Believers)
• Places the leader beyond accountability through twelve blessings
• Concentrates receiving, interpreting, and teaching in one person
• Makes Scripture’s meaning dependent on one person’s interpretation of events they witnessed

Which pattern reflects what you see in Scripture?

Which pattern protects you?

Which pattern honors Christ’s sufficiency?

Which pattern preserves the New Covenant reality of direct access through the Holy Spirit?

The choice is yours.

But make it based on Scripture, not on someone’s testimony of what they claim to have witnessed.

Make it based on the pattern God established throughout history, not on a system that contradicts that pattern.

Make it based on the sufficiency of Christ, not on the necessity of a human mediator.

For Further Reflection

If you’re struggling with these questions, consider studying these related chapters:

• Chapter 6: Consistent Narrative vs. Selective Narrative – How Shincheonji’s interpretation selectively uses Scripture while ignoring context
• Chapter 10: Why Truth Welcomes Examination – Why legitimate authority invites testing rather than forbidding it
• Chapter 17: Logical Contradictions – The internal inconsistencies in Shincheonji’s system
• Chapter 18: The Real Test of Authority – How to evaluate spiritual authority claims
• Chapter 22: When Satan Tried to Hijack God’s Plan – Understanding spiritual deception
• Chapter 29: How Do We Know Which Voice We’re Hearing? – Discerning God’s voice from counterfeits

And most importantly, read Scripture for yourself.

Don’t take our word for it. Don’t take Lee Man-hee’s word for it.

Read what God has said.

Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your understanding.

Examine everything carefully.

Hold on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

A Final Word: The Gospel Is Simple

The gospel is gloriously simple:

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

Not “whoever believes in him and accepts the interpretation of the one who witnessed fulfillment.”

Not “whoever believes in him and joins the organization established by New John.”

Not “whoever believes in him and becomes part of the 144,000 through Shincheonji.”

Just “whoever believes in him.”

Salvation is through faith in Christ alone, not through accepting one person’s interpretation of Revelation.

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

Not by understanding the “opened word.”

Not by accepting testimony of witnessed fulfillment.

Not by joining the right organization.

By grace through faith.

That’s the gospel.

That’s what sets you free.

That’s what you can trust.

Everything else is addition—and any addition to the gospel is a distortion of the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).

Epilogue to the Epilogue: A Prayer for Those Reading

If you’re a Shincheonji member struggling with these questions, know that:

1. God loves you deeply and wants you to know Him directly, not through a human mediator.
2. Jesus is sufficient. You don’t need anything added to Him.
3. The Holy Spirit has been given to you. You can understand Scripture through His illumination.
4. It’s not rebellion to examine what you’re being taught. The Bereans were commended for it.
5. Leaving a system that contradicts Scripture isn’t abandoning God—it’s returning to Him.
6. There are believers and churches who will welcome you, support you, and help you heal.
7. Your identity is in Christ, not in an organization.
8. Your salvation is secure in Him, not dependent on accepting one person’s interpretation.

May God grant you wisdom, courage, and peace as you seek His truth.

May the Holy Spirit illuminate Scripture for you.

May you discover the joy of direct access to God through Christ alone.

And may you find freedom in the sufficiency of Jesus—who is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).