I recently found the pdf for Lee Man-Hee’s book ‘Revelation’s Reality’ published December 1985 and have been slowly reading through it. I’ve also noticed that some members are claiming there have not been any changes to SCJ doctrine, there have only been updates. I decided to compile a few clear examples of changes just from this book.

To summarise, these are the changes in order of most clearly changed:

1. The 3.5 days the witnesses are dead in Rev 11:9 was taught to be 3.5 years of jail + probation but is now taught to be 3.5 days from 30 Jan – 2 Feb 1981
2. The measuring rod in Rev 11:1 was taught to be the Word from God (similar to the scroll in Rev 10) but is now taught to be the 2nd witness
3. The 7,000 killed in Rev 11:13 was taught to be symbolic of the leaders of Tabernacle Temple (Babylon) not being successful, but is now taught to be the members of the congregation.
4. The beast of the earth in Rev 13 was taught to be Lee Cho-joo but is now taught to be Oh Pyeong-ho (listed last because names are not explicitly mentioned, but I think the evidence is undeniable anyway)

Let’s take a closer look at each of these apparent changes with excerpts from ‘Revelation’s Reality’ (1985) as well as examples of current teaching.

1. The 3.5 days the two witnesses are dead in Rev 11:9, :11

Page 167 translated: After three and a half days, breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood up on their horses, and the onlookers were greatly afraid. When they heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Come up here, they ascended on clouds into heaven. Even the enemies watched (Rev 11:11-12)

The three-and-a-half days suggested in the text means three and a half years, the sum of the actual sentences received by the two witnesses and the probation period.

Page 165 translated: In this way, they have repeatedly called for repentance and awakening by repeating the same evidence. However, the messengers of the reserve altar and the people would have dismissed it at first, thinking it was just a talk of a poor man. With patience and perseverance, the Witness continued to send letters of testimony. Later, the Seven Heads of Enemies and the group of apostates began to protest, and finally, as described above, they filed a complaint with the prosecution. As a result, the beast that came up from the abyss started a war between the two witnesses.

As already recorded, the two witnesses were detained by the prosecution and sentenced to one hundred days in prison. One thing we need to understand here is the passage that prevented the burial of his body for three and a half days. In conclusion, prohibiting the burial of the bodies of the two witnesses does not mean killing their bodies or imprisoning them in a brigade for three and a half years, equivalent to three and a half days. Since the two witnesses were detained at the protests that year they began and finished their witnesses, in effect a year passed.

Page 166 translated: He was released and released in February of the following year. However, when released, the sentence was suspended for two and a half years, and the period of disciplinary action reached three and a half years. Also, the word “killed” does not mean physical death, and the suspension was given so that he could not testify to the word, so he ended up in a dead position.

In other words, the Word is life. The fact that the missionary who had to bear witness to this word of life became unable to do the work was virtually the same as losing his life.

Current teaching can be found in the Revelation 11 lecture uploaded to youtube. It teaches that the 3.5 days are fulfilled between 30 Jan – 2 Feb 1981 as seen in this slide: screenshot of lecture and in the ‘Physical Fulfillment of Revelation’ book Page 245

Now we’ve seen the evidence, let’s compare what was previously taught with what is taught now:

Previous doctrine: The 3.5 days were figurative of the 3.5 years the two witnesses were stopped from fulfilling their duty. The two witnesses were imprisoned for 100 days followed by 2.5 years probation, but because the 100 days were at the end of the year, it was a new year by the time they were released so it can be considered a year: 1 + 2.5 = 3.5 years. Because they could not fulfill their duty during this time it was said they were spiritually dead.

Current doctrine: The 3.5 days were 3.5 literal days between 30 Jan 1981 – 2 Feb 1981.

2. The reed like a measuring rod in Rev 11:1

Page 155 translated:1. The staff, the reed, and the forty-two months of punishment

And he gave me a reed like a measuring rod, and said, Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it; but do not measure the court outside the temple, but leave it alone. (Rev 11:1~2)

Apostle John received and ate the little book in chapter 10. This time he receives a reed like a measuring rod. Receiving the little book and receiving the measuring rod and reeds are related, and they are both words from God.

Current doctrine teaches that the reed like a measuring rod was the second witness, as seen in the ‘Physical Fulfillment of Revelation’ book: Pages 229-230

Now we’ve seen the evidence, let’s compare what was previously taught with what is taught now:

Previous doctrine: the reed like a measuring rod was taught to be the word from God, and measuring with it was said to be synonymous with judgment, such as the judgment of fire.

Current doctrine: the reed like a measuring rod is taught to be the second witness. Measurement is evaluating people’s knowledge and faith.

3. The 7,000 killed in Rev 11:13

Page 171 translated: Now, the meaning of the number seven thousand is as follows. The seven shepherds and the ten elders united, gathered their counsel and wisdom, and did their best, but in the end they collapsed when the time came. This relationship can be explained as an equation as follows.

7 (Shepherd) X10 (Elder) x 100 (Full of Wisdom) = 7,000 (Babylon)

Therefore, the symbolic meaning of the saying that the seven thousand died is not the erroneous seven thousand who suffered physical death, but the elements of Babylon indicates that the bar is broken and thus the steering is sounded. Here, 100 with all wisdom and scheming is the number 10 multiplied by 10, the perfect number containing the highest and best meanings. When an organization or individual sets a goal and fully achieves it, it is expressed as 100% achieved. This means that everything has been accomplished. Thus, seven thousand is obtained by multiplying the number by 100.

Current doctrine teaches that the 7,000 killed were congregations members who died spiritually: screenshot of lecture and ‘Physical Fulfillment of Revelation’ page 247

Now we’ve seen the evidence, let’s compare what was previously taught with what is taught now:

Previous doctrine: The number 7,000 was interpreted symbolically as the leaders of the Tabernacle Temple, the 7 lampstands and the 10 elders (12 elders – 2 who left) not achieving their goal because they betrayed.

Current doctrine: The number 7,000 is interpreted as the number of congregation members who died spiritually.

4. The beast of the earth in Rev 13

Page 201 translation: And by having one of the 17 new pastors stand on the pulpit as a representative to give a benediction, the lamb (sheep) that was ordained by the beast was brought up from the earth to the platform.

Page 202 translation: It is a question of why all the 17 new pastors became beasts, but only the pastor who gave the benediction on this day was called the beast that came up from the earth.

Ceremony Paper from 1981.9.20 2pm, with zoom in on Prayer of BenedictionBlue box translation: Benediction … appointed pastor … Pastor Lee Cho-joo

Current doctrine teaches that the beast from the earth was Mr Oh (Oh Pyeong-ho)

Now we’ve seen the evidence, let’s compare what was previously taught with what is taught now:

Previous doctrine: It was taught that the beast from the earth was the pastor who gave the prayer of benediction, and was one of the 17 new pastors. Mr Oh was the moderator (did not give prayer of benediction) and not one of the 17 new pastors, while Lee Cho-joo was the pastor who gave prayer of benediction and one of the 17.

Current doctrine: It is now taught the beast of the earth was Mr Oh.

By examining the book ‘Revelation’s Reality’ (1985) we can see that there are many parts of SCJ’s doctrine which have been completely changed and not just added to. This shows that LMH has testified incorrectly about the fulfillment of Revelation in the past and sinned according to his own interpretation of Rev 22:18-19. By adding and taking away from his testimony of the physical fulfillment of Revelation LMH has proven that he did not receive the opened scroll from God or witness the physical fulfillment of all the events of the entire Book of Revelation.

SCJ prides itself in “unlocking the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven” when it comes to their interpretation of the Bible, and more specifically Revelation.

When one doesn’t know the history of Man Hee Lee’s involvement with other sects in Korea, which I outlined here and his borrowed doctrines from the previous sects and how they all eventually lead up to the current set of SCJ teachings, they may appear to be a fresh take on the Bible. However, once one begins to compare and contrast SCJ’s literature with other Korean sects, it becomes clear that MHL was heavily influenced by the other cults around him.

A common defense when one points out that MHL was involved in numerous cults before starting SCJ is that he is only human and God can use anyone. After all, even Moses was a murderer before being chosen by God.

However, the issue is not that MHL was simply involved in cults, but that the doctrine of SCJ is taken directly from these cults and woven together with MHL at the center. One such instance of this is the use of parables to re-interpret the Bible. Let’s take a closer look at this fundamental aspect of SCJ doctrines originated in other cults.

One needs to be careful about approaching parables, because parables are easy to twist and manipulate, especially when you approach the Bible as a “parable dictionary”. Other sects in both the past and present use a similar approach to the metaphorical bible to eventually point the bible to their leader and group.

Here’s a good example of a parable that other Korean sects use that could also have differing meanings:

The parable of the Sun, Moon, and Stars:

SCJ teaches that the Sun, Moon, and Stars are about God’s chosen people and that when they darken and fall in both Matthew 24 and Revelation 6, it is a symbol of the end of the era of Christianity.

While this may seem convincing, I am willing to make the argument that this was also another borrowed doctrine.

The Unification Church, known as the Moonies, also made a similar argument, and the catch is that they have been around since the 1950s.

• https://www.unification.net/dp73/dp73-1-3.html#3.1
• “Here, for the Words to lose their light means that the period of their mission has elapsed with the coming of the new age.”

The Unification church also claims to have the open scroll, 30 years before SCJ was a reality.

The ‘parable’ of the cloud.

In SCJ, the argument goes that the cloud represents the invisible symbol of the spiritual world correct? Often, the next argument that S* would be about Matthew 17 and the transfiguration, or how God interacted with Moses in a cloud on Mt. Sinai, etc.

The WMSCOG, another Korean sect that also makes an emphasis on parables, then claims that the figurative meaning of a cloud is “flesh”, and how God will return in flesh on this earth.

You can read more about their other parable interpretations

• https://english.watv.org/truth/truth_life/content_cloud.asp

In order to back up their teachings that “clouds” figuratively represent flesh, WMSCOG then uses Hebrews 12:1 and Jude 1:12 to back up their claims.

The parable of the “new name”

WMSCOG also uses the parable of the name, and makes the argument that the new “name” points to 3 different eras, with each era God having a new name to worship with different flesh and people.

Ironically, both SCJ and WMSCOG point to a similar set of verses to justify their respective organizations, and you can also see more of their verses below:

• https://english.watv.org/truth/truth_life/content_secondcoming.asp

The parable of the Tree of Life

WMSCOG also injects their “word dictionary” of parables for the Tree of Life and their leader Ahn sahng-hong and how the entire Bible points to him and “Mother God” after building up their word dictionary. SCJ also makes a similar claim, saying that SCJ + MHL are the Tree of Life.

They both point to a similar set of verses talking about how people are figuratively represented by trees, and so are organizations. Does it mean that both orgs are wrong? The parable of the tree pointing to people is probably correct, and same with trees potentially pointing to organizations, however, notice how both WMSCOG + SCJ take it to the next step and then claim that they’re the tree of life, and all other groups aren’t?

They also point out the figurative references of Babylon.

These are just a few examples of why doing a metaphorical word dictionary of the Bible can easily lead to heresy or at least a very different meaning that would lead others down the path of different Christian sects.

People parables: New John / New Aaron Parable:

There was a sect in South America that had a leader who claimed to be a “New Aaron”, and as the name implies, was helping the lost sheep of Israel. As an SCJ member, how would you counter this person?

The issue is that God made it clear that he was going to send a Messiah to his people in the Old Testament. The “hidden secret” of a “Promised Pastor” is another claim that is ripe for abuse.

For this argument, I’m going to reference this page:

http://shinchonjiandthebible.blogspot.com/2010/06/question-for-manhee-lee-where-is-promise.html

The author does a better job at aligning his argument.

“What is the problem with this claim about a promised pastor?

First, a legitimate promise in the written word is one that everyone sees. Otherwise, it is not a true promise according to the written word (the Bible). If it were a clear promise, we should expect devoted Christians from the first century on to be talking about this coming, which we do not find in Christian writings. This means it is a promise only based on Mr. Lee´s authority, not the written word.

Second, Manhee Lee’s statement that his coming is prophesied just like Jesus’ coming is not accurate. Jesus’ coming in the Old Testament was foretold clearly. Although many of the details were disputed in the first century, no one disputed the Messianic promise itself. One Talmudic tradition says that the prophets spoke of nothing more important than the days of the Messiah. Multiple groups independently extracted promises of a Messiah, like the Essenes. The Aramaic targums (translations of the Old Testament) inserted the Messiah in many texts. Even the Samaritans believed a Messiah was to come (Jn. 4:25, 42)

Thus, when God’s voice wanted his people to believe in an important coming like the Messiah’s coming, he used clear and unambiguous language. Applied to Manhee Lee’s statement above, if there is a similar promise from God in the New Testament for a pastor, it should be equally obvious, but it’s not.”

Why do I bring this up?

Building up a word dictionary is incredibly dangerous and ripe for manipulation and abuse.

While I do believe that some of the parables that SCJ teaches are correct, oftentimes sects like SCJ use the logical fallacy association fallacy to redefine the Bible to point it towards MHL and his ‘fulfillment’ of Revelation.

You can read more about this fallacy here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy

Lastly, Man Hee Lee was not only involved with multiple other Korean sects, and not only did he obviously borrow and update the same doctrines from his cult experience to make them about himself, he was also influenced by the other sect leaders that existed during his life. Whether it was the WMSCOG, or the Unification Church, each and every sect follows a similar script of deception and the use of parable injections to not only explain the bible but also have the bible talk about their chosen special leader.

Shincheonji’s Deceptive Recruiting Style

When someone claims to be a final prophet of God, not only does one need to pay attention to their doctrines, but one also needs to pay attention to their actions. Below, I will go into detail about Shincheonji’s deceptive practices when it comes to recruitment.

The following two verses will set up my premise of my argument of why Shincheonji is a false sect, led by a false prophet.

2 Peter 2:

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³ In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Matthew 7:15-20:

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

As of today, Shincheonji has become more “open” about who they are, hosting open bible seminaries and reaching out to pastors to discuss the bible. However, what they will try to either hide, or dismiss, is their heavy use of deception in order to recruit.

A good example would be how they own https://www.exshincheonji.com/

Throughout the 38 years of Shincheonji’s existence, the sect has heavily used deceptive practices in order to recruit. Pretending to be pious Christians offering a free “non-denominational” bible study, while often times not revealing who they are right away until only after the indoctrination class has run its course.

We can see this behavior on a global scale, as it isn’t just isolated to a few bad actors or rogue churches as a Shincheonji member would try to argue.

Australia:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-08/accidentally-joining-south-korean-doomsday-group/100298774

Key Takeaways:

• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Slow buildup of more and more time being consumed by the Bible study
  • “‘His life revolved around the classes’”
  • “‘Keep it a secret’
• Figured out that it was Shincheonji only after Googling key terms

New Zealand:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116078477/wellington-man-who-left-manipulative-shincheonji-cult-issues-warning-to-others

Key Takeaways:

• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Strongly encouraged to not research about the Bible study
  • Any critical information is “poison” and “persecution”

UK
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-59381293

Key Takeaways:

• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Was told the true identity of the “Bible Study” only by the end of the class, when Jess was fully indoctrinated

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/10/exclusive-churches-warned-deceptive-cult-linked-south-korea/

• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Encouraged members to lie about their affiliation with Shincheonji to family, friends, and recruits

Singapore:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/21-members-of-unregistered-singapore-chapter-of-south-korean-cult-arrested

Key Takeaways:

• Singapore branch operated under a front group company
• SCJ was banned due to their deceptive practices and lying

Los Angeles:

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-02/secrecy-was-paramount-for-south-korean-sect-behind-surging-coronavirus-infections-including-in-socal

Key Takeaways:

• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Martinez was “disciplined” for wanting to spend time with his mom during mother’s day, and that was the final straw for him.
  • The cult claimed that he wasn’t prioritizing God

Germany:

The above video is in German, but has English subtitles, and goes in depth about the information collected on new recruits alone.

Key Takeaways:

• Personal information like name, age, address, personality type, are all collected
• No mention of the Bible study being affiliated with Shincheonji during the initial contact
• Explaination of “Leafs” and “Fruits” in the indoctrination class
  • A leaf is a current cult member, pretending to be a new member of the Bible study class to report on the “fruits” or new recruits
  • Reports can include screenshots of private text messages, summaries of private conversations, all without the fruit’s knowledge or consent

India:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/aug/13/dangerous-korean-cult-shincheonji-sends-christians-in-northeast-in-a-tizzy-2018346.html

Key Takeaways:

• Infiltrating churches to recruit, without exposing who they are

When someone is a known liar, how can you tell that they are now telling you the full truth? Take this into consideration when you interact with a Shincheonji member.

Romans 3:7-8:

7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!

Below I go into detail about Man Hee Lee’s experience with other sects in Korea, the similarities between the sects he was either directly or indirectly involved with, and how the different sects eventually heavily influenced the teachings of SCJ.

Man Hee Lee claims to be the “One who overcomes” and has eaten the “open scroll” all according to scripture. Without looking at his past involvement with other sects, it almost seems convincing since his teachings appear to be new and refreshing. However, when looking at the history of Man Hee Lee, one can come to a reasonable conclusion that the statement of Man Hee Lee truly receiving the “Open word” from an Angel of Jesus is simply not true since many of his core foundational teachings can be found in the previous sects that he was either directly or indirectly involved with.

Before starting Shincheonji and becoming the “Promised Pastor”, Man Hee Lee was involved with multiple other cults that helped shape his viewpoint of the world, and the way that he teaches the bible.

Teachings from Olive Tree Movement: (1957-1967)

• Man Hee Lee was involved with the Olive Tree Movement:
  • The Journal of CESNUR
  • https://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tjoc_4_3_1_introvigne.pdf

Park, the leader of the Olive Tree Movement, had many similar teachings to Shincheonji:

• Claimed Immortality
• Claimed he was one of the two witnesses
• Claimed he was the Overcomer
• Claimed that only in the Olive Tree one would find the hidden manna
• 144,000 would go to heaven to be with the Lord, and the countless great multitude in white
• Claimed that he was the righteous man from the east
  • https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/53079/Kim_Shincheonji_2016.pdf
  • Page 19 of the PDF
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0GAmSODb0
    • 14:45-17:35: Teachings of the Olive Tree Movement

Issues with the Olive Tree Movement:

• Sexual Abuse:
  • The leader, Park, was heavily influenced by Duk-Eun Chung, who came from North Korea and taught that salvation can only be through a sexual relation with her
    • https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/53079/Kim_Shincheonji_2016.pdf
    • (Pages 15-16)
• Physical Abuse:
  • A young mentally man was beaten to death to drive the “demons out”
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0GAmSODb0
    • 7:28
• Began to teach that Jesus was corrupted and was a “son of a b****, and same with 98% of the word of God.

After leaving the Olive Tree movement, Man Hee Lee then joined the Tabernacle Temple.

Teachings from the Tabernacle Temple

• Claimed that each parable needed to be matched with its hidden twin to truly understand the Bible
  • https://shinchonjiandthebible.blogspot.com/2010/06/all-or-nothing.html
• Made an emphasis on the “secret knowledge of the parables”

Issues with the Tabernacle Temple:

• The leader of the Tabernacle Temple came out from another sect, the Hosang Prayer group
  • The leader was involved in a sexual scandal.
• Preached that the world was going to end on a specific date, and when it didn’t happen,
• The sect was sued and prosecuted due to corruption
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0GAmSODb0
    • 18:30 – 19:30
  • https://shinchonjiandthebible.blogspot.com/2010/06/all-or-nothing.html
  • http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2020/03/398_286710.html

Teachings from Baek’s Sect, 1978:

One of the 7 messengers, Baek (aka Solomon) defected from the Tabernacle Temple and started his sect where Man Hee Lee also followed.

• Creation and recreation of God’s “Promised Pastor”
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0GAmSODb0
    • 17:45-20:00: Tabernacle Temple
    • 20:00 – 21:15: Teachings of Mr Baek’s creation and recreation

Issues with Baek’s Recreation Church:

• Baek claimed that the world was going to end in 1980.

While being actively involved with the various sects, there was another “Counselor” and “Advocate” who also made very similar claims to what Man Hee Lee stated, years before the foundation of Shincheonji.

The Advocate Koo-In-Hoo (1976)

Koo-In-ho, the Second Advocate of Christ, the below video goes into detail about the teachings of this “Advocate on behalf of Jesus”, and of course, one can see the many similarities that Man Hee Lee also claims as well.

Similarities between Koo In-ho and Man Hee Lee:

• In 1976, there was another who also claimed to be the “advocate” on behalf of Jesus.
• Claimed that he had the hidden revelation from Jesus
• Both joined and left the Olive Tree movement
• Both joined the Tabernacle Temple
• Both received a special mission from God and Jesus
• He opened the book and 7 seals
• able to interpret the different pairs of the Bible and secrets.
• “Second Advent Jesus Church”
• Son of man coming in the clouds -> Jesus coming to a flesh (similar explanation as to the WMSCOG)
• Spreading the new gospel will bring peace on earth
• Both claim to be the “counselor in flesh”
• Judgment: kings of the world (pastors) will be judged, similar to SCJ
• Counselor: The one who received the word of Revelation.

Whether Man Hee Lee was directly involved (Olive Tree Movement, Tabernacle Temple, Baek’s Recreation Church), or indirectly involved or influenced by Koo In-ho, we can see many similarities between what SCJ teaches today, and what MHL’s previous sect involvements preach as well.

For someone who was “guided by the Holy Spirit”, isn’t it a bit strange that Man Hee Lee followed many blind guides that either turned out to have failed prophecies or corruption?

And isn’t it strange that he also is using many of the same teachings from these failed sects for his revealed word?