frequently asked questions

The full name of Shincheonji is “Shincheonji, Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony”.

As the name mentions, the founder of the church is Jesus.

The core foundational beliefs of Shincheonji are based on the teachings of the Bible. the Bible not only serves as words of instruction but also words of promise for a world where there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain (Rv 21:4). That promise fulfills at the time of the Second Coming of Jesus. Because SCJ believes in the Bible as the words of promise God has left believers, there is a promise of a promised teaching, promised pastor and promised temple mentioned all throughout Genesis to Revelation.

Chairman Man Hee Lee is an individual that is leading Shincheonji on the forefronts in the work of fulfilling the words promised in the Bible. He is an instrument used by the heavens to fulfill this work and the reality of the pastor promised in the New Testament by Jesus Christ.

If one knows the promises of the Bible well, one would be able to see that he is really someone who is fulfilling the work of God today, just as how Jesus did the same at the time of the First Coming (Jn 14:11).

Shincheonji is a church, but there is also a general assembly that exists within. It is no different like the other denominations of religion (e.g. United Presbyterian Church) where there exists a general assembly that constitute personnel who is involved in the governing body within that religious denomination. He is given the title “Chairman” because he is the head of the governing body of Shincheonji.

Contrary to popular belief, it does not represent that he is part of a business or corporation, but the title Chairman comes from a Korean biblical term meaning the head of God’s assembly. 

There are twelve tribes in Shincheonji. Because it is a place that is promised in the Bible, the number of tribes in Shincheonji isn’t an arbitrary number, but rather, it follows the words of Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Physical Israelites, God’s chosen people were those born of the 12 sons (tribes) of Jacob. At the First Coming, Jesus established Christianity through the 12 disciples. Likewise, it is the same today and there are twelve tribes in Shincheonji as promised in the Bible regarding the time of Revelation. Today is the time when the twelve tribes are created and sealed (Rv 7), and there is a reality to them.

Shincheonji is a place that is created according to the Bible. The words of the Bible is like the blueprint and according to that blueprint, the structure of Shincheonji was created. This includes the four departments. 

In the scriptures, the throne of God is described to have the four living creatures (Rv 4, Ez 1), each with many angels under it. Likewise, the four departments serve as the reality of the blueprint the Bible paints of these four living creatures found by God’s throne. As created in heaven, the four departments have been created here on earth and each congregation member belongs to one of the four departments: Men’s, Women’s, Young Adults’, and Elder’s. 

Shincheonji believes in the words of promise of the Bible. According to Rv 7, there are 144,000 who are sealed with God’s name and Jesus’ name on their foreheads.  However, they are not the only ones saved. In Rv 7:9, it says that after the 144,000, a great multitude that no one can count from every nation, tribe, people and languages will appear. This multitude that appears will come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb (Rv 7:14). God’s heart and desire is for all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:3-4). 

Shincheonji believes in the words of promise of the Bible as the standard. God, who wrote the Holy Bible, is one who speaks and fulfills what He has spoken. The Bible promises that there will be a time of the end. At the first coming, Jesus’ coming was labelled also as the “last days” or “time of the end” (Heb 1:1-2, Heb 9:26). Jesus promised in Matthew 13, 24, and 25 about the events that would happen at the time of the end. Because this is what Jesus promised, we must understand it according to Scripture and be able to perceive its fulfillment again. 

If Shincheonji believes in the promise of the Bible, where there will be no more death, mourning, crying and pain – why would Shincheonji intentionally spread the coronavirus to different churches and communities? That goes against the life that is promised in the Bible.

Everyone of this world is a victim of the virus. It was the government who should have done better by regulating the movement of people to and out its national borders. We should stop playing the blame game and work together to fix the problem, which Shincheonji is trying their best to do.

Just as how the Bible promises in Revelation 14 that there will be a great multitude dressed in white, those who are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb will appear.

The act of dressing in white is so that those who know the Bible will be able to realize the fulfillment of the 144,000 and the multitude in white that are found in Shincheonji. But more than the outward, the inward cleansing of the robes of our heart is what we desire to present before God.

Like many organizations and groups in the world, there are certain qualifications that an individual needs to meet before being part of it.

For Shincheonji, that process entails being able to learn the Bible for a 6-9 month period. In between that period, students take several tests regarding the content taught. It is no different than education in the world. Schools administer tests to their student to test the content that was taught to them. This can help determine whether or not one is capable of moving on to the next stage of their education.

Biblically speaking, for one to be deemed as a part of the church of Christ in early Christianity, they had to go through a phase of being educated (Acts 11:26). Shincheonji welcomes all to learn the Bible without cost in its Zion Christian Mission Centers, a place of theological learning. 

Deception is defined as “when one causes someone to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage”. Deception is not a tactic that Shincheonji encourages. Shincheonji has opened its doors for all to learn about its theology, volunteers openly with the community, engages in sports and culture competitions as “Shincheonji” teams (and wins accolades), and has made many materials public online through the official website, YouTube channel, and dedicated theology school website.

Propaganda is when “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize in a specific point of view”. Shincheonji does not mislead people by framing information in a specific point of view. There are promotional materials that Shincheonji has provided offline and online, explaining its events and the church. This is no different from the promotional material that you would easily find with other churches or organizations.

At the First Coming, to “pass the test” is to be able to recognize and understand the prophecies of the OT and its fulfillment through the eyes of God’s word. Today, at the time of the Second Coming, the test for all believers is the same. Shincheonji believes in equipping all who have the desire to learn with the proper understanding of the OT and NT Scriptures, its prophecies, and fulfillment today.

Members in the Church do take tests (most tests provide the answers in advance) as a way to help people study and be fully equipped with God’s word.

Many missionaries of different religious group and philanthropist give up their lives to do work they deem as ‘good’ and are personally passionate about.

Some members decide to engage in full-time missionary work because they are personally passionate about it and see it as a fulfilling way to live. This is every individual’s personal decision.

Many members in Shincheonji carry out full-time occupations, are parents and grandparents, take care of their families, engage in hobbies and community groups. Carrying out a life of faith may involve giving up things that we no longer see as beneficial to us, but it does not require anyone to “give up their life” or important aspects of it. 

What is your definition of a ‘friend’? A friend can be a confidant you trust in, someone that you engage in different hobbies and activities with, or someone that is just an acquaintance you see often. There are Facebook friends, Instagram friends, etc. online as well. 

Often times, the process of evangelism takes a lot of heart and care from the evangelist’s side to get people to open their hearts up and learn the Word. It can take months of sincere prayer, heartbreak, setbacks before someone is ready to learn the Word and devote more of themselves to Christ. Just as the apostles and disciples continued to preach to the people with a desperate heart, the people of Shincheonji also reach out to loved ones, friends, and the general community to bring them to the Word. 

Chairman Lee Man Hee is not Jesus. He is someone who was chosen, used, and together with the spirit of Jesus. He is the one who receives the iron scepter from Jesus (Rv 2:26-27) and the one whom the spirit of Jesus is one with as promised in the Bible.

He is not Jesus; he is a flesh in which the spirit of Jesus works through to carry out the work that Jesus promised 2,000 years ago. Lee Man Hee has never claimed that he is Jesus, nor is there record of him doing so. 

The God of the Christian Bible is a God of order, not a God of chaos. All throughout the Bible, God organized and counted His people and His people move altogether as one unit (for example, during the time of Moses).

This is clearly seen through the description of the spiritual realm as seen in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation. If that is how God paints His throne and home to be like, shouldn’t that same image be present in the place that is heaven on earth? During the time when we offer worship to God, we show our gratitude, reverence, and respect to God by making sure that everything is neat, orderly, and glorifying to God. 

Since the organization started in Korea, a large portion of Shincheonji-related writings and materials are only available in Korean at this time. All translations are done by members who voluntarily translate materials from Korean into other languages, such as English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Unfortunately, we do not have volunteer translators available for all languages. 

Shincheonji, however, is the place promised in the Bible where all nations will stream to and which through all nations will be healed (Is 2:2-4, Rv 22:1-2). As multitudes stream in, we hope that we will soon be able to provide all in every language.