No, the book of Revelation is not always in the future. To show this, a simple question can be asked:

How many times did Jesus receive exaltation and power?

We can see this scene in Revelation 5, where the throne room before the LORD, Jesus is exalted with glory, honor and praise (Revelation 5:9-11).

Then, we see the same exaltation happen in Hebrews 1, where Jesus is also exalted, and the Father calls him God (Hebrews 1:8), accredits Jesus for creation (Hebrews 1:10-12), and commands the angels to worship Jesus (Hebrews 1:3-6).

Then, we see the same pattern yet again, in Philippians 2:5-11, where we are to humble ourselves like Christ, who despite having equality to the Father did not use this advantage, but instead took on the form of a servant, and was obedient even to death, and then was exalted.

Yet, Jesus, after his resurrection and speaking with the disciples, said that all authority was given to him (Matthew 28:18). This happened 2000 years ago.

No, not every parable is a prophecy.

Throughout the Old and New Testament, God plainly told prophecies that weren’t encoded with secret, hidden metaphors. We can see this with Jermiah and Israel being in captivity for 70 years (Jeremiah’s Seventy Years Prophecy Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10), Isaiah’s Prophecy of Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28 – 45:1), Jonah’s Prophecy to Nineveh (Jonah 3:4), and we can see the target audience of Jesus understanding his parables including The Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32).

Jesus because God uses a parable or metaphor, doesn’t mean that isn’t understandable for another 2000 years to be revealed by a “Promised Pastor of the New Testament”.

And no, there isn’t a “Promised Pastor of the New Testament”. 

Within the first five words of Revelation, we see the following statement:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”; however, Shincheonji already starts off with a bad footing. They don’t even have the correct Jesus to begin with. Shincheonji downgrades Jesus to a “Promised Pastor of the Old Testament”, and while they may argue that Jesus is divine, Jesus isn’t divine in the same sense of what a Christian would expect, but instead Jesus is divine in the sense that He and the Father are united in will.

The watered down “Korean” Jesus established with SCJ is necessary because this then allows the stage to be set for a “New John”. However, we need to explore this concept a bit deeper. While I won’t go through every single verse that shows the Deity of Christ, I will start out with the simple inconsistency that SCJ fails to address.

If anything, Shincheonji’s reasoning behind the “open scroll” waters down Jesus and his mission significantly, as I described in greater detail in the article below.

The Open Scroll, Ezekiel and how SCJ waters down Jesus and his mission

Of course, Shinchoenji would try to make the argument that since Jesus is “spiritually married” to the Father, thus they are only worshipping the Father through the Spirit. However; this line of reasoning contradicts the Bible.

God is a jealous God, which is why in Exodus 20:4-5 – 

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting[b] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.

During the Old Testament times, the nations surrounding Israel would carve stone idols and images of their gods, and worship the spirit behind the stone carvings as the stone carvings were only representations of their gods, but not the actual god themselves.

The God of Israel was a jealous God, and strictly forbade these things as representations of God, and worship of these images as if they were God.

Shincheonji would normally try to bypass the worship that Jesus received by making the claim that they are instead worshipping the Spirit working through Jesus; however, this is still idolatry.

We can see that Jesus is receiving the same worship in Revelation 5:13 – 

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

So, God, who also doesn’t share his glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8), is now allowing all of creation to worship Jesus alongside the Father equally. If Shincheonji were to be consistent, that would make this idolatry and break God’s character and laws.

Of course, I go into greater detail about this in Revelation chapter 5, where the scene unfolds in heaven.

This is also another common question that is asked about this verse, and instead of going through every single common objection to the deity of Christ, I strongly recommend that you read the following article that already goes over these arguments in detail:

The Common Objections to the Deity of Christ

And for those who are interested, below is another article that goes into greater detail about the Trinity.

A Deeper Dive into the Trinity

Shincheonji would make the following claim: 1. The Apostle John saw and heard the prophecy of the book of Revelation, and 2. There will be a “New John” in the future, who will see and hear the prophecy and then testify to its fulfillment.

However, this entire framework depends on the concept of a “Promised Pastor of the New Testament which isn’t biblical”.

While it is true that Lee Man-hee never claimed to be Jesus Christ himself, he does claim to have the exclusive authority to speak on behalf of God and Jesus, as seen with the Physical Fulfillment of Revelation pages 10-11 when Lee Man-hee claims –

“No one can approach God or Jesus…except for the One Who Overcomes”.

This puts Lee Man-hee in a “Messianic” role, where only through Lee Man-hee and his commentary of the Bible can one gain salvation and have their sins atoned for.

Jesus plainly warns in Matthew 24:4-5 – Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

This is a straight-forward warning that SCJ then tries to twist, but making the claim that instead one needs to perceive the truth, and avoid any false prophets who speak in the name of Christ.

However, Jesus refutes this idea later in the same chapter in Matthew 24:23-24 – 

At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

Sincheonji will of course point to other passages, like the Advocate, or the Faithful and Wise Servant, etc.

This is why I provided a detailed refutation of these verses in the article –

Is there a Promised Pastor of the New Testament?

Then, for the cycle of “Betrayal, Destruction, Salvation”, you can read more about the doctrinal issues of SCJ’s claim in the article –

Lee Man-hee fulfills 2 Thess 2:1-4

Shincheonji would then point to the deliverance of the scroll, citing the scroll in the right hand of the Father (Revelation 5:1), whom the lamb takes and begins to open the seals (Revelation 6, 8) and then the opened scroll is delivered by an angel to the apostle John.

The Apostle John then eats this scroll, and testifies to the churches.

The only problem with this is how the two scrolls are different scrolls, and both scrolls have different purposes.

The scroll of Revelation 5 is described with the Greek word biblion, and the scroll of Revelation 10 is described as a small scroll (biblaridion).

We can also see that the two scrolls described in Revelation 5 and 10 have different purposes. 

The purposes of the scrolls are equally distinct. The large scroll in Revelation 5 represents the fullness of God’s sovereign plan for history, encompassing both judgment on the wicked and redemption for the righteous. Its opening marks the execution of this plan on a cosmic scale. 

The little scroll in Revelation 10, on the other hand, contains a specific prophetic message for John to internalize and proclaim. John is told to “eat” the scroll, which tastes sweet in his mouth but turns bitter in his stomach — a symbol of the joy and privilege of receiving God’s word, mixed with the sorrow and hardship of declaring judgment.

There are many doctrinal issues with Shinchoenji’s interpretation of the “Open scroll”, and you can read more of the doctrinal issues in the below article.

The Doctrinal Issues of the Open Scroll

A Shincheonji member would, of course, object to the idea that this angel was only relevant in John’s time. They argue that since Jesus sent His angel to testify in Revelation 22:16, the same must occur at the time of fulfillment — through a “New John” who sees and hears the events and delivers the testimony. But this argument collapses when examined in context.

Nowhere in Revelation do we see a prophecy that another person, centuries later, must literally repeat John’s experience. The angel was sent to John for the very purpose of recording the revelation, not to establish a perpetual pattern requiring new mediators. The Book of Revelation itself is the completed testimony given through that angel — the final prophetic vision that reveals Christ’s victory and return. To insist that someone else must relive it in the flesh not only undermines John’s apostleship but denies the sufficiency of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

If we follow Shincheonji’s logic, every time prophecy is fulfilled, there must be a “new” prophet who sees and hears it all over again — an idea that neither the Old nor New Testament ever supports. The Bible never presents prophecy as a secret code requiring a future human decoder. Instead, Jesus Himself declares in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Spirit, not a new “promised pastor,” is the divine interpreter.

This is why their entire framework — built on the idea of a “New John” — is unbiblical. It replaces the work of the Holy Spirit with the authority of one man. And once that substitution is made, every interpretation becomes dependent on Lee Man-Hee’s personal claim to revelation, not the word of God itself.

If we were to follow Shincheonji’s logic, why wouldn’t there also be a “New Jeremiah”? Or a “New Ezekiel”? There’s another Korean cult, the “World Mission Society Church of God”, who makes the argument that Jesus didn’t complete the “root of David” prophecy (Revelation 22:16), because Jesus didn’t have a complete 40 year mission when he was on earth, thus resulting in another person (Anh Sahn Hong) who had to finish Jesus’s mission for another 37 years.

Of course, Shincheonji may try to argue the “Spirit working through flesh”, and may even appeal to John the Baptist and how the Spirit of Elijah was working through John the Baptist. However, that also isn’t an accurate representation of how to read scripture.

Did John the Baptist “Betray” Jesus?

Shincheonji would also try to use this to have a blueprint that it must mean for someone to speak on behalf of God and Jesus, since the book of Revelation is a book of prophecy.

SCJ redefines this verse as a prophetic “blueprint”:

• The original John saw the prophecy of what will happen (the vision).
• The “New John” (Lee Man-Hee) must later see and hear the fulfillment physically.
• Therefore, Lee becomes the “witness who testifies to what he has seen and heard” in fulfillment of Revelation 1:2 and 22:8.

They then claim that Revelation 12:11 and 22:16 confirm this — that Jesus sends “his angel” (Lee) to testify about the events of the last days.

John is the one testifying to what he saw. He’s not testifying to his own ideas, nor predicting that another person will later “see and hear” these things. The Greek phrasing emphasizes John’s firsthand witness to what was shown to him in visions –  the logos (word) of God and the martyria (testimony) of Jesus Christ.

This means John is faithfully recording the revelation that originates from Jesus, not that he is an ongoing prophetic office to be inherited by someone else.

So, Revelation 1:2 establishes John’s authority as a credible witness of a divine vision, not a pattern for future “New Johns.”

Let’s trace throughout scripture about the Son and witnesses, and then we can start to see that SCJ’s views begin to fall apart.

John 1:18 – “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son… has made him known.”

Jesus alone is the ultimate revelation of God.

Hebrews 1:1–2 – “In the past God spoke… through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son.”

This ends the prophetic succession model. There is no “next prophet” after Christ, because He is the final revelation.

Revelation 1:5 – Jesus is “the faithful witness.”

John’s testimony derives from Jesus’ testimony, not the other way around. Jesus is the source; John is the recorder.
Revelation 22:16 – When Jesus says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches,” it refers to the same angel mentioned in Revelation 1:1 — the one sent to John. There’s no textual or grammatical hint that this is a different person or a prophecy about a future Korean man.

The entire communication chain (God → Jesus → angel → John → churches) is already complete by the end of the first century. There’s no room for a “New John” to appear 2,000 years later and reopen that chain.

Shincheonji’s redefinition of this verse is what transfers authority away from Christ and Scripture onto their human leader. If Lee Man-Hee is the only one who has “seen and heard” the fulfillment, then all interpretation — and thus all access to salvation — depends on him.

But the book of Revelation itself rejects this idea. Its purpose is not to announce a future man who will unlock hidden knowledge, but to testify to Jesus Christ, the one who is, who was, and who is to come.

John’s role was to record that testimony once and for all — and the blessing of verse 3 (“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy…”) extends to all believers, not a future prophet.

In the first century, letters were read aloud in gatherings of believers. This blessing wasn’t reserved for a special “promised pastor,” but for any believer who faithfully read, heard, and kept God’s Word. It means Revelation is meant to be public truth, not secret knowledge revealed only to one man at the end of history.

In the next chapter, I will go over in greater detail about how the 12 Promised Blessings apply to the first century Christians, not to a future “New John” and “New Spiritual Israel”.

Yet Shincheonji teaches that Revelation can only be understood by the one who “saw and heard” the fulfillment—Lee Man-Hee. According to them, the blessing of Revelation 1:3 applies exclusively to him, and only through his testimony can others “hear” and “take to heart” what is written. This effectively turns a universal blessing for all believers into an exclusive privilege for one person.

But that’s not what John writes. The grammar itself makes it clear:

“The one who reads” refers to the person publicly reading Scripture to the congregation.

“Those who hear” refers to the gathered believers listening to it.

Both receive blessing- not because they witnessed “physical fulfillment,” but because they receive, believe, and obey the Word of God.

Revelation 1:3 echoes Jesus’ own teaching in Luke 11:28, where He says, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” The blessing is tied to obedience and faith, not secret revelation.

The same principle runs through Scripture:

John 8:51: “If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

James 1:22: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

In each case, the focus is not on seeing fulfillment, but on trusting and obeying God’s revealed word.

The phrase “the time is near” doesn’t mean the entire vision had to be fulfilled within a few years of John’s lifetime. It means the events described—Christ’s ongoing reign, the battle between good and evil, and the final judgment—are part of God’s unfolding plan already in motion. Christians throughout history have lived in that “near time,” called to vigilance and faithfulness.

Shincheonji distorts this by claiming “the time is near” points exclusively to their generation, where Revelation is supposedly being fulfilled physically in Korea. But that reading ignores 2,000 years of church history in which every believer has been called to readiness and faith in the soon return of Christ. The “nearness” of Revelation is eschatological, not geographical or generational – it’s meant to keep the church awake and faithful, not searching for a hidden man who fulfills it.

Parallel Passages

The Greek for the “Time is near” is “ὁ καιρὸς ἐγγύς, ho kairos engys” appears several times across the New Testament and carries the same eschatological urgency—that God’s redemptive plan is already unfolding and believers must live in constant readiness.

•  Romans 13:11–12 – “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

Paul uses “near” (engyteron, same root) to emphasize that the decisive stage of God’s plan—Christ’s return—is always imminent. He’s urging moral alertness, not predicting a date. The “nearness” motivates holy living, not speculative prophecy.

• James 5:8–9 – “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”

James connects nearness with ethical exhortation. Because Christ could return at any moment, believers are called to patience, unity, and righteousness. Again, this applies to all Christians across time, not just one generation.

• 1 Peter 4:7 – “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”

Peter applies the same theme: awareness of the end should produce spiritual vigilance and self-control. He doesn’t claim fulfillment is happening exclusively in his lifetime, but that history is already in its final phase after Christ’s resurrection.

The real blessing of Revelation 1:3 is that anyone—anywhere, anytime—who reads, hears, and keeps God’s Word will be blessed. There’s no secret mediator required. The verse opens the book by directly contradicting Shincheonji’s entire structure of exclusive revelation. Revelation was never meant to be locked away for 2,000 years waiting for one Korean man to interpret it. It was written for the church, to be read aloud, heard, and obeyed by all believers until Christ returns.

Both Christians and SCJ would agree that Jesus is the faithful witness; however, SCJ would then take it an extra step and claim that we need another person to testify to Jesus’s witness.

Shincheonji redefines “faithful witness” as a “title to be inherited” by the one who “overcomes,” claiming that Jesus was the model and Lee Man-Hee is the final “witness” who testifies to the physical fulfillment of Revelation. They argue that Revelation 1:5 is the “standard,” and Revelation 22:16 (“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to the churches”) refers to their leader as the messenger who testifies on behalf of Jesus.

The title “faithful witness” (Greek: ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ho martys ho pistos) identifies Jesus as the one who perfectly revealed the Father’s truth and remained obedient even to death. The word martys means “one who bears testimony,” and over time came to mean “martyr,” because so many who testified to the truth of God gave their lives for it. Jesus fulfills this title perfectly because He testified to the truth of God’s character, love, and plan of salvation—and sealed that testimony with His blood (Philippians 2:8, John 18:37).

Isaiah 55:4 – “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.”

This is a messianic prophecy describing the coming Servant (Christ) who bears witness to God’s covenant faithfulness.

Isaiah 43:10–12 – God calls Israel His witnesses to testify that He alone is God.

Israel failed to do this perfectly, but Jesus, as the true and faithful Israel, fulfills this role.

Deuteronomy 18:18–19 – God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, who will speak all that God commands.

Jesus fulfills this as the ultimate Prophet and revealer of God (John 1:18).

Shincheonji redefines “faithful witness” as a “title to be inherited” by the one who “overcomes,” claiming that Jesus was the model and Lee Man-Hee is the final “witness” who testifies to the physical fulfillment of Revelation. They argue that Revelation 1:5 is the “standard,” and Revelation 22:16 (“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to the churches”) refers to their leader as the messenger who testifies on behalf of Jesus.

But that interpretation collapses under basic biblical scrutiny:

Revelation 1:5 lists three titles:

• The faithful witness
• The firstborn from the dead
• The ruler of the kings of the earth

These are not transferable roles. They describe the person and identity of Jesus, not attributes to be passed down.

If “faithful witness” could be inherited, then “firstborn from the dead” and “ruler of the kings of the earth” would have to be inherited too—something even SCJ would not claim.

The focus of the verse is Christ’s work, not His replacement. Revelation opens by grounding the believer’s hope in Jesus’ own faithfulness, resurrection, and authority—not in the testimony of a man who appears 2,000 years later.

We can see that we do not need another, exclusive, mediator between us and the Father.

John 18:37: Jesus says, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”

This identifies Him as the faithful witness directly.

Revelation 3:14: “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.”

Again, the “faithful and true witness” is Jesus Himself, explicitly named.

Hebrews 12:2: Jesus is “the author and perfecter of faith,” not a participant waiting for a successor.

There’s no biblical precedent for Jesus delegating His identity as the “faithful witness” to anyone. Instead, the apostles and the church are called witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8)—they testify about Him, not in His place.

Calling Jesus the “faithful witness” affirms His divine authority and the completeness of His revelation. The book of Revelation is “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1), not a revelation about a future Korean man who will testify on His behalf. To insert another “witness” between God and His people undermines the sufficiency of Christ and contradicts Hebrews 1:1–2, which declares that God has already spoken fully through His Son.

We can already see that the blood of Christ was already applied for our sins, 2000 years ago, which is why Paul made the claim to the Greeks that today (2000 years ago) is the day of repentance.

Acts 17:30 – 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

The book of Revelation was given to the Apostle John 2000 years ago, and we can already see that the Apostles had an understanding of what was necessary for salvation. 

Notice how in the quoted verse, there is nothing mentioning a “New John”? Instead, it emphasized the cross and the completed work of salvation through Jesus.

While Shincheonji points the book of Revelation to the New John, Christians point the book of Revelation to Christ alone.

Christians already had enough knowledge for salvation

We can already see that this title, “he has made us to be a kingdom and priests”, is already being applied to Christians.

1 Peter 2:9 –  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We can see that the Christians were already being called a “royal priesthood” 2000 years ago.

Then, in the book of Revelation, we can also see that the “royal priesthood” was singing a new song, something that is also plainly explained.

Revelation 5:9-10 – 

9 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

    and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

    and with your blood you purchased for God

    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

    and they will reign[a] on the earth.”

Notice how the new song is only about what Christ did on the cross, not a future testimony? 

Also, the new song is sung before the seals are opened, contradicting SCJ’s flow of events.

Then, the same new song is sung by the priests on Mount Zion of Revelation 14:3, and is referenced as the “eternal gospel” in Revelation 14:6. Notice that in both instances, it has nothing to do with the testimony of a future “New John”.

Shincheonji believes that the parable of the “cloud” represents the “invisible spiritual world”, and thus Jesus must return in Spirit.

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Without adding and subtracting from God’s word, we can clearly see that Acts 1:9-11 disagrees with Shincheonji.

However, when reading this verse, you need to keep in mind that the target audience, who were the first century Christians, would have had a very different understanding. 

The first Century Christians at the time had a theological background of the Jewish Old Testament, especially the book of Daniel. 

When you read Revelation 1:7, it says: “Look, he is coming with the clouds”

The Jewish audience would have understood this to reference the “son of man” coming in the clouds in

Daniel 7:13 – 14 –

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Both Christians and Shincheonji would agree that the son of man in reference of Daniel 7, is indeed talking about Jesus.

To a first century Christian, they would understand the phrase of “coming with the clouds” as a reference to the power, glory, and honor of God. This is something that God does not share with others, as seen with .

Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.

Yet, it’s clear that Jesus shares the same name and honor, glory, and power as seen with Daniel 7:14 – He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.

John 4:24 — “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth“

Shincheonji would use the above verse to show that Jesus indeed returns in Spirit.  Since God is spirit, and Jesus is one with God, His return must be spiritual, not physical.

However, the doctrinal issue with this interpretation is that the verse describes how believers worship God, not how Christ returns. Jesus’s second coming, according to the very promise of the Angel in Acts 1:11, is going to bodily and visible, not invisible.

John 14:17–20 — “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.”

Shincheonji may claim that the world won’t see Jesus because His return is invisible—seen only through the Promised Pastor who spiritually reveals Him.

The only issue is that this verse is in reference to the Holy Spirit, not another Promised Pastor. Jesus refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, not His return. The disciples “see” Him spiritually through the Spirit (John 16:7), not via another man.

Is the Advocate working through the “New John”?

2 Corinthians 3:17 — “The Lord is the Spirit.”

Shincheonji may argue that Jesus is now a spirit, so His return occurs spiritually through the one He indwells (Lee Man-Hee).

However, Paul teaches that Christ and the Spirit are united in ministry, not identical in nature. Jesus still has a glorified physical body (Luke 24:39; Phil 3:21).

1 Corinthians 15:44–45 — “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body… the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

Shincheonji may argue that at first Jesus had a physical body when he resurrected; however, when he returned to the Father he became a spirit.

However, “Spiritual body” means a body transformed and empowered by the Spirit—not a disembodied spirit. Colossians 2:9 (30 years after the resurrection) contradicts SCJ, Phil 3:20-21 also.

Matthew 24:27 — “As lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west…”

Shincheonji may argue that the lightning represents the sudden revelation of truth through the Promised Pastor, not a literal return. 

However, Jesus uses “lightning” to show the universally visible nature of His coming. It contradicts any secret or hidden appearance (Rev 1:7).

The question assumes that God must conform to natural limitations — but His power transcends creation.

When Jesus ascended, “a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9), and angels promised He would return “in the same way” (Acts 1:11).
That same supernatural power applies to His return — it will be visible to all, regardless of geography.

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven… and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Here, the same event is described: Christ’s visible, glorious return. The mourning shows recognition and accountability, not hidden spiritual revelation.

The “spiritual seeing” claim contradicts other Second Coming descriptions.

The New Testament consistently presents the return of Christ as bodily, audible, and visible:

• “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
• “When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2).

A purely spiritual return would make these physical and sensory descriptions meaningless.

Of course, Shincheonji would read into the text what it means to be a trumpet, something that I covered in the 3 mysteries document.