The Origins of Accusations against Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Light of COVID-19 Today

The press within South Korea have been relentless in their effort to frame Shincheonji Church of Jesus as the culprit for the sharp rise in domestic coronavirus cases following the confirmed diagnosis in mid-February 2020 of ‘patient 31’, who is a congregation member of Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu. Allegations made by the press against Shincheonji Church of Jesus include that the church intentionally withheld information back about its congregation members from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and government authorities and, when asked to report, did so untruthfully. I recently wrote an article to prove why such claims are false and based on hearsay, and not factual evidence. This article intends to shed light on the accusations specifically made against the Biblical teachings of Shincheonji Church of Jesus by the Korean Protestant church, which declared war against Shincheonji Church of Jesus many years ago, and provides a correct explanation of these claims.

CLAIM: Only 144,000 people are saved

False. Shincheonji Church of Jesus has never taught that only 144,000 are saved. In chapter 7 of the book of Revelation, which is a book of promise made by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago about future events that must take place, there is a promised 144,000 people who are sealed and a great multitude dressed in white who appear. What is a seal and what does it mean to be sealed? A seal has its owner’s name imprinted on it and is stamped on something to indicate possession over it. Because God is the word (John 1:1), these 144,000 people are sealed with God’s word - the Bible - meaning that they possess a thorough understanding of God’s word; specifically the promises and fulfilment (reality) of the book of Revelation. These 144,000 belong to the 12 tribes consisting of 12,000 people per tribe. After these 144,000 are sealed, an uncountable ‘great multitude’ (verse 9) of people will hear the word of testimony of Revelation from the 144,000 priests and flock to God’s promised new kingdom - the 12 tribes where eternal life and salvation will be given. All those gathered in the 12 tribes will have their sins washed with the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5:9-10; 7:14).

CLAIM: Chairman Lee is deified as the Second Coming of Christ
False. Those who persecute say that Chairman Lee deifies himself as God or Jesus, but this is a lie. The first lesson taught in Shincheonji Church of Jesus is that God is the owner of religion, which in Korean translates as ‘the highest teaching’ (jong-gyo). It is God who is spirit and the Creator of religion. Because man is flesh and can not interact with spirit, God made His will known through His word (Bible) as recotrded by prophets and apostles (2 Peter 1:21; Galatians 1:11-12).

When one understands the concept of 'spirit and flesh', one will know that Chairman Lee is neither Jesus nor spirit. Chairman Lee received the revelation, which contains the secrets of the Bible, from the angel in Revelation 10 and has seen and heard all the promised events of Revelation at the location of the events and is making them known to the churches as Jesus’ messenger today (Revelation 22:8,16). All the promises are being fulfilled and their explanation given plainly according to the promises in Revelation. It is  recorded that anyone who adds or takes away from the true meaning (prophecy and fulfilment) of Revelation will not receive God’s blessing (Revelation 22:18-19). This is why Shincheonji Church of Jesus continuously urges students and congregation members to continually verify their teaching according to the Bible.

CLAIM: Congregation members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus are immortal

False. Such criticism comes from a lack of belief in God’s promise of eternal life which God has promised more than 50 times in the Bible; no Christian can deny this (Ps133:3, Jn3:15-16, Jn5:39, Jn6:40, Tit1:2, 1Jn5:13). However, only God knows when the promise of giving eternal life is fulfilled (Acts 1:7). The hope of congregation members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus is to attain heaven and eternal life, which is why its members are always alert and self-controlled (1Th5:6).

False allegations made against Shincheonji Church of Jesus originate from the Korean Protestant Church; notably the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) which was founded on the Presbyterian doctrine of John Calvin who killed men, women and children who refuted his doctrine on predestination. The CCK itself is a highly corrupt organisation which seeks to safeguard its own vested interests in power and authority. Their coercive conversion programme, which forcibly confines and subjects believers of minority denominations (including Shincheonji Church of Jesus) to violence, forced leave of absence, and in two cases murder, has ripped thousands of families apart. From 2008-2018, pastors affiliated to the CCK have been convicted of 12,000 crimes including burglary, sexual assault and murder, leading to denunciation by the United Nations calling for the CCK’s shutdown and punishment for its pastors.

Therefore, although congregation members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus are very grateful to God for this greatest truth, openly expressing their faith can lead to severe persecution. The established Korean Church (especially the CCK) uses Christian and secular media (particularly the Christian Broadcasting System and Gukmin Ilbo) as their mouthpiece to spew lies about Shincheonji Church of Jesus, grossly distorting Koreans’ perception of Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Moreover, media outlets outside South Korea are also jumping on the bandwagon. The constitution’s supposed “freedom of religion” (Article 20) does little to safeguard the rights of those are persecuted.

Indeed, recent fake news following the confirmed diagnosis of “Patient 31” has had catastrophic consequences. On February 26th 2020, just one week after “Patient 31” was confirmed, one Shincheonji Church of Jesus congregation member in Ulsan who had been suffering domestic abuse from her husband because of her religious affiliation (which she had reported to the police), took her own life. This is the disturbing reality of Protestant Christianity in South Korea today.

In spite of such long-term intimidation, Shincheonji Church of Jesus grew massively in 2019 as it held a graduation ceremony for 103,764 students from 113 countries who had completed a six-month Bible study programme at their Zion Mission Center. These students now belong to the 12 tribes of Shincheonji. Moreover, tens of thousands of Korean citizens - believers and unbelievers - gathered at Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ nationwide Open Bible Seminar in late 2019 where several thousands registered for online and offline Bible study. Misconceptions about Shincheonji Church of Jesus have been changing and my prayer is that all the groundless accusations will cease and people all over the world will take the opportunity to listen to this word of testimony that is delivered purely according to the Bible.

COVID-19 Response of Shincheonji Church of Jesus

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/p/coivd19-response.html

Official Announcements from Shincheonji Church of Jesus

•0307 Chairman Man Hee Lee asks "all congregants to fully cooperate for disease control" in a special announcement

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0307-chairman-man-hee-lee-asks-all.html

•0302 Statement at Press Conference of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding COVID-19

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0302-statement-at-press-conference-of.html

•0302 Regarding COVID-19 Testing of Chairman Lee, Man-hee of Shincheonji Church of Jesus

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0302-regarding-covid-19-testing-of.html 

•0301 Letter of Appeal to Political Leaders

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0301-letter-of-appeal-to-political.html

•0228 Letter of Appeal from Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Regards to COVID-19

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0228-letter-of-appeal-from-shincheonji.html

•0226 Shincheonji Church of Jesus Provided a List of All Members to Public Health Authorities

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0226-shincheonji-church-of-jesus.html

•0223 Statement of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding COVID-19

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0223-statement-of-shincheonji-church-of.html 

•0222 Over 1000 Shincheonji Church of Jesus Locations Disinfected and Closed Down in Korea

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0222-over-1000-shincheonji-church-of.html

•0221 Shincheonji Church of Jesus Closed Down Its Churches and Affiliated Buildings from 18 Feb

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0221-shincheonji-church-of-jesus-closed.html

•0220 Statement of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding COVID-19 Countermeasures and Fake News

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0220-statement-of-shincheonji-church-of.html

•0219 Statement of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0219-statement-of-shincheonji-church-of.html

•0218 Notice on the Worship Service of Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Regards to COVID-19

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/2020/03/0218-notice-on-worship-service-of.html

COVID-19/Fact Checker: Q&A on Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

▶http://enblog.shincheonji.kr/p/covid-19-fact-checker.html

Press Conference of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding COVID-19 (02 March)
▶http://bit.ly/2vuDLMk