Introduction
The way we interpret the second half of Revelation 7 is crucial, because these verses reveal the central figure of the book of Revelation. Shincheonji formally acknowledges that Jesus and the Father are the ultimate source of salvation, yet they place strong emphasis on the idea that God and Jesus accomplish their work through Lee Man-hee. They argue that the “one who overcomes” in Revelation 3:21 will sit on the throne with God and Jesus, and they apply this directly to Lee Man-hee as the so-called “New John.”
The problem with this interpretation is that it diminishes the unique glory, honor, and worship that Scripture reserves for the Father and the Lamb. Revelation consistently portrays God and the Lamb as sharing divine authority, divine worship, and the throne itself. By shifting the focus onto a human figure, Shincheonji redirects attention away from the divine center of Revelation and places it onto the leader of their organization. This not only disrupts the message of Revelation 7 but also undermines the book’s purpose: to exalt God and the Lamb, not a human mediator.
Be aware that groups like Shincheonji often respond to criticism by subtly adjusting their doctrine—a common tactic involving denial, adaptation, and manipulation; is a common tactic among high-control organizations. They may gather information on critics and “flip the script,” portraying exposure as persecution or misinformation. It’s essential to carefully observe doctrinal shifts rather than accepting new explanations at face value. Stay vigilant against gaslighting through evolving teachings designed to counter today’s realities and criticisms. (Read More)
Revelation 7:9
“9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands”
Shincheonji’s Perspective
Shincheonji believes that the Nation is a church or religious group, a tribe is a denomination, people are the congregation members, and language are the different teachings or doctrines.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, page 160 –
Every nation, tribe, people and language When Rv 7:9 mentions “every nation, tribe, people and language” – it refers to every church, every denomination, all churchgoers, and all their teachings. If God’s pastor is compared to a king (1 Pt 2:9), the church he leads is a nation with his congregation as its people. Denominations are like tribes because they are groups of similar churches gathered together. The different teachings of each denomination are their different languages. Therefore, saying the great multitude dressed in white robes comes out of every nation, tribe, people, and language means the great multitude comprises countless churchgoers who come out of all the world’s churches and denominations.
Shincheonji teaches that because Revelation is given “in signs” (Rev 1:1) and repeatedly uses symbolic imagery such as stars for angels and lampstands for churches (Rev 1:20), its ethnic-sounding phrases must also be understood spiritually. They argue that since Jesus revealed the secrets of the kingdom through parables (Mark 4:11–12), God likewise expresses end-time realities through figurative language. Therefore, terms like “nation, tribe, people, and language” in Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 10:11, and Revelation 14:6 are not describing literal ethnic or linguistic groups but different spiritual categories of believers found throughout the religious world. They also appeal to new covenant identity passages such as Exodus 19:5–6, 1 Peter 2:9, and Revelation 1:6, which describe God’s people as a “holy nation” and a “kingdom of priests,” arguing that the New Testament shifts the meaning of “nation” and “tribe” from physical lineage to spiritual status. Because believers are no longer divided by ethnicity (Gal 3:28; Col 3:11), SCJ concludes that Revelation’s ethnic language must represent spiritual groupings rather than literal peoples.
Shincheonji further reasons that Revelation itself uses “nations” symbolically in ways that cannot apply directly to geopolitical entities. For example, Babylon making “all nations drink” her wine (Rev 14:8; Rev 18:3), nations falling in judgment (Rev 16:19), and nations entering the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:24) are viewed as symbolic descriptions of religious communities influenced either by false doctrine or by God’s truth. Combined with Jesus’ teaching that the “field is the world” in the parable of the harvest (Matt 13:24–30, 36–43) and the command to preach the gospel to all nations (Matt 24:14), SCJ takes “nations” to mean all types of believers across denominational backgrounds. They interpret “language” as doctrinal speech or testimony, drawing from Revelation 10:11 and Zephaniah 3:9, where language refers not to spoken tongues but to spiritual proclamation. Thus, when Revelation 7:9 describes a great multitude from “every nation, tribe, people, and language,” SCJ understands this as a spiritually diverse group gathered from many churches and doctrinal backgrounds into the newly created 12 tribes of Revelation 7:4–8 and Revelation 21:12–14. In their view, this interpretation maintains consistency with Revelation’s symbolic nature an
Doctrinal Issues
For this article, I will put the verses into the following categories:
- Identity passages – 1 Peter 2:9, Exodus 19:5-6, Revelation 1:6
- Symbolic Framework Passages – Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:20, Mark 4:11-12
- “World” and “Nation” – Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Matthew 24:14
- Nations in Revelation – Revelation 14:8, 18:3, 16:19, 21:24, 5:9
- Ethnicity Removed in Christ – Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11
- Tribes as “Spiritual Organization” – Revelation 7:4-8, Revelation 21:12-14
- Language as Doctrine – Revelation 10:11, Zephaniah 3:9
Doctrinal Issues
The identity passages teach that God forms a covenant people for Himself, but they do not redefine the meanings of the words “nation,” “tribe,” “people,” or “language” in Revelation. Exodus 19:5–6 describes Israel as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. First Peter 2:9 applies this covenant language to the church. Revelation 1:6 says that Christ made believers into a kingdom and priests to God. None of these passages claim that the words “nation” or “tribe” have shifted from their normal meaning. They simply describe the unique identity of God’s redeemed community. The passages are about what God’s people are, not about how Scripture uses ethnic or linguistic categories. They establish covenant identity, not symbolic vocabulary.
Revelation consistently maintains a distinction between the identity of God’s people and the origin of the people who are saved. The church is indeed a holy nation, but Revelation repeatedly says that this holy nation is composed of people from every nation and tribe and people and language.
This pattern appears in Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 14:6, and Revelation 15:4. SCJ collapses these categories by arguing that if the church is called a holy nation then the words “nation, tribe, people, language” must also be symbolic when used in Revelation.
This is incorrect. The identity passages describe the status of the redeemed community. The global ethnolinguistic terms describe the diverse origins of those who enter that community. Nothing in Exodus 19, First Peter 2, or Revelation 1 alters the normal meaning of those words. Instead, these passages support the idea that God unites people from all literal nations and tribes into a single spiritual nation through Christ.
Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9
Exodus 19:5–6 is set at Mount Sinai, where God establishes His covenant with Israel after rescuing them from Egypt. The context is God forming a people for Himself who will reflect His character among the nations. It is true that God’s plan involved creating a nation through Abraham, as promised in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15. Israel was meant to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation that displayed God’s righteousness to the world.
However, the entire Old Testament story shows that Israel could not fulfill this calling because of sin, which is why the prophets looked forward to a new covenant and a deeper work of God. This points directly to Christ. Jesus accomplishes what Israel could not. Through His obedience, death, and resurrection, Christ creates a new covenant people who are truly holy, not by ancestry or law, but by His blood.
First Peter 2:9 applies the language of Exodus 19 to the church because Jesus fulfilled the covenant and brought both Jews and Gentiles into one holy people. In this way, Exodus 19:5–6 anticipates the work of Christ, who forms a true kingdom of priests through His sacrifice on the cross.
So, on an important note, we can see that the “kingdom of priests” is in direct reference to the Christian body, not to another sect 2000 years in the future.
In Revelation, there is a clear distinction between the kingdom of priests and the vast global community of those who are saved. Revelation 1:6 and Revelation 5:10 describe believers as a kingdom and priests, which reflects the covenant identity promised in Exodus 19:5–6 and fulfilled through Christ.
However, this priestly kingdom is not the same as the source population from which believers come. Revelation consistently shows that those who become part of this kingdom are drawn from “every tribe and language and people and nation.” This phrase appears repeatedly in Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 14:6, and Revelation 15:4, and always refers to the worldwide scope of those who respond to the Lamb. The kingdom of priests is the redeemed community itself, while the phrases “tribes, languages, people, nations” describe the global origins of the redeemed. This is not symbolic code. It is John emphasizing the same universal mission that Jesus gave to His disciples.
This global scope aligns perfectly with Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20. Jesus commands His followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them everything He commanded. The same idea appears in Luke 24:47, which says that repentance and forgiveness will be preached to all nations, and in Acts 1:8, where the gospel goes from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Revelation reflects this mission being fulfilled, not spiritually redefined through a single organization. When John says “every tribe and language and people and nation,” he is echoing the global vision Jesus declared. The kingdom of priests is the redeemed people created through Christ’s blood. The worldwide phrases describe the breadth of the nations that hear the gospel and come to Him. The distinction between covenant identity and worldwide origin is clear and consistent throughout Scripture.
Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 teach that ethnicity does not determine a person’s standing before God, yet this does not redefine ethnic terms or erase the global meaning of words like tribe, language, people, and nation.
Paul’s point in Galatians 3:28 is that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, and no male or female, because all are one in Christ Jesus. Likewise, Colossians 3:11 teaches that distinctions such as Greek, Jew, barbarian, and Scythian do not give any believer a higher or lower status.
These passages are about equality in salvation and unity in the new covenant, not about changing the meaning of ethnic language in biblical prophecy. They do not teach that “tribes” and “nations” are symbolic terms referring to Christian denominations or religious groups. Instead, they affirm that salvation is offered freely to all peoples regardless of ethnicity.
Paul explains the theological foundation for this in Romans 9 through Romans 11. God’s plan was always to extend the covenant beyond ethnic Israel to include the Gentiles, and that is why Paul calls the gospel “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
The ethnic language of Scripture remains intact, because the gospel is for all literal nations and peoples, not for one symbolic group that replaces global diversity with organizational structure. Revelation reflects this same truth.
The people who become the kingdom of priests come from every tribe, language, people, and nation because the new covenant has been extended worldwide. Galatians and Colossians affirm that all who come to Christ are equally accepted by God, but they do not redefine the nations as spiritual categories. They reinforce the idea that God gathers people from all ethnic backgrounds into one redeemed family through the work of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 10:11 states that John “must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings,” and Shincheonji often uses this to claim that “language” means doctrine. However, the text itself shows that John is being entrusted with a global prophetic message that must be delivered to real peoples across the earth.
The phrase mirrors the worldwide scope of Revelation 7:9 and Revelation 14:6, where the same four terms are consistently used to refer to literal global populations. In Revelation 10, John is not redefining “languages” as teachings. He is preparing to proclaim God’s message to the nations, just as the prophets did before him. Zephaniah 3:9 also speaks of God giving the peoples “a pure language,” but the meaning is a purified worship and united devotion to the Lord, not a new doctrine taught by a human leader.
Both passages reflect the idea that God’s truth will reach the world and bring people into right worship. They do not support the idea that “language” in Revelation symbolizes sectarian teachings or denominational categories.
This theme harmonizes with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18 through 20, where Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations and to teach everything He commanded.
The same global pattern is echoed in Luke 24:47, which says that repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations, and in Acts 1:8, which describes the gospel going from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Revelation shows this mission reaching its full scope. The nations hear the testimony of God, the gospel reaches the world, and the redeemed from every tribe and people and language stand before the Lamb. Revelation 10:11 fits perfectly into this biblical trajectory. John receives a message that must go out to the world so that all nations may hear about the Lord before the end. Nothing in these passages turns “language” into doctrine. Instead, they affirm that God’s message is proclaimed globally, and that the nations will hear the truth of Christ before the final judgment.
Zephaniah 3:9 is often quoted by SCJ to claim that “language” means doctrine, but the passage itself shows something entirely different. In context, Zephaniah describes the restoration of Israel after God purifies the nations through judgment. Verse 9 says that God will give the peoples “a pure language,” meaning that He will purify their speech so that they call upon His name and serve Him with one accord.
This is about repentance, worship, and unity in devotion to the true God. It is not about receiving a special set of teachings from a single human leader. The purified language is a moral and spiritual transformation produced by God, not an interpretive system or doctrinal structure taught by an organization. When read in context with Zephaniah 3:8 and Zephaniah 3:10, the passage is about God gathering humbled and repentant nations to Himself after judgment. SCJ misuses the verse by isolating “pure language” from the surrounding context and redefining it as “correct doctrinal teaching,” which Zephaniah never intended. The prophet is speaking about renewed worship, not prophetic charts, symbolic interpretation, or hidden parables.
When Zephaniah is read alongside Revelation and the Great Commission, the message becomes very clear. God promises that the nations will be purified so they can worship Him, and Revelation shows the fulfillment of this promise when people from every tribe and language stand before the Lamb.
Jesus establishes the means by which this worldwide restoration occurs when He commands that the gospel be preached to all nations in Matthew 28:18 through 20, Luke 24:47, and Acts 1:8. Revelation 10:11 fits directly into this pattern, because John is commanded to prophesy to “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
This reflects global proclamation, not doctrinal decoding. Zephaniah 3:9 is about God producing a unified worshipping community through repentance and faith. SCJ’s interpretation redefines “pure language” as a coded set of doctrines unique to their group, which contradicts both the context of Zephaniah and the broader biblical theme of the gospel reaching the world.
Revelation 1:1 says the vision was “signified” to John, which means God communicated the message using symbolic and visionary elements. This does not mean that every term in the book becomes symbolic or that normal words lose their ordinary meaning.
Revelation follows the same pattern as the Old Testament prophets, where symbolic elements and literal terms appear together. Symbolism is used where the text indicates it, such as stars representing angels or lampstands representing churches in Revelation 1:20. These symbols are always interpreted within the text itself.
However, when Revelation describes “nations,” “tribes,” “peoples,” and “languages,” it never gives an alternate meaning or symbolic definition. The consistent repetition of these terms in Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 10:11, Revelation 14:6, and Revelation 15:4 clearly refers to global human groups, not coded spiritual categories. The presence of symbols in Revelation does not grant permission to redefine normal vocabulary based on an external system.
Mark 4:11 through 12 shows that Jesus taught in parables to reveal truth to His disciples and conceal it from those who rejected Him. This passage does not teach that all prophetic or apocalyptic literature is written in parables, nor does it justify importing a parable-based interpretive method into Revelation. Jesus did not instruct His disciples to reinterpret ordinary terms such as “nation” or “language” symbolically in prophetic contexts. The disciples understood literal nations, literal peoples, and literal languages, and Jesus never replaced these categories with spiritualized definitions.
The purpose of Mark 4 is to explain why Jesus used parables during His earthly ministry, not to establish a universal rule for interpreting all future Scripture. SCJ extends Mark 4 beyond its intended context and uses it as a foundational proof text to justify symbolic interpretations that the text of Revelation never supports. Even if Revelation contains symbolic imagery, that fact alone does not validate reshaping global ethnic terms into denominational labels. Instead, Revelation uses these terms plainly to describe the worldwide reach of the gospel and the diverse community gathered before the Lamb.
Revelation 7:10 – 12
– And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
Shincheonji’s Perspective
A person within Shincheonji could argue that Revelation clearly maintains a hierarchical distinction between God, the Lamb, and the one who overcomes. In Revelation 7:10 the great multitude cries out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” From the SCJ perspective, this shows that salvation ultimately originates from God alone, and the Lamb is honored as the chosen instrument through whom God carries out His work. The phrase “belongs to our God” establishes God as the supreme source, while the Lamb functions as the mediator God appointed. The Lamb receives glory because He was faithful to God’s mission, but this honor does not place Him on the same level as the One seated on the throne. In Revelation 7:11–12, the angels, elders, and living creatures direct their worship toward God with praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength. For SCJ, this reinforces the idea that the highest worship is directed to God alone, even though the Lamb is honored for fulfilling God’s redemptive plan.
From this perspective, the Lamb occupies a unique but delegated position, receiving authority from God in order to carry out His mission. This delegation fits the broader biblical pattern in which God gives extraordinary authority to chosen representatives. Moses mediated the old covenant and received reverence among the people, and the Davidic king was described in language that reflected God’s rule. In the same way, SCJ teaches that the Lamb receives honor as the Messiah whom God raised and appointed, but this does not imply equality with God. It shows that God exalts His chosen servant for obedience. Through this lens, Revelation 7:10–12 anticipates the final stage of God’s work, in which the one who overcomes, the New John, also receives authority from God and the Lamb. Since Jesus is now in spirit, SCJ believes the New John acts as the physical representative who testifies to Revelation on God’s behalf. Therefore, the honor and authority given to the Lamb are understood as a pattern for how God and Jesus now work through the overcomer, with the ultimate worship and source of salvation still belonging to God alone.
Doctrinal Issues
The claim that salvation “belongs to God” while the Lamb receives only delegated honor collapses immediately when the text is read carefully. Revelation 7:10 does not say salvation belongs to God alone. It says salvation belongs to “our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” The sentence links God and the Lamb as a single source of salvation.
There is no separation between their roles. Salvation is ascribed to both at the same level in the same breath with no qualifiers, no hierarchy, and no suggestion of derivative authority. John does not say that salvation is from God through the Lamb. He says it belongs to both. This already breaks the idea that the Lamb is merely an appointed agent. Only God is the giver of salvation in Scripture, yet here John places the Lamb in that very role alongside God without hesitation.
The worship scene in Revelation confirms this even more strongly. In verse 12 the angels fall before the throne and give to God “praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength.” This is absolute divine worship.
But the Lamb is standing in the center of that same throne in Revelation 7:17 and again in Revelation 5:6. Revelation 22:1 and Revelation 22:3 even speak of “the throne of God and of the Lamb,” which is a single throne shared by two persons. In the book of Revelation, the throne is never shared with any creature, angel, or representative. It is the exclusive seat of divine authority. When the Lamb is depicted in the midst of the throne and receives the same worship as the One seated on the throne in Revelation 5:13, this is not delegated honor. It is ontological equality. John presents the Lamb as fully divine, participating in the worship, authority, and saving work that belong to God alone.
The representative-mediator argument also fails because the Old Testament background of Revelation forbids the idea that God shares divine glory with a created being. Isaiah 42:8 states that God does not give His glory to another. Yet in Revelation 5:13 every creature in heaven and on earth worships “Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb.” This is the strongest possible indication that the Lamb is not a creature.
Biblical monotheism cannot allow a created being to receive the same eternal blessing, honor, glory, and power that belong to God. Revelation 7 fits into this larger Christological pattern. The Lamb shares the throne, shares the glory, shares the worship, and shares the ownership of salvation because He shares the very identity of God. The distinction between God and the Lamb is personal, not ontological. They are distinct persons, yet one God.
We can see the same repeating pattern throughout the New Testament, verses like –
Revelation 5:12
The angels proclaim,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom
and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
These are divine attributes of worship, and Scripture never gives this level of worship to a creature.
Revelation 5:13
Every creature in heaven and on earth blesses:
“the One seated on the throne and the Lamb.”
The worship is joint and equal. This is direct worship of the Lamb by the entire created order.
Revelation 5:14
The elders fall down and worship. In context, the worship is directed toward both God and the Lamb from verse 13.
Revelation 7:17
The Lamb is “in the center of the throne.” No creature is ever placed there.
Revelation 22:1 and 22:3
There is “the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
It is a single throne, not two. The grammar places God and the Lamb in one divine rule.
John 5:22–23
Jesus says,
“All must honor the Son just as they honor the Father.”
This is an explicit claim to equal divine honor.
Philippians 2:10–11
Every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord. In Isaiah 45, this worship belongs to God alone.
Hebrews 1:6
“Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
Angels do not worship creatures.
All of these passages show the Lamb receiving worship that belongs only to God.
Why this violates God’s consistent character
If the Lamb were a created being, then the worship scenes of Revelation would directly violate the core theological teachings of the Old Testament. Isaiah 42:8 declares that God will not give His glory to another. This is not a limited statement about idols but a comprehensive assertion of God’s exclusivity. Divine glory, divine honor, and divine worship belong only to God. Yet in Revelation 5:12–14 the Lamb receives the same glory, honor, power, and praise that are ascribed to the One seated on the throne. Every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea offers worship to both God and the Lamb together. If the Lamb were created, this would require God to violate His own stated character by sharing divine glory with a creature, which Scripture insists He does not do. The only way Revelation can be consistent with Isaiah is if the Lamb is fully divine.
Isaiah 45:23 teaches that every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance to God alone. This is later echoed in Philippians 2:10–11 where every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus as Lord. If the Lamb is not God, then Revelation and the New Testament are applying a text about exclusive worship of Yahweh to a created being, which would be blasphemy according to the Old Testament. In the same way, the commands to worship God alone in Deuteronomy 6:13 and Matthew 4:10 forbid any worship of created beings or representatives. Yet in Revelation 5 and Revelation 7 the Lamb is worshiped without any qualification, correction, or distinction. Angels refuse worship from humans (Revelation 22:8–9), but the Lamb receives worship freely. This is impossible unless the Lamb is truly God.
Revelation cannot contradict the Old Testament, and John writes with full awareness of the Jewish monotheistic tradition. The only coherent conclusion is that the Lamb shares the divine identity and is not a creature. Revelation presents Jesus as distinct in person yet equal in nature to the One seated on the throne. The Father and the Lamb share one throne (Revelation 22:1, Revelation 22:3), receive one united worship (Revelation 5:13), accomplish one salvation (Revelation 7:10), and shepherd the people of God with one divine authority (Revelation 7:17). The distinction is relational, not ontological. The Lamb is not a secondary being or a representative, but the divine Son who shares in the glory, honor, and essence of God. This is the only way to make sense of Revelation without overturning the very Scriptures it fulfills.
Potential Pushback – Revelation 3:12 and 21
Shincheonji appeals to Revelation 3:12 and Revelation 3:21 to argue that the one who overcomes can share God’s throne in the same way the Lamb does, which they use to claim that LMH can sit in the place of divine authority. This interpretation fails once the passages are read in context. In Revelation 3:21 Jesus clearly distinguishes between two thrones. He says, “I sat down with My Father on His throne,” which is the divine throne of God. Only Christ sits there, and He does so because He shares the Father’s divine identity. Then Jesus says, “To the one who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne,” which is a different throne entirely. Believers share Christ’s royal authority but not His deity. The promise to overcomers is participation in Christ’s rule, not equality with the Father or the Lamb.
The rest of Revelation reinforces this distinction. In Revelation 22:1 and Revelation 22:3 there is “the throne of God and of the Lamb,” which is a single throne shared by two persons. It is never shared with any created being. This throne is the center of divine sovereignty. It is also the throne from which the river of life flows, something only God provides. Revelation 7:17 adds that the Lamb stands in the center of that very throne, a position never given to any prophet, apostle, angel, or human overcomer. Revelation 5:13 shows every creature in heaven and on earth worshiping God and the Lamb together. This is divine worship, and Scripture never permits it to be given to any creature. The Lamb receives this worship because He shares the divine nature.
Furthermore, Revelation 3:21 never says that the overcomer receives worship, which completely dismantles SCJ’s attempt to elevate LMH to the place of the Lamb. Believers receive delegated authority from Christ in the same way the apostles are promised thrones in Matthew 19:28, but their authority is derivative and never identical to God’s rule. Believers rule with Christ, but they are not worshiped with Christ. They sit on Christ’s throne, not the Father’s throne. The Father and the Lamb alone share the divine throne and the glory that belongs only to God. Therefore, Revelation 3:21 cannot be used to justify SCJ’s claim that LMH sits on the throne of God or shares the divine authority that Scripture reserves only for the Father and the Lamb.
Revelation 7:13 – 14
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 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.
Shincheonji’s Perspective
According to Shincheonji, the Great Multitude in White represents Shincheonji believers who have passed the Center curriculum, accepted the doctrines of LMH, and entered one of the twelve tribes. SCJ teaches that “washing their robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb” refers not to the atoning power of Jesus’ sacrifice but to accepting the correct teachings of Shincheonji. Only after receiving the “revealed word” and understanding the parables can their sins be forgiven by Christ’s blood.
The book The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation (pages 163–164) states that the blood of the Lamb is not literal blood, because literal blood would stain robes red. Instead, SCJ claims that “blood” refers to “the words of Jesus,” citing John 15:3 (“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you”). They identify “white clothes” as “the hearts and actions of people who have been cleansed by the word,” applying Revelation 19:8 to say that white garments represent righteous acts produced through correct doctrine. Therefore, washing robes in the blood of the Lamb means accepting Shincheonji’s interpretation of the word, which cleanses sins.
The Physical Fulfillment of Revelation, pages 163 – 164
What is the blood of the Lamb the great multitude coming out of the great tribulation uses to wash its clothes and make them white? If we understand this literally, the blood would stain any clothes washed in it red. Here, the blood of the Lamb refers instead to the words of Jesus (Jn 15:3) that wash away our sins and cleanse our hearts. The white clothes, as I have mentioned several times, are the hearts and actions of people who have been cleansed by the word (Rv 19:8)
Doctrinal Issues
“Correct” knowledge and Forgiveness of sins?
SCJ cites John 15:3 (“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you”) to claim that Jesus’ “blood” in Revelation 7:14 is symbolic for “the word,” and specifically the doctrines of Shincheonji.
But Jesus is not redefining His blood as “teaching,” nor is He teaching that salvation comes through correct interpretation of parables. In John 15, Jesus is speaking to His disciples who are already believers. Their “cleanliness” comes from receiving His message in faith. The context is relational, not symbolic allegory. Jesus is teaching that abiding in Him produces fruit, not that understanding doctrine removes sin.
Furthermore, Jesus uses “clean” metaphorically in John 13:10 to refer to the disciples’ spiritual state, except Judas, and the cleansing there is based on His forthcoming sacrifice (John 13:8, where He says, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me”). John 15:3 cannot be separated from this. Jesus’ teaching cleans them because His words lead them to faith in Him and His saving work, not because the words themselves remove sin apart from His sacrifice.
The Gospel of John also makes it clear that cleansing and forgiveness come through belief in Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and through His flesh and blood given for life (John 6:53–56). At no point does Jesus say that doctrinal understanding cleanses sin.
Rather, His teaching points to His identity as the One who would shed His literal blood for the forgiveness of sins. SCJ exports John 15:3 out of its relational and redemptive context and imports their doctrinal system into it. The “word” cleanses because it reveals Christ, and those who believe in Him are cleansed by His sacrifice. It does not support the idea that cleansing comes only after accepting Shincheonji interpretation.
Scripture consistently teaches that sin is forgiven through Christ’s sacrificial death and through faith in Him, not through doctrinal mastery. Jesus explicitly connects forgiveness to His blood in passages such as Matthew 26:28 (“This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”).
Hebrews repeatedly affirms this truth, stating that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22) and that Christ “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Believers are cleansed not by knowledge but by His blood applied to them through faith, as stated in Hebrews 10:19–22 and 1 John 1:7, where “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”
The apostles teach that righteousness comes through faith in Christ, not through human effort or intellectual enlightenment. Romans 3:24–26 declares that believers “are justified by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” and that God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement “through faith in His blood.”
Ephesians 1:7 echoes this, saying, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Revelation itself affirms that those redeemed are ransomed “by His blood” (Revelation 5:9) and made priests to God. Revelation 7:14 does not redefine blood as doctrine but continues this same theme: robes are made white by the atoning blood of the Lamb, applied to those who believe. Scripture never teaches that doctrinal knowledge cleanses sin. It teaches that Christ’s sacrifice does, and that believers receive this cleansing through faith in Him.
The Great Multitude in White
A consistent pattern appears throughout the book of Revelation in which the Apostle John hears one thing and then looks and sees another, revealing a deeper or fuller reality. This pattern is already evident in Revelation 5:5–6, where John first hears about “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but when he looks, he sees “a Lamb standing as though slain.” The same structure appears again in Revelation 7. In verses 1 through 8 John hears the number of the sealed, 144,000, described with the tribal language of Israel.
Then in Revelation 7:9, when he looks, he sees not a limited number but a “great multitude that no one could number” from every nation and tribe and people and language. The second vision is not a contradiction of the first but a revealing of the larger reality behind it.
The 144,000 represent the covenant people of God, sealed and secure, while the great multitude reveals the full global scope of those redeemed through the Lamb. Rather than referring to a single physical organization, as Shincheonji teaches, the pattern of hearing and then seeing shows that the people of God are far more numerous and diverse than the symbolic number suggests. This interpretive structure helps us understand that the great multitude is the worldwide redeemed church, not a narrow group restricted to one modern movement.
Shincheonji’s interpretation of the Great Multitude directly contradicts the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18–20. According to SCJ, the gospel preached throughout the world for the past 2,000 years has been incomplete or even false, and people could not receive true salvation until the doctrines of LMH were revealed at the second coming.
Yet Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, teaching them everything He commanded, and He promised to be with them “to the end of the age.” If the gospel preached by the apostles and the global church could not save anyone, then Jesus would have sent His followers to spread a message that was powerless and untrue. That would mean Jesus intentionally launched a mission that could not bring salvation and then waited two millennia to reveal the real message through a single man in Korea.
This overturns the entire purpose of the Great Commission, nullifies the effectiveness of the apostolic gospel, and contradicts the promise that the gates of Hades would not overcome Christ’s church. The global multitude in Revelation 7 is not evidence of a failed gospel but of a successful one, fulfilling the very mission Jesus gave to His disciples.
Revelation 7:15 – 17
Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[a]
nor any scorching heat.
17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”
Shincheonji’s Perspective
Shincheonji teaches that Revelation 7:15–17 describes the spiritual condition of the Great Multitude in White after they have been harvested, sealed, and gathered into the twelve tribes of Shincheonji at the time of the physical fulfillment of Revelation.
In this view, the throne of God does not refer to a literal heavenly throne but to God’s dwelling place among His people on earth during the fulfillment. When the great multitude “stands before the throne” and “serves Him day and night in His temple,” this refers to the believers who have entered Shincheonji, the restored spiritual temple, and who now worship God correctly according to the revealed word. SCJ sees the “sheltering” presence of God as His protection over the sealed community, who remain safe during the judgment and the “great tribulation.” Their spiritual hunger and thirst cease because they now receive “the food at the proper time,” the revealed truth that only the Promised Pastor can provide.
In this interpretation, the Lamb “at the center of the throne” shepherds the great multitude by working through the one who overcomes the promised pastor at the time of fulfillment. Since Jesus is in spirit, SCJ teaches that He leads His people on earth through the pastor who has received the opened scroll and the testimony of Revelation. The “springs of living water” symbolize the revealed word that flows continuously through the Promised Pastor to the twelve tribes. The wiping away of tears refers to the spiritual healing and restoration experienced by those who leave the corrupted world of Babylon (traditional Christianity) and come into the new heaven and new earth, the kingdom restored on earth. Therefore, Revelation 7:15–17 is not describing the final heavenly state but the present spiritual reality of the sealed believers who have entered the completed kingdom during the physical fulfillment of Revelation.
Doctrinal Issues
The description in Revelation 7:15–17 presents the final, eternal state of the redeemed people of God in the presence of the Father and the Lamb. The great multitude stands before the throne of God, serving Him day and night in His heavenly temple, and God shelters them with His presence. Their hunger, thirst, and suffering are removed forever, and the Lamb who is at the center of the throne becomes their Shepherd.
He leads them to springs of living water, and God wipes away every tear from their eyes. This imagery recalls the promises found in Isaiah 49:10 and Ezekiel 34, where God Himself becomes the Shepherd of His people and brings them into a place of perfect rest. Revelation applies these promises directly to the Lamb, which shows that Jesus shares the divine identity and fulfills the role that God claimed for Himself in the Old Testament.
This heavenly scene is not a picture of life inside a physical organization on earth, nor is it the result of following the doctrines of a single modern figure. The blessings described are final, eternal, and heavenly. They do not represent a return to physical comfort during an earthly “millennial” ministry and they cannot be reduced to a symbolic description of joining a religious group. The Lamb’s position in the center of the throne shows absolute divine authority, not the delegated authority of a human leader. Only God can wipe away every tear, remove suffering forever, and lead His people to the waters of eternal life. To apply these divine actions to any human “overcomer” is to confuse the roles of God and man.
Furthermore, the passage emphasizes that the great multitude already stands in the completed presence of God, not in a transitional period of learning “revealed word.” Their robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, which points to the finished work of Christ’s atonement, not to acceptance of a new set of doctrines. The everlasting comfort, perfect protection, and direct shepherding described here are the culmination of salvation history. They reflect the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises through Jesus Christ. Shincheonji’s interpretation cannot account for these eternal realities and instead shifts the focus away from the Lamb’s completed saving work toward a human-centered doctrinal system. Revelation 7 closes the vision by directing all glory to God and the Lamb alone, not to any earthly figure who claims to fulfill their role.
Conclusion
Revelation 7 presents one of the most radiant portraits of salvation in all of Scripture. Its message is simple, consistent, and Christ-centered. The great multitude is a global, redeemed people who have been washed clean through the blood of the Lamb. They stand before the throne of God, sheltered by His presence, led by the Lamb who shares the very throne and glory of the Father. Every detail of the passage points upward to the completed work of Christ and the final heavenly rest prepared for the people of God. Nothing in the text suggests a human mediator, a new doctrinal system, or a physical organization functioning as the true temple on earth.
Shincheonji’s interpretation breaks down under the weight of the biblical evidence. In order to sustain its system, SCJ must redefine nations, tribes, peoples, and languages, remove the scene from heaven and relocate it to their organization, reinterpret blood as doctrine rather than atonement, and transfer the shepherding of the Lamb to a human leader. Each of these reinterpretations isolates verses from their context, contradicts the broader testimony of Scripture, and diminishes the glory that Revelation gives exclusively to God and the Lamb. When the text is allowed to speak for itself, without the imposition of a parable dictionary or outside framework, the meaning is unmistakable. The multitude is global, the cleansing is by Christ’s blood, the throne is heavenly, and the Shepherd is the Lamb Himself.
Revelation was written to exalt Jesus Christ and to strengthen the faith of believers in every nation throughout the centuries. Its purpose was never to create a new spiritual hierarchy or elevate a future figure to the level of Christ. The consistent witness of Scripture affirms that salvation belongs to God and the Lamb, that worship belongs only to them, and that every tribe, language, people, and nation will be gathered into one kingdom through the gospel given by Christ to His apostles. By restoring Revelation 7 to its biblical context, we recover its true beauty and meaning. The passage calls us to behold the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, who shepherds His people into eternal life, and who alone deserves all honor, glory, power, and praise forever.