Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation (BDS) is a fundamental, recurring pattern and logical sequence of events found throughout the Bible, specifically highlighted as the core framework of biblical prophecies and their fulfillment. This order is crucial for understanding prophecies, particularly those concerning the second coming of Jesus.
Here’s a quick overview of each component:Betrayal:
◦ Meaning: Betrayal is defined as turning one’s back on God, who is truth, or breaking a covenant with God. It doesn’t apply to those who never knew God.
◦ Mechanism: It is often preceded by deception, which occurs due to people’s ignorance and unbelief in God’s word. Satan (the devil or ancient serpent) is the primary instigator of betrayal, using deception to lead people astray and divide them from God.
◦ Involvement: In biblical history, God’s chosen people repeatedly betrayed their covenant with Him. This includes Adam’s world, Noah’s world, Moses’ world, Joshua’s world, and Spiritual Israel. In the New Testament, the “betrayers” are figuratively referred to as dogs, pigs, and lost sheep, representing those who were once of God but returned to their old ways or lost their shepherd. At the time of Revelation’s fulfillment, the seven messengers (stars/lampstands) and their tabernacle, initially chosen by God, betray their first love by accepting Satan’s teachings and committing spiritual adultery.
Destruction:
◦ Meaning: Destruction is the consequence of betrayal, where God’s chosen people are handed over to their enemies or destroyed by gentiles. It often refers to spiritual death rather than physical death.
◦ Mechanism: When the chosen people betray God, their “veil of protection goes down,” allowing destroyers to invade and conquer them. This destruction is carried out by “destroyers,” who are identified as Satan’s forces. They destroy with lies and falsehood, targeting those who have betrayed because they no longer have God’s protection.
◦ Involvement: The “destroyers” are frequently represented by figures like the beast with seven heads and ten horns, the Nicolaitans, or Babylon. These destroyers infiltrate and devastate God’s tabernacle or chosen people.
Salvation:
◦ Meaning: Salvation is the restoration of God’s kingdom and people after betrayal and destruction. It is a process of being freed from sin and death, and receiving eternal life.
◦ Mechanism: Salvation is accomplished through a new pastor or savior whom God selects. This savior leads the creation of a new kingdom and a new covenant with God’s people.
◦ Involvement: Those who overcome the betrayers and destroyers attain salvation. This new kingdom, often referred to as New Spiritual Israel, includes the 144,000 sealed individuals and a great multitude. Salvation is achieved by those who listen to and believe the word of God, repent, wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb (representing Jesus’ sacrifice and the word of life), and remain faithful to the end. It’s a destination one strives for, not a permanent state of being, meaning a person can leave this path.
See Terms:
Shincheonji’s Story of Betrayal, Destruction, and Salvation
Shincheonji (Korean “New Heaven and New Earth”) is a new religious movement founded by Lee Man-hee in South Korea [1]. It centers its theology on the belief that the entire biblical narrative – especially the Book of Revelation – is fulfilled through a recurring pattern of betrayal, destruction, and salvation in the modern day. In fact, Shincheonji teaches as a core doctrine that the Bible’s prophecies follow a sequence of betrayal, destruction, and salvation, culminating in God establishing a new kingdom after each cycle [1]. According to Shincheonji, this pattern has reached its ultimate fulfillment in the church’s own history: an elect group betrayed God, a “destroyer” figure brought judgment on that group, and finally salvation came through a “promised pastor” (Lee Man-hee) who gathers the faithful remnant into a New Heaven and New Earth.
Below, we explain this concept through Shincheonji’s storytelling in two stages – first describing the physical events of fulfillment in Shincheonji’s history, and then unpacking their figurative meanings and how they correspond to the prophecies in Revelation. A comparative timeline is also provided to align Shincheonji’s historical narrative with specific Revelation passages.
Physical Fulfillment in Shincheonji’s History
Betrayal: The Fall of the Tabernacle Temple
Shincheonji traces its origin story back to a Christian group called the Tabernacle Temple, founded in 1966 by Yoo Jae-yeol in Gwacheon, South Korea [3]. According to Shincheonji, this church was the modern-day fulfillment of the “seven golden lampstands” in Revelation 1:20 — a chosen group raised by God to begin the final work of salvation [3, 4].
However, Shincheonji teaches that just like in previous eras, this chosen group betrayed God. Yoo Jae-yeol is said to have made false prophetic claims — notably that the world would end in 1969 — and elevated himself to positions associated with Revelation (such as the “angel with the little scroll”) [5]. Disillusionment and division followed. Leaders of the seven branch churches, whom Shincheonji equates to the “seven stars” in Revelation 2–3, also began to fall into corruption or leave the church [3].
Destruction: The Destroyers Invade
Following the betrayal, a figure named Oh Pyung-ho entered the Tabernacle Temple in the 1970s. Shincheonji identifies him as the “destroyer” — the one prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 as the “man of lawlessness” who exalts himself in God’s temple [6].
In Shincheonji’s view, Oh and his followers infiltrated the Tabernacle Temple and ultimately led it to collapse. This event, they claim, fulfills Revelation 13, where the beast is “given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them” [4]. By 1980, the Tabernacle Temple was fully dismantled and absorbed into a larger Presbyterian denomination [7]. This, Shincheonji claims, was the fall of Babylon, as referenced in Revelation 17–18.
Salvation: The One Who Overcomes
After witnessing the betrayal and destruction, Lee Man-hee, who had been a member of the Tabernacle Temple, left and began proclaiming a new message. In 1984, he established the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony [1, 2].
Lee claims to be the “one who overcomes” mentioned in Revelation 2–3 — the one who receives all the promises made to the churches — and also the male child born in Revelation 12, who overcomes the dragon (Satan) with the word of his testimony [4]. The founding of Shincheonji is interpreted as the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation 21:1.
From that point on, Shincheonji teaches that the work of harvest and sealing began. Those who join Shincheonji and receive its teachings are seen as fulfilling Revelation 7 and 14 — the 144,000 sealed and the great multitude dressed in white [3].
Figurative Meanings and Spiritual Fulfillment
Shincheonji teaches that the events described above are not only historical but also symbolic. They are said to reveal the spiritual reality behind biblical prophecy.
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Betrayal represents the failure of God’s chosen people to keep His covenant. Just as Judas betrayed Jesus at the first coming, the leaders of the Tabernacle Temple betrayed God at the Second Coming [5].
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Destruction is the judgment upon those who betray. In the Bible, God uses outside forces (like Babylon or the beast) to judge corrupt churches. Shincheonji teaches that Oh Pyung-ho fulfilled this role in destroying the former temple [6].
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Salvation comes through a new leader — the promised pastor — who overcomes the deception, receives the opened scroll (Revelation 10), and testifies to the fulfillment of the entire book of Revelation [2, 4].
The goal of salvation is to create a new kingdom, the Twelve Tribes of Shincheonji, mirroring the twelve tribes listed in Revelation 7. Each tribe is named after an apostle and led by a tribe leader. Those who belong to these tribes are said to be the firstfruits and priests of God’s new creation [3].
Shincheonji teaches that only through understanding the fulfilled realities of Revelation can one be saved. They emphasize the need for spiritual discernment, claiming that traditional churches are now part of “Babylon” and have become spiritually defiled. Leaving them and joining Shincheonji is seen as obeying Revelation 18:4: “Come out of her, my people.”
Conclusion
To Shincheonji members, this story — of betrayal, destruction, and salvation — is not merely theological theory but real history. It is their testimony that God’s plan has been fulfilled in Korea through specific people and events, and that the Book of Revelation has been fully realized in the flesh.
Lee Man-hee, as the “one who overcomes,” is seen not as a new messiah but as the final witness — the one who heard and saw all the events of Revelation, fulfilling Revelation 22:16. His testimony, they believe, is the only path to salvation at the Second Coming.
Whether or not one accepts these claims, understanding Shincheonji’s narrative helps explain its powerful appeal, its intense focus on prophecy, and its global recruitment efforts — all of which are rooted in this deeply structured story of betrayal, destruction, and salvation.
Sources
Additional References for more Exploration
Please take the time to check the Bible verses we’ve provided as references. Use them as a guide for your own understanding and discernment. It’s important to verify and confirm information with external sources, witnesses, and experts to ensure validity and transparency. Additionally, remember to pray for wisdom as you seek to identify any errors and ensure that your understanding aligns with biblical teachings.