Were 7 Pastors in South Korea Like John the Baptist?

Dear reader,

When a revealed word comes to a final prophet through spirit entities (angels, the Spirit of prophecy, Jesus, or God), it is important to test the message.  When analyzed carefully, some claims do not seem real.  For example, in Mr. Lee`s book, he writes that seven messengers (pastors) from a church in South Korea prepared the way for Jesus` second coming just like John the Baptist did in the first coming.  

¨Just as John the Baptist worked as the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus at the time of the first coming, these seven messengers, who act as lamps, prepare the way for the work of Jesus in the time of the second coming¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 556).

Is this claim real?  Why should we be critical of this statement?  

First, the Church of the Seven Lampstands was another apocalyptic movement in South Korea with problems of its own.  See history of Mr. Lee before Shinchonji.  Mr. Lee was a member of this and other apocalyptic movements before starting Shinchonji.

Second, when the Lord God sent John the Baptist into the world, he was a loud testimony to all of Israel. All the leaders in Jerusalem - the center of the Jewish faith - knew of John and sent priests and Levites to ask him questions (Jn. 1:19). Crowds regarded John as a prophet, which is why the Jewish authorities feared saying publicly that his teachings were from men (Mk. 11:32).  Even secular rulers, like king Herod, knew of John and feared silencing him because of the people (Mt. 14:5).

Josephus, an important Jewish historian in the first century, wrote of John the Baptizer as a godly man (1). John the Baptist`s influence impacted men like Apollos, who was from the city of Alexandria, Egypt (Ac. 18:24,25). Years later, Paul met some men in Ephesus who knew of John the Baptist´s baptism (Ac. 19:1-3).  Peter assumed that Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had heard of God´s testimony through John the Baptist (Ac. 10:37).

The point is that when God sent John the Baptist to the Jewish world, the Jewish authorities and rulers of Israel knew of him.  John was called to prepare people´s hearts for the Messiah´s appearance. 

With this in mind, who has heard of the seven pastors in the Church of the Seven Lampstands?  Christians across the planet - in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the United States, and China - should know about them. Christian leaders and Christian schools should be talking about them, like the crowds spoke of John the Baptist in the first century.

When we analyze this claim, we see that the ¨seven messengers¨ are not ¨just like¨ John the Baptist.  The comparison between these seven pastors and John the Baptist is not the same.
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(1) Josephus, Antiquities. http://www.josephus.org/JohnTBaptist.htm#Purification

Our Story/Contact Us.

Dear reader,

This blog came into existence some years back when one of my siblings discovered that we had several other family members involved in a secretive group known as Shincheonji/Shinchonji.  

We are from a large, Christian family in the United States.  Many years ago one family member moved to South Korea, met and married a South Korean, and then he and his wife became involved in Shincheonji.  Later, they influenced two other family members who also joined their group. 

The information we present comes from conversations and correspondence with these family members.  We care about them and have no desire to belittle them or other SCJ members, who are all dearly loved by God.  However, as Christians, we should all be careful and test end-time groups who insist they are now Jesus´ only voice on earth (Lk. 21:8).  

In addition, at the time, there was little information about this group.  So, we felt other people around the world might come in contact with Shincheonji and benefit from what we found.  This would give them the chance to assess the information for themselves.   

End-time leaders find any Christian who disagrees with their message as Satan´s agents or tools (and do not want insiders to research information on the internet).  But, Manhee Lee also writes, ¨Christians should sincerely try to find out if this testimony is true¨ (Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 566).  

People who join end-time movements often fall under a spiritual spell.  They only listen to what their leader reveals as they busily recruit others.  Yet, in Christian thinking, it is important to carefully evaluate a leader who assumes Jesus´ role in the end.  
    
In this blog, we assess many of the primary teachings and other issues in Shincheonji.  For those who wish to get Shincheonji´s fuller perspective, please consult their website articles. 

http://correctunderstandingofshinchonji.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/the-temple-of-the-tabernacle-of-the-testimony/
   
In the blog, we attempt to write from a basic, Christian perspective - one that is common to people from all different Christian backgrounds and denominations.  We consider ourselves inter-denominational believers and do not promote any church or religious organization.  All who follow Jesus Christ belong to his body.  

We also hold that God´s message in his written word is the safest authority for Christians and should be used to refute ideas from spirit revelations to end-time leaders, not the other way around (Gal. 1:8, 2 Tim.3:16, I Jn. 4:1). We also hope to communicate the information in a gentle, kind tone with love and concern.  

Thank you for your interest in these topics.  

Best wishes in Jesus Christ,       

evangelicalfriends@ymail.com