Does Rev. 8,9 Refer to a Church in South Korea?

Dear reader,

Shinchonji teaches that an angel and a spirit-Jesus appeared to Manhee Lee on a mountain in South Korea. Also, SCJ believes that the Counselor-Holy Spirit promises in Jn. 14,16 are fulfilled by the Spirit uniting to Mr. Lee's flesh in the end-times.  Thus, Mr. Lee is an important figure in the end.

In Shinchonji thinking, he is the Apostle John figure in Revelation through whom Jesus' spirit works in the last days. He is one of the two witnesses in Rev. 11, the main fulfillment of the one who overcomes in Rev. 2,3, and the white horse (flesh) that Jesus' spirit uses to return to earth in Rev. 19.  The appearance of an angel and a spirit-Jesus to Manhee Lee is believed to be the physical fulfillment of Rev. 1:1-3 and Rev. 10.

When a pastor in the Christian world makes these claims, we must be cautious as Christians and test the revelations with the Bible (I Jn. 4:1, I Tim. 4:1).  Many leaders have been deceived by voices from the spirit world.  Of course, testing is not unkindly attacking a leader or their followers, who are loved by God.  But, it is important to avoid deception.

One of the most effective tests is to see if a revealed voice (i.e. the leader's message) matches the voice in God's written word.  In Christian thinking, God's voice found in the written word is far superior to spirit-revelations to end-time leaders.  Let's look at an example in Revelation 8 and 9.

According to Manhee Lee's book, The Truth Regarding Revelation´s Fulfillment, Jesus chose a special church in South Korea (the Church of the Seven Lampstands).  However, this church betrayed Jesus' words and was invaded by a false pastor and his associates.  (The intruders are known as the ¨destroyers¨ or ¨Nicolaitans¨ and the church members who betrayed are the ¨betrayers¨.)  These are two of the important mysteries in Revelation.

Manhee Lee interprets Rev. 8 and 9 to refer to the betrayal and destruction of the Church of the Seven Lampstands.  Since these church members betrayed Jesus (and refused to repent after being warned about the destroyers/Nicolaitans), they are punished.  The plagues in Rev. 8 and 9 refer to the punishment of those in the Church of the Seven Lampstands who refused to repent.

¨This plague of the seven trumpets is a punishment for the church of the seven golden lampstands (Rv. 6:15,16).  They are punished because they entered the caves and rocks of the gentiles even after receiving Jesus' letter telling them to repent and overcome the Nicolaitans (Rev. 2,3).  The church of the seven golden lampstands was specially chosen by God, but they failed him.  If God's chosen church betrayed him, just imagine the condition of the rest of the world's churches¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 198).

What follows is a condensed, figurative explanation of Rev. 8 and 9 from Manhee Lee's book, Creation of Heaven and Earth (pp. 197,198).  For a fuller description, please consult his book.

1.  In the first trumpet (Rev. 8:7), God's chosen people who betrayed represent the earth, trees and grass.

2.  In the second trumpet (Rev. 8:8,9), the creatures in the sea symbolize the chosen people who betrayed, and the ships are the churches of the chosen people.

3.  In the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10,11), the springs and rivers refer to pastors and evangelists from the chosen people.

4.  In the fourth trumpet (Rev. 8:12), the sun, moon, and stars represent the pastors, evangelists, and congregation members of the tabernacle of the chosen people (from the church of the seven lampstands). They are destroyed.

In Rev. 8:13, Manhee Lee teaches that when the eagle speaks of the people on earth and the next three trumpet sounds, it refers to the people of the tabernacle of the seven golden lampstands.  ¨An eagle flying in midair calls out three loud ´woes´ to those who live on the earth...The people of the earth are the people of the tabernacle of the seven golden lampstands¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 198).

5.  In the fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:1-11), the locusts are interpreted as false pastors who torture the betrayers.  The abyss refers to the churches of the Nicolaitan destroyers (who invaded the Church of the Seven Golden Lampstands).

 6.  In the sixth trumpet (Rev. 6:13-21), the heads of the horses are interpreted as seven pastors and their tails are false prophets (i.e. pastors who betrayed) that belonged to the seven pastors.  The fire, smoke, and sulfur are the doctrines of the false pastors who kill people's spirits.

Manhee Lee summarizes chapter 9 in this way, ¨In this chapter, Jesus judges the chosen people from the church of the seven golden lampstands that betrayed (Rv. 6), and these betrayers enter a gentile church.  Even after seeing a third of their spirits killed there, they still refuse to repent¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 201).

What problems do we discern with these interpretations from the spirit revelations Manhee Lee received?

First, Manhee Lee's perception of the Church of the Seven Lampstands is a problem since it was an apocalyptic movement in South Korea.  (See the article about the history of Mr. Lee before Shinchonji.)  Mr. Lee was involved in this movement and others before founding Shinchonji.

Second, when Christians read through Rev. 8 and 9, the voice in the Scriptures does not correspond to Manhee Lee's explanation in several points.  

For example, God's voice in the written word does not suggest the events are happening in a local area on earth (i.e. South Korea), but the earth at large (Rev. 8:7, 8:13, 9:18).  Manhee Lee interprets ¨earth¨ and ¨inhabitants of the earth¨ as symbols for the congregation members of the Church of the Seven Lampstands, but the meaning in the written word refers to all the people in the world.  In the Olivet discourse, Jesus also confirmed that a time of universal distress unparalleled in history would come in the end (Mk. 13:19,20).

The context of Rev. 8 and 9 is one of great distress on the whole earth where humans seek relief from their suffering.  After the fifth plague, people ¨seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will allude them¨ (Rev. 9:6).  Shinchonji's pastor interprets these deaths and suffering in spiritual terms, but who would seek spiritual deaths because of suffering?  Interpreting ¨deaths¨ as dying ¨spiritually¨ and ¨people on earth¨ to ¨people in the Church of the Seven Lampstands¨ is a voice that differs from the Bible's revelation.

This point leads to a conclusion that many Christian apologists notice in end-time groups.  The leader's interpretations of the Bible become the meaning of the text instead of the Bible's self-revelation.  Apocalyptic leaders claim that they have an anointing that gives them a hidden, deeper meaning that has been sealed in Revelation.  Thus, in their groups, their explanations are more inspired than the meanings from the text.

For instance, when Rev. 9:20,21 says that the inhabitants of the earth refused to repent, Manhee Lee teaches that it is because they betrayed Jesus.  However, there is no indication from the text that they were Christians (from a church congregation, like in Rev. 2 and 3).  The written word states that they did not repent of their great evils and sins - worshiping idols, committing murder, acts of sorcery, sexual behavior, and thefts (Rev. 9:20,21). The Bible does not reveal that they used to be a chosen people, but humankind at large.

¨The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.  And they did not repent of their murders or or their sorceries or their fornication or their thefts¨ (Rev. 9:20,21, NRSV).

As mentioned above, end-time prophets with revelations from the spirit world (angels, Jesus, the Spirit of prophecy, or God) consider themselves ¨revealers¨ of the written word.  They reveal the real, hidden interpretations to prophecies and make new connections that no Christian sees.  Their voice is God's Word to their followers (even if the written word affirms something else).

In Christian thinking, this is a severe error.  The voice in the written word is more reliable than a new voice from final leaders, especially when voices from the spirit world inspired the leaders.  Jesus' first sign of the end is pastors or prophets who come in his name (i.e. as his spokesperson on earth) and demand all Christians to follow them (Mt. 24:4,5, Lk. 21:8).  One of the most important ways to discern spiritual error is when the voice in the Bible does not match what the leader is revealing.

Manhee Lee: A Flesh-Spirit Incarnation of Jesus?

Dear reader,

Do you believe any missionary, minister, or Bible teacher could be a divine incarnation just like the Messiah in the first coming?

In Christian thinking, a final prophet who announces that that they are incarnated/indwelled by God or Jesus is a red flag.  A leader who claims to be the flesh (or human body) that Jesus uses to return to the planet would turn Christians off.

It sounds strange, but this is what Shinchonji's promised pastor teaches about himself.  Even though SCJ explains that Manhee Lee is not Jesus or God, when we read Mr. Lee's descriptions about himself, he is considered to be a unique and divine incarnation of Jesus' spirit.    

After reading through Shinchonji's blog, one Christian commented that Shinchonji makes Manhee Lee the incarnated Jesus/the body of Jesus' spirit return.  What made him think this?  

Let's look at what Shinchonji teaches about Manhee Lee's body.  What kind of spiritual indwelling does he have, according to SCJ sources?  In one website article, Shinchonji reveals that God has entered Mr. Lee just like God entered Jesus in the first coming.

¨Just as the spirit of God entered and dwelt within Jesus (Jn 14:9-11), who overcame at the time of the first coming (Jn 16:33), the holy Spirit of Truth will come and dwell within one chosen person (i.e. the one who overcomes).¨(1)

¨The one who overcomes preaches the revealed word after uniting with the spirit of the counselor, who comes in the name of the Lord (Jn 14:16-17; Jn 14:26; Jn 16:13-14). This is similar to the time of the first coming when God came to Jesus (Matt 3:16; Jn 1:32) and united with him¨ (Jn 10:30). (2)

According to Shinchonji's descriptions, the Shinchonji pastor has Jesus' spirit and the Spirit of Truth, just like when God came to Jesus.  This makes Manhee Lee the second flesh of Jesus' spirit.  It means that seeing Mr. Lee is seeing the physical embodiment of Jesus' return.   

Of course, Shinchonji does not claim that Manhee Lee is God or Jesus himself.  But, Mr. Lee is described as having a series of incarnations by spiritual beings (the Spirit of the Counselor, Jesus' spirit, and God).  The presence of God is inside the Shinchonji pastor in an exclusive way.  In an article on Rev. 1:7, SCJ teaches that when believers see Mr. Lee, they see the Lord.  

¨The fact that every eye will see him means, as discussed above, that people will see the person with whom the spirit of the Advocate has united. Seeing that person is the same as seeing the Lord.¨(3)

When I asked one Shinchonji member if Manhee Lee was the physical-Messianic coming that most Christians were waiting for, he became silent.  In the quote below, Mr. Lee is the physical body that we should expect.  According to this quote, the promise of Jesus' return is fulfilled by a spirit return that comes to Mr. Lee's body, who is the chosen one.  

¨Jesus, during the time of his first coming, promised that he would return (Jn 14:1-3). He said in Matt 23:39, “For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”  Who, then, is this one who comes in the name of the Lord?  He is the holy Spirit of Truth, the Counselor (Jn 14:16-17, Jn 14:26). The holy Spirit of Truth, who comes in the name of the Lord, will come to dwell within one person.¨(4)

¨Jesus promised that when the gospel of heaven is spread to the ends of the earth, he will return in spirit to unite with his promised pastor (Mt. 24:47)¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 143).

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(1) ¨Promised Pastor,¨ Shinchonji Website Articles. Accessed May 26th, 2010. http://healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/content/promised-pastor

(2) ¨Faith and the Promised Pastor,¨ Shinchonji Website Articles. Accessed May 20th, 2010. http://healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/content/faith-and-promised-pastor

(3) ¨What is the true meaning of Rv. 1:7?¨, Shinchonji Website Articles. Accessed May 25th, 2010. http://healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/content/what-true-meaning-rv-17

(4) ¨Promised Pastor,¨ Shinchonji Website Articles. Accessed May 26th, 2010. http://healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/content/promised-pastor

Question for Manhee Lee: Where is the Promise?

Dear reader,

Thanks for taking these points to heart.

In the last two hundred years, many final leaders have given prophecies for themselves in the written word to assure their followers that God has chosen them.  Yet, Christian researchers notice that when final leaders reveal prophecies for themselves, the biblical texts do not say what the leaders affirm.

Let´s look at an example in Shinchonji.

According to Shinchonji's public website, Manhee Lee has received information from an angel (a holy spirit), Jesus, and God.  These spiritual entities, working through Mr. Lee, reveal that the New Testament announces the coming of a final pastor.  To Mr. Lee, this is no exaggeration.

Manhee Lee's coming is just as big as the Messiah's first coming.  He writes, ¨Just as the Old Testament promises Jesus Christ (Jn. 5:39), the New Testament prophesies about this promised pastor¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 82).  ¨The Old Testament testified about one person in Jesus, God's promised pastor.  It is no exaggeration to say that the New Testament testifies about the one pastor Jesus promised¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 337).  ¨It could be said that the New Testament proclaims one pastor promised by Jesus¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 429).

In Manhee Lee's book, he explains that the Bible reveals a series of pastors and chosen people in different time periods, and that there is now a final pastor (Mr. Lee) and a final chosen people (Shinchonji) in the end. Through this final pastor God accomplishes his will in the book of Revelation.

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 in a clear way.  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.

Thirdly, when we evaluate the verses used by Shinchonji for a final pastor, they are based on circular interpretation.  That is, they are real prophecies only to Shinchonji.  Let´s look at a few examples.

  

Manhee Lee teaches that the phrase ¨the one who overcomes¨ in Rev. 2,3 refers primarily to one individual/Mr. Lee (and, in a secondary sense, to those who overcome in Shinchonji).  But, according to the testimony of the written word, it is the exact opposite.  The primary meaning refers to all those who overcome in the churches (Rev. 2:24, 3:4), not just one individual.

An unbiased reading, confirmed by Christian communities everywhere, reveals that no one sees this as a clear prophecy for one individual.  It is supposedly a secretive prediction only clear to the leader, which makes it based on his authority.  The same is true for other prophecy texts.

According to Mr. Lee, the promise of the Counselor in Jn. 14,16 refers to a final flesh (pastor).  But, this is only so because he re-defines the Counselor to include two aspects - the Spirit and another ¨flesh¨ through whom the Spirit of the Counselor works.  Further, it is not an example of a clear prophecy.  On the contrary, evidence in the text and in Acts dispels the teaching of the Counselor working through only one flesh.

Other examples can also be cited in Revelation.  However, these are only clear promises to Mr. Lee, not any other Christian community.  Again, apocalyptic leaders cite hidden prophecies for themselves based on their authority, but it needs to be shown that God in his written word has made these prophecies known. 

To justify hidden or secretive prophecies in Revelation, Manhee Lee quotes Hosea 12:10 to show that that the Apostle John in Revelation refers to a promised pastor, a new Apostle John who must appear in the future.  According to one source, in the Korean translation of Hosea 12:10, it states that ¨prophets can be used figuratively,¨ but this does not constitute a specific prophecy.

A specific promise according to the Bible is one that the voice in the written record makes known to others independently, like in the writings of the Hebrew prophets announcing the Messiah's coming.  If the written word does not make this clear, the real source of authority is the leader's revelation (from heavenly entities), which other end-time leaders have used to reveal prophecies for their coming.

Imagine a U.S. judge declaring that ¨something is clear according to the U.S. Constitution¨.  This would mean that other judges could open the Constitution and find it there.  It would be suspicious if it were only clear to this particular judge and no other judge could confirm its clarity.  It would make everything based on this judge's interpretation/perspective of the Constitution, but not the Constitution's self-revelation.

The same is true in God's Word.  One Christian lady said that after looking up Bible verses given to her of a final pastor, she was more convinced that God had not made this promise in the Bible.  According to the written word, God's voice led her in the opposite direction.

One Shinchonji instructor replied that perhaps God planned to hide this promise (i.e. seal it) from Christians.  But, this creates more problems than it answers.  First, it would make Manhee Lee's promise different than the promise of a Messiah in the Old Testament, which goes against Mr. Lee's statement above.  Second, if God truly asks believers to follow a final pastor, it would be strange to hide this promise in his written testimony and then expect everyone to believe a promise that is not clearly revealed in the Bible.

Even though the written word gives many clear prophecies about the end, Christians have never seen a clear promise to follow a world pastor who embodies Jesus' spiritual return.  Jesus' first sign of the end is a warning to stay away from leaders who come in his name and embody his expected return (Lk. 21:8, Mt. 24:4,5).  See article on Manhee Lee's claim to be the flesh-spirit union with Jesus' returning spirit.

Questions for reflection.  

In Latin America, there is a group that believes that their first leader was the new Aaron of the Christian world.  Are there any clear prophecies for a new Aaron in the Bible?  Should followers of Christ believe a promise that only a final leader makes clear to their group?     

Jesus´ Promise of the Counselor.

Dear reader,

When a final prophet appears and demands the whole Christian world to listen to him because of a revelation from spiritual entities (angels, the Spirit of prophecy, Jesus, or God), it's important to test the information with God's written word.  The written word is God's breath (or voice) to the Christian world (2 Tim. 3:16) and it's superior to revelation words.  When there is a difference, the written word should be believed, not the revealed word. 

Let's test one of the revelations in Shinchonji – the definition of the Counselor. 

In Manhee Lee's book, Creation of Heaven and Earth, he teaches that when Jesus refers to the coming of another Counselor, he is referring to another flesh and the Spirit of Truth, not just the Spirit of Truth.  "The advocate Jesus sends from heaven is both spirit and flesh" (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 436).  One Shinchonji article even calls Christians heretics for only believing in the Counselor as the Spirit of Truth instead of a human/role that the Spirit of Truth works through.

"Without even realizing that the Counselor refers to a role instead of a specific entity, many groups claim that the Counselor is the holy spirit of God.  Because they base this claims on their own faulty arguments and standards they cannot be considered orthodox; these are the actions of heretics." (1)

Both Shinchonji and Christians believe Jesus refers to the Counselor as the Spirit of Truth, but the real question is if the written word also defines the Counselor as another flesh.  Since everything must be according to the Bible (the written word), the written testimony needs to be the final authority that others can see too, not just Shinchonji.

What points make Shinchonji's revelation unreliable?

First, spirit entities to other prophets have misapplied the Counselor meaning and tried to use this same promise in their movements (see the Muslim and Baha’i application of the Counselor promise to their prophets).  The arguments are complex too.  Thus, this should make us suspicious.

Second, for centuries Christians have read the account of the Counselor in Jn. 14:16 and no Christian church has believed that Jesus' voice was referring to another flesh.  If God wanted believers to follow another flesh, it should be clear that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit and ¨a flesh¨.  If only the Counselor-flesh sees Jesus referring to a flesh role, it is circular. 

In Christian thinking, Jesus was not saying the Spirit of the Counselor would enter only one flesh.  The written word points to the Spirit of Truth entering many Spirit-empowered followers.  The Counselor would be invisible and would come to Jesus' followers shortly.  This Counselor would be with Jesus' disciples forever. 

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (Jn. 14:16,17).    

Third, another problem is that Manhee Lee rests on a Korean-Chinese translation of ¨advocate¨ as if this were the original language in God's Word.  Mr. Lee uses the Chinese-Korean word, ¨Bohaesah¨ for ¨advocate¨, which means ¨someone who helps alongside, a teacher who protects with grace¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 434, 435).  Thus, Mr. Lee says, "Any pastor who belongs to God must speak God's word on God's behalf, protect God's people with grace, and teach only the words of the path leading to God" (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 435).

This Korean-Chinese translation lends to Manhee Lee's teaching in a physical teacher.  But, the real definition is what Jesus says.  In Jesus' definition, Christians only see the second, divine Counselor-presence being God's Holy Spirit.

Fourth, Manhee Lee uses a spirit-flesh teaching to support the Spirit of the Counselor entering his flesh.  He says that "just as" God's spirit entered and worked through Jesus, the Spirit of the Counselor must enter and work through the last pastor.  He writes, "Spirit(s) work through flesh.  That is, a spirit chooses a person and uses that person to speak and work on its behalf" (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 437).  He then uses the example of the spirit of Elijah working through the flesh of John the Baptist.  See our article on this point.

Even if there are cases where God or spirits work through flesh (like in the case of Judas), it is not true that spirits always work through flesh.  In the written word, spirits can work through visions and dreams (Mt. 2:13), through voices (Ac. 8:26), and through temporary bodies of their own (Gen. 18, 19).  God, who is spirit, speaks in many ways (Heb. 1:1).  Manhee Lee needs to show that Jesus specifically said that the Spirit would be another flesh, not just the Holy Spirit.

Fifth, in Ac. 1:4,5, Jesus revealed that the promise of the Father (the Counselor) would come shortly. If Manhee Lee's revelation is correct, then it implies that Jesus only sent the apostles 50% of the promise in the first century and they were without the real Counselor-flesh in their time.  

What is the importance of this Counselor-flesh doctrine?

If true, it means that Manhee Lee is the flesh of God's spirit and the mouth of God's spirit.  This is seen in the way he compares himself to Jesus.  According to Mr. Lee, since God's spirit united to Jesus' flesh, people who heard Jesus were hearing God and people who saw Jesus were seeing God.  The same has happened to Mr. Lee.  Since he has this same indwelling, those who hear him and see him are hearing and seeing God.

"At the first coming, God, who is spirit, worked within Jesus.  This is why Jesus said that anyone who saw him had seen the Father (Jn 14:8-10, 12:44-46).  It is also why Jesus was able to tell people that his words were not his own, but they were the words of the Father who sent him…Just as God, who is also a spirit, worked through Jesus' flesh, the spirit of the truth, who acts as our advocate, dwells within and speaks through the promised pastor (Jn 14;16-17, Rev. 19:9-10, 22:8,9)" (Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 438,439).  "The spirit of the advocate, who comes in the name of Jesus, is the one who speaks on behalf of Jesus.  Therefore, the person who receives the spirit of the advocate also becomes the advocate that speaks on behalf of Jesus.  Just as Jesus and God are one (Jn 10:30), the pastor to whom the spirit of the advocate comes unites with that spirit (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 440). 

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Appendix: What about the Counselor who teaches us ¨all truth¨ in Jn. 16:13-15?  Do Christians know ¨all truth¨ if they have the Spirit of the Counselor? 

I have heard Shinchonji instructors use this argument to show that Christians today do not have the Spirit of the Counselor or the promise from Jesus because they do not know ¨all truth¨.  The idea is that only a leader with perfect mastery of the Bible has the Spirit of the Counselor. 

Manhee Lee uses a Korean translation, tongdal, of ¨searches¨ in 1 Cor. 2:10 to mean ¨master, be well-versed in, or have thorough knowledge of something¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 441).  Having perfect mastery is a sign of the Spirit-Counselor in Mr. Lee.  He writes, ¨Since 1 Cor. 2:10 says that the spirit searches even the deep things of God, we can recognize the promised pastor as the person who has mastered the Bible and who is teaching it accordingly.  The promised pastor, who has united with the spirit of truth, has mastered the Bible through the word of truth and is teaching it in Shinchonji Church of Jesus and at Zion Christian Mission Center¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 441, 442).

Thus, Shinchonji gives ¨all truth¨ a mastery-definition that applies to Shinchonji, which is self-defining and circular.  In context, Jesus refers to the truths that the Spirit would reveal to them in the lives of the apostles, which is seen in Acts and in the epistles.  This is what Paul recognizes in I Cor. 2:10-13.  The Spirit has shown them things from God, not from the wisdom of man.  Lastly, according to Vine's Dictionary of Greek words, the word for ¨searches¨ in I Cor. 2:10 is ¨eraunao/ereuna,¨ which means ¨search¨ or ¨examine¨ (2).

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(        (1) ¨The founder of a church, the Counselor, and holy spirits,¨ Shinchonji Website Articles. Accessed January 11, 2014. http://shinchonjireport.blogspot.com/2012/10/shinchonji-leemanhee-founder-of-church_19.html

      (2)  http://studybible.info/vines/Search

A Review of Manhee Lee's Book, ¨Creation of Heaven and Earth.¨

This edited article comes from a professor in California, a Christian, who read through Manhee Lee's book, Creation of Heaven and Earth (1), and submitted this review.  

________________________________

Some Thoughts on Manhee Lee, The Creation of Heaven and Earth

(Shinchonji Press, 2009)

I am impressed with Mr. Lee’s familiarity with the terrain of the scriptures. The crux of course comes with his interpretation of them, and with whether one can agree with his claims. He complicates this process of discernment on almost every page by asserting that anyone who does not completely agree with him is destined for the lake of fire. He sends all his critics there - both people who do not wish to join his group and people who wish to leave his group. Those who leave “will receive seven more evil spirits regardless of whether they realize it” (351). Those within the group are not allowed to associate with defectors, and defectors are not allowed to repent of their leaving and to return. One might regard this set-up as simply a statement of “what truth is,” or, one might regard it as evidence of a spiritual tone found in other apocalyptic movements.

 

But I digress. As I reflected upon Mr. Lee’s approach to the scriptures, and of his election of himself as the key figure in whom the scriptures supposedly culminate, I thought about an episode in an eighteenth-century moral tale called Rasselas, by Samuel Johnson. In the tale, a group of friends engaged on a search for truth happen upon an astronomer who has spent his entire life studying the movements of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Over the years, immersed in this study night after night, the astronomer comes to believe that the heavenly bodies only move in the proper way because he keeps track of them; without his guidance, the heavenly bodies would fall out of orbit and the universe would come apart. This delusion is entertained gradually, but once it has taken hold, the astronomer is filled with a sense of responsibility and anxiety. His new friends want to help him, but they are not able to talk him out of his delusion. As he begins to enjoy their company, however, he finds that his delusion gradually melts away.

I have always found this a sweet and cautionary tale, and I think it may apply in the case of Mr. Lee. I imagine him deeply immersed in the scriptures, especially the weirdly fascinating prophetic portions—and this would be only natural to him, as he has apparently spent almost all of his life in groups that pay special attention to these portions of the Bible (2). I also imagine him deeply affected by the power of the scriptures, and wanting to appropriate that power for himself—to involve himself as deeply as possible in what he is reading. And then, one day, caught up in the urgency of the apocalyptic events of the book of Revelation, his thoughts come to rest on “the one who overcomes,” and something inside says, “That’s me.” And then he´s off. 

If he is “the one who overcomes,” he can also be the son of the woman, one of the two witnesses, the white horse, the Advocate, and the Apostle John himself. He can be “the promised pastor” who uniquely succeeds and carries out the will of Jesus. And pretty soon, he’s not just a secondary character—he is the hero of the entire story. Without him, none of the events at the end of the age can take place. He is in fact indispensable, just as the astronomer, in his own mind, becomes indispensable to the proper movements of the heavens.

The difference between the fictional astronomer and the literal Mr. Lee, however, is that the astronomer keeps his delusion to himself, while Mr. Lee uses his to build a public following. And once he insists that everyone else must share his vision, an inflexible narcissism kicks in, and any Christian who questions his bit of theological role-playing is blithely consigned to the lake of fire. But the Scriptures advocate close examination, giving particular caution to end-time leaders who come in Jesus' authority before his time. So, questioning is recommended.

First, I question whether “the one who overcomes” refers to a particular person. In fact, it does not. When we let the words and context give us the meaning, we see that it refers either to believers at that time - those who belonged to the seven churches of Asia Minor - or, by extension, to any subsequent believer who, through the power of Christ, is able to overcome adversity or temptation. Christ does not need a supposed “one who overcomes” to accomplish his return, and in donning this mantle Mr. Lee is not only taking a promise made to all and reserving it only for himself, but he is also changing that promise into something it is not, inventing a leading role for himself out of thin air. His frequent objections to all biblical commentaries and to some biblical translations may stem from the fact that this misunderstanding regarding “the one who overcomes” is so easily resolved. The NRSV, for example, in Rev. 2-3, has “to everyone who conquers” (3x), “whoever conquers” (1x), “if you conquer” (2x), and “to the one who conquers” (1x).

In claiming to be the unique embodiment of the Advocate promised in John 14-16, Mr. Lee is also taking a guarantee made to many and applying it only to himself. Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit to his disciples—and by extension to all believers—but Mr. Lee would have us believe that the holy spirit (always lower-case for him, as he seems to regard the Holy Spirit as more of a function than a person) is only embodied in himself—and that this spirit has been effectively withheld for the last 2,000 years. Again, there is a usurpation—a wrongful taking—of powers here.

Related to this is Mr. Lee’s claim that he literally functions as the Apostle John as a receiver of revelation. Just as John received a vision of the apocalypse, Mr. Lee claims to have received an even clearer vision of what he calls the “physical fulfillment” of these prophecies. He in fact regards John the Apostle as only a “figure” for himself, for Mr. Lee is the actual one who eats the unsealed scroll and finally makes the book of Revelation clear to all. Again, however, he is usurping a role. The revelation given to John was written down for all to read, but by claiming that he is the “real” Apostle John, Mr. Lee invalidates 2,000 years of engagement with a historic text. Access to divine truth is suddenly narrowed, and Mr. Lee becomes the only gatekeeper.

There is a pattern here, and it is not a healthy one. It is one thing to play a children’s game of pretend for oneself—and then to become so caught up in the game that one believes it for oneself. (In the midst of my reading it is fun to imagine that I am Tom Sawyer, or Bilbo Baggins, or Tumnus the Faun.) But it is quite another thing to inflict this game of pretend upon others. (I’m Aslan, and you have to do what I say.) That is when play becomes piracy. What Mr. Lee has accomplished, intentionally or not, is a hijacking of the scriptures.

Finally, and over-archingly, Mr. Lee constructs a pattern of scriptural history to validate his anointed role. Like many before him, Mr. Lee has noticed that God appears to reveal himself in different ways at different times. There have been many efforts to systematize these different ways and steps of revelation, none completely satisfactory, given the fact that the scriptures are full of such living, squirming variety. One of the most rigid ways was developed by a man named Darby in the nineteenth century, and it came to be called dispensationalism, because Darby regarded the Bible as recording a series of different dispensations of God’s presence in a succession of covenants with his people.

Mr. Lee takes Darby’s general idea and shapes it in a particular way. He perceives a rigid social pattern of betrayal, destruction, and then salvation through divine selection of “a new pastor,” and he follows this pattern through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and Jesus. Most any other interpreter would stop here, with Jesus as the climax of God’s revelation of himself, though of course the return of Christ would be taken into account as well. Mr. Lee, however, uses the momentum he gains from unfolding this pattern to springboard the reader to a “new gospel” of “the promised pastor” in the end times. To do this, he needs to exercise some sleight of hand to stipulate an expiration date for the “old gospel” of Jesus.

This is where he has to equivocate a little: on some pages of his book he extols the saving grace of Jesus made available through his death on the cross; on other pages he insists that salvation is only made available through “the promised pastor.” He has sort of painted himself into a corner. It won’t do to completely dismiss the work of Jesus, partly because Mr. Lee constructs his own authority on the basis of many messianic analogies, but at the same time he wants to convince us that he himself, Mr. Lee, is the new “savior,” the one we must “believe in,” that God’s work is completely contingent upon Mr. Lee’s appearance and upon his heroic acts.

Also, Mr. Lee would have us believe in an inflexible “logic” of this dispensational pattern: God can work in no other way, and this way culminates in the arrival of Mr. Lee. He would not have us notice that the role of “the promised pastor” is one he has completely made up on his own, for no clear New Testament prophecy is made for a promised pastor.

Indeed, there is a certain impenetrable circularity to his logic. How does Mr. Lee have, as he claims, “complete mastery” of the scriptures?  He will tell you it is because he is the one who overcomes and is thus given the hidden manna of the revealed word. How does Mr. Lee know he is the one who overcomes? Why, because he has complete mastery of the scriptures.

Finally, I will note in passing that he exercises this supposed mastery with an exegesis that often seems quite arbitrary. In Mr. Lee's hands, for example, Genesis 1 becomes a figurative allegory for the end times. The 144,000 who belong to the Lamb on Mt. Zion in Revelation 14, however, comprise a number that Mr. Lee takes quite literally. His choice of a strangely literal interpretation or a heretofore unknown figurative interpretation of the scriptures does not seem to be guided by any consistent principle. If there is a consistent principle, it is the promotion of his own status and purposes.

So, this is my response in a nutshell to Mr. Lee’s theology in his book. Samuel Johnson’s astronomer could be cured of his delusion. If Lee is like other end-time visionaries, finding a cure may prove difficult.
____________________
(1) Professor Paul J. Willis, November, 2011. willis@westmont.edu
(2) See article on Lee's involvement in other movements before Shinchonji.

A Decade in Shinchonji: Interview with a Former SCJ Member.

Dear reader,

Many testimonies on Shinchonji's website explain why people join Shinchonji (see SCJ's website for testimonies).  However, it is also important to consider why some leave Shinchonji.

After talking to a former member of the Shinchonji Church, who was involved in SCJ for almost a decade, this person sent a written response to different themes related to Shinchonji's movement.  The response is published here below.  

What are some important things about Manhee Lee (MHL) and being a member of SCJ?

Members are told on an almost daily basis that their SSN (Man Hee Lee) loves them and works very hard for them and sacrificed his life to give them the precious words of truth but there are some puzzling contradictions.

1. He is unwilling to prove to anyone for any reason by miracles of any kind that he has Jesus' spirit on him and is the only voice of biblical truth left on the planet, which is unprecedented. If you look in Scripture, even Christ himself started his ministry with the miracle of the water and the wine.
2. During all major events the members are required to come and be there early with smiling faces and welcoming clapping. When he is at a temple, ¨amens¨ ring so loud it's hard to hear any English translations. 
3. During my own graduation, it took well over two hours of moving people mere centimeters to get the picture perfect. MHL was called in for the last 5 minutes and left 2 minutes after the picture was taken.
4. I also learned of another graduation held during a colder season where the lovely young ladies in the hambok's were made to wait outside in the cold and the wind to get the graduation picture perfect, which they were glad to do because one must be willing to sacrifice for A PICTURE?? 
5. MHL is 82 years old now and has had some health issues. I was told that he had actually been physically declared dead but was brought back to life. This was never spoken of from the pulpit, so a rumour it remains, but the only miracle heard of and conveniently unsubstantiated.

What is the church structure like and how are members supervised?

1. There is no Trinity.  The Father and the Son are one but the holy spirit is under the condition of holy spirits as in angels not “The Holy Spirit” as understood by most. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that is on MHL after his revelation on the hill top.

2.  A percentage of all tithes are sent to the headquarters as part of their contribution to the church body as a whole. Members are told the books are open and anyone can see at anytime where their money is going.
3.  To keep people going and working hard, members are told the 144,000 is getting so close and if they work QUOTE “just a little harder” then the fulfillment will happen and the spirit of the martyrs will come on them and they will live forever. The rest of the world is covered under the great white multitude, as spoken of in Revelations 7. The thing is the number is now over 100,000 and there are quiet rumours being spoken of that it has to be “the SEALED” not just 144,000 members of SCJ and NO ONE knows if they are part of the sealed.  So, in effect, this could go forever...there could be a billion members.  But, if there aren't 144,000 sealed, well, it's not going to happen. Each member is part of a tribe and many of the tribes are close to completing the 12,000 they need to complete their tribe. Whether or not those members are truly sealed or not is another matter.
4. Along with the 144,000 catch is the idea that if you just work a little harder you will be one of the sealed. So people sacrifice ALL their time, energy, money, family and health to do the work. And at the end of the day there is no guarantee of any kind that the sacrifice means you will get to be part of the 144,000. Paranoia and anxiety are some of the feelings people have inside but hidden under the smile of being in the right place for the right reasons.  
I felt miserable all the time about not doing enough. Sleep deprived and poor mental health. No member would EVER admit to this as that would mean they were less than God wants them to be. Be glad you are part of the truth and NEVER NEVER complain about ANYTHING or you will be considered a betrayer of the truth. MHL tells wives to take care of their husbands and children to obey their parents but...at the level of their cell leaders are told that they need to work harder and in order to follow the COMMANDS of MHL which are considered the words of Jesus from GOD then something has to give and mostly it is family and school that are sacrificed. I wanted to protect individuals but have seen many heart breaking examples of people doing things to work for the church that are clearly unwise and in some cases not scriptural. 
5. I was always frustrated by the lack of written material. People were expected to take notes and listen to sermons online at the members' only website. The COMMAND was 3 times for each sermons along with the mandatory Sunday and Wednesday meetings, which are monitored with a fingerprint scanner at every temple, cell group meetings, studying with potential new people and Mannam events.  The schedule was packed and members are asked to hand in their personal schedules so that the leaders know what the people under them are doing most of the time. 
6. Members are told what materials they cannot look at. There are websites, and books, actually all books about the Bible are regarded as lies and theology books are banned because they are not the correct interpretation of the Bible and will corrupt the member and the pure Word as received from MHL.
7. Saying anything to a leader in a meeting about ideas that may be better or asking why members are, in effect, expected to dig a ditch in the morning and fill it in in the afternoon are seen as going against MHL and, therefore, makes your thought something from the evil one and you have betrayers thoughts which must be repented of.
8. There are also conflicts about Mannam.  I was told by another member that many people are unhappy about Kim Nam Lee's role in the church at the moment. It has always been strictly observed that if someone is in Mannam that an SCJ member may not recruit them into SCJ.

Describe what it is like coming into the church and how members are recruited?

1. A potential member is considered “a fruit” and each person must work as hard as they can to gather as many fruit as possible. Although many would never confess to this, fruit are fought over as to who exactly brought that person in. It takes as long as a year before a person actually is sitting in the regular services. First, one person works on someone to study. This is done by most cults so it is difficult to get this started. The Jehovah Witnesses and Mormon's both use the study technique and, because people are suspicious of this, so many lies are used. I used to use the line that they were doing a seminar course and needed to do a study with 10 people to graduate from the course. Others use many different angles, but it all amounts to lying to get people to start studying.
2. “A fruit” must study three times a week at the gospel room level to be registered by the member as an actual fruit and the studies must be reported (what lesson are they on and how did each lesson go). The fruit will be unaware of this but then other things will start to happen. The fruit will meet other people called 'maintainers' who will say or do things that confirm they are indeed doing the right thing.
3. Members are pressured to evangelize and bring their fruit to a kangsanim (a certified teacher by SCJ standards) to continue studying. The goal is to have them study four days a week for six months one to two hours a day. The member and 'maintainers' must work very very hard to make this happen on top of all the other burdens placed on their backs. All so they can make the “fruit” like them. A fruit is also required to bring someone in so that they may graduate and so the cycle continues. The pressure is incredible but with faith all things are possible, so the expectation is always there.

4.  Compare this busyness in SCJ and its burden on members to Jesus' words in Matthew 11:30 about his yoke being easy.

Talk about Mannam and its connection to Shinchonji.

1. I had to watch a video on Mannam to find out it was started in 2003. The aim is to do good and bring all people together. Many Mannam members in SCJ are ignorant of many things that outsiders know about the group like the mote of “When light meets light there is victory” is an anagram and the Mannam logo is the combination of all 12 tribe colours and that Man Hee Lee, who is the “honorary chairman” and the combination of Kim Nam Lee's names give Man+Nam= Mannam.
2. All the upper level planning meetings of Mannam are done in the SCJ temple buildings and only Mannam members who are SCJ may attend those meetings. These meeting always have in attendance the high profile Mannam members who I found denied their association with SCJ if asked.
3. Funding for events comes from SCJ. The upper level members of the organization are SCJ the organizers of groups such as Korean classes, Tai Kwan Do classes, photography classes, basketball, running club and cooking club are all headed by SCJ/Mannam members. They may be two different organizations but the direction of Mannam is clearly directed by SCJ.

What was expected to happen at the September 16^th event at the Olympic stadium in Seoul? 

There are videos on youtube regarding the event and you are encouraged to look at both the official and critical views of the event and make up your own mind.

1.The event was something that already busy members were told was the most important thing and they should not give up what they were doing but add to the plate by actively seeking foreigners and telling them about this great amazing event where there would be a free ride to and from the event, free lunches, and a free t-shirt. 
2. The lunch was not very good and many people were herded to dark gloomy corners to scarf down a lunch with no place to sit. There were many more people than expected, so lots of people did not get their t-shirts and the ride was free...but the price was all day at an event designed to distract and look confusing.
3. Many people did not even get into the stadium. Soccer teams that were asked to come at 6 a.m. never even got the chance to play. In fact, only one game was played and that was SCJ's team against the Mannam team from Seoul. Guess who won.
4. There were too many people in the stadium and the chaos was created on purpose. Most of the stands were taken up but SCJ people who chanted and did the wave almost continuously throughout the day, in sports uniforms matching the colours of their different tribes. If people didn't get the idea that SCJ was a cult before, this certainly helped make the decision. CULT...the tribe members never mingled with the foreigners at all and there was an abundance of security all over the place.
5. Even though the stands were crowded beyond capacity, there was room where all the dignitaries were seated. The event began at 10 am but I suspect - from having attended two other events similar to this - that most SCJ members had been there since well be for 8 or even 7 am. Man Hee Lee arrived just a little before 10am in a nice car with a driver and walked on a red carpet to a seat with a silk cushion, surrounded by the dignitaries who had been invited for the biggest photo/video opt ever undertaken. Given refreshments and lovely young ladies smiling in beautiful gowns, with media watching and reporting from above.
6. The mask games were like being in North Korea and I know one foreigner that was in the mask games and said that he hoped God was pleased with his effort that he sat for almost 12 hours flipping cards. 
7. I had been told on many occasions before the event that the truth about Mannam and SCJ would be explained at the event and that the lying would end. It didn't and for reasons of conscience felt this was very wrong. 
8. It was also rumoured that something great would happen at the event.  Many military personal that were there heard the rumour that a famous music group would be playing at the end of the night. And SCJ members were looking for the sign that perhaps MHL would do something truly miraculous.  But, looking at it, having that many people together basically to worship the ego of one man is a miracle, just not the miracle most were looking for. 
9. After the event it was expected that everyone who attended the event would have someone from the church maintaining them and bringing them to the truth. A surge, if you will, of new converts that just needed to be taught. The opposite was true. Many people were very angry with what happened.
10. I stood by the entrance to the stadium with a group of military who were supposed to be participating in the sports events. They were to do a parade past the dignitaries and MHL. It was a wait of almost 3 hours. In that group of military was a family who had twin boys around 8 years old. They waited and asked if they could leave as they needed to get their children home and to bed for school the next day. They were cajoled and tricked into standing there until the 5 min walk by the grand stands and were asked to release red and white balloons.  It was something to have a 100,000 people cheer as you walked in, but not worth lying to a family desperate to get home.
11. A video on youtube made by a man by the name of Michael drew some conclusions from the event that a) SCJ seemed to be very much a cult and b) Mannam was indeed, as suspected, a creation of SCJ. He was fair in his observations and never disrespectful in any way, but I was told that Michael and others who made any kind of negative report about the event to be in league with Satan and pushing the destroyers' agenda. SCJ members are not supposed to watch the lies that they produce.
12. The event ended with a grotesque dance between MHL and Kim Nam Lee, which was explained to me, when enquires were made, that it symbolized the marriage between Christ and his bride or Mannam's new partnership with SCJ. I found this in poor taste as MHL has a lovely wife who has stood by him all this time. And I felt nothing but shame and humiliation that her husband would parade around with a younger, richer and more socially influential member of SCJ as the actor of this little drama.
13. In talking from the pulpit the following Sunday, MHL said he wished that every Sunday could be like September 16.  That was it.  Shortly after, I let the leader of the cell group know it was time to leave for reasons of conscience.