01/05/2024

2024 Shincheonji’s Bible Seminar by Continent: Asia I

 
In response to sincere and earnest requests from pastors and believers alike worldwide, Chairman ManHee Lee of Shincheonji Church of Jesus gave the first of a series of in-person lectures in the land known as the 'Pearl of the Orient Seas' on April 20th. The "2024 Shincheonji’s Bible Seminars by Continent" is scheduled to be held in Europe, Africa, America, Oceania, and again in Asia this year.

Despite being well over 90 years of age, Chairman Lee has poured blood, sweat and tears to carry out his duty, which is to testify what he saw and heard - that is, the fulfilment of Revelation - to the churches, as recorded in Rev 22:16. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chairman Lee continually shared the testimony of the fulfilment of Revelation online.

Before his lecture on the 20th, a brief introductory video covering the history of Shincheonji Church and an introduction of Chairman Lee was shown.

Then, Chairman Lee opened the lecture by saying, “This country is very meaningful to me. This is the first place that I came to (outside Korea) after I received the understanding of the word.”

Chairman Lee went on to introduce himself. He was a farmer in the countryside. Then, the Korean War broke out and he fought at the frontlines as a very young soldier in a tragic, fratricidal war where bombs rained down on both sides. Not even a blade of grass could survive. 

Out of gratitude for surviving the war, he prayed to God in heaven every evening, even though he wasn’t a believer. One day, a large, bright light came to him. Taken aback, he ran to his father who was sleeping in a farmer’s hut, and he and his father went out to see the light. His father was similarly stunned by the light. From that point on, Chairman Lee began to carry out a life of faith, making a pledge to God with his blood.

Chairman Lee sought the church for his life of faith. One day, he found a church that had seven pastors (named the Tabernacle Temple in Rev 2-3). Those pastors slit their wrists as a promise to devote their lives to God. Soon, he discovered the church was corrupted. He couldn't stay there, so he returned to his hometown and served the community building houses for the “New Village Movement (a domestic political initiative to revitalise the rural economy)” for seven years. After that, he met an entity that came from heaven (he’s not sure if that spiritual entity was God or Jesus) and began to live his life of faith based on the heavenly command given by that entity. He returned to the church he had left and began to testify the fulfilled realities of Revelation to a few of the brothers and sisters from the church. He then held Bible seminars throughout South Korea and outside Korea. Starting from a handful of believers, Shincheonji Church has grown to hundreds of thousands of believers today. Chairman Lee has travelled the world 32 times to inform all people about the fulfilment of Revelation.

While Chairman Lee was living his life of faith back then, he sought to verify the fulfilment of Revelation for himself, saying, “Unless I see, touch, or talk to them, I cannot acknowledge them.”

Chairman Lee emphasised throughout the seminar that the Book of Revelation must not be added or taken away, according to the content recorded in Rev 22:18-19.

He then testified that he is the one who ate the opened scroll in Rev 10, and as a result of understanding the content of the opened scroll, he could connect the fulfilled reality to the prophecy recorded in the book of Revelation. He then testified the content of the opened scroll to the churches worldwide (see Rev 22:16).

Chairman Lee said that no one could have known the meaning of the book of Revelation over the last 2000 years since it was written, because it was sealed and held in God's hand until the appointed time of fulfilment. What Jesus promised in the book of Revelation is re-creation, that is, the creation of the new heaven and new earth.

In Mt 24, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Therefore, the first heaven and first earth passes away and the new heaven and new earth is fulfilled today. In the same way that God has fulfilled every promise throughout the history of the Bible, God will fulfil Revelation. Chairman Lee said, “What if I were to tell you that Revelation has been fulfilled until Chapter 17?” Chairman Lee then explained that Rev 18 has not yet been fulfilled because, according to Rev 18:4, people have to come out of (spiritual) Babylon, which is the place that will be judged directly by God. “At this time of the fulfilment of Revelation, we should be awake and alert.”

Highlighting the importance of knowing and verifying the fulfilment of Revelation, Chairman Lee then explained what happened to the church he left, which was the Tabernacle Temple. The Nicolaitans, Satan’s pastors, came in and taught false teachings. In Rev 2-3, Jesus speaks to these messengers through letters. Jesus chose one person to send them the letters. That chosen person is the chairman. That person is the one who saw all the events of Revelation. “Jesus showed one person the entire events of the book,” he said, and added, “This person (I, Chairman Lee) speaks only of what he saw and heard, which is the entire events from chapters 1 to 22.”

In the lecture, Chairman Lee explained the fulfilment of Revelation starting from chapter 1 to chapter 17. He said that he received the duty to testify to the churches what he saw and heard (Rev 22:16) when he became the promised pastor after being chosen by Jesus. Jesus prophesied Revelation about 2000 years ago. Today, Jesus came and is fulfilling what he promised. The promised pastor is the one who saw and heard the events of Revelation that were fulfilled by Jesus, and spread the word to the churches (Rev 22:8 and Rev 22:16). Chairman Lee quoted Jn 14:29 while explaining why prophecy, such as the book of Revelation, is needed (“I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”). Ultimately, prophecies are given to help people believe in God, Jesus, and the work of God.

Chairman Lee also emphasised the importance of knowing and testifying the correct meaning of Revelation, quoting Rev 22:18-19. These verses say that if anyone adds or takes away from this book, they won’t be able to enter heaven, and the plagues written in the book will be added to them. Chairman Lee reiterated that he can testify to the fulfilment of Revelation because he is the one who saw the fulfilled realities. He said, “If you are truly confident that you’ll go to heaven and receive eternal life written in the Bible, you must verify if the reality of the prophecy is actually fulfilled according to the Word, wherever the fulfilment takes place on the Earth. The reason why we worship God is not to boast of ourselves, but for us to realise our hopes of attaining heaven and eternal life. Today, worshipping God cannot be done with our former selves that believed in God in the past. We must verify everything, and then choose to believe it or not.”

Chairman Lee explained what happened after John sent the letters to the seven messengers who betrayed. Jesus called him up to heaven and showed the throne of God and many spirits that were busily working. Then, there was a book (scroll) that was sealed with seven seals in God’s right hand. John heard that no one could open or read the book and he wept aloud. But Jesus came forward, took the book, and then removed the seals one by one from Rev 6. Whenever Jesus removed a seal, its fulfilled reality appeared. In Rev 6, the sun, moon and stars, that is, the first heaven and first earth, fell and came to an end.

Rev 7 begins with the words, “After this”. This means that this event happened after the events recorded in Rev 6. In Rev 7, the sealing of the twelve tribes takes place. Being sealed means that people engrave the word of Revelation and its fulfilment onto their hearts and minds. In Chairman Lee’s expression, people who were sealed are approved by God. Therefore, they are able to become God’s family, receive salvation and go to heaven. Soon after the number of the sealed people reaches 144,000, a great multitude in white comes out. In Revelation, no verse says that any person other than these people (the sealed 144,000 and great multitude in white) are saved.

Chairman Lee highlighted the importance of being sealed saying, “People who were sealed can go to heaven and gain eternal life, and live with God as His family. People who aren’t sealed have nothing to do with God. No matter how they boast and brag about themselves, it’s nothing. Why do you think God wrote that one cannot enter heaven and will be cursed if one adds or takes away from Revelation in Rev 22:18-19? Not a single word or letter can be broken. It’s because the book of Revelation is fulfilled exactly according to how it was written, as if stamped.”

Chairman Lee introduced the church members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus as walking Bibles, because the contents of the whole book of Revelation are engraved on their hearts, and they can answer questions about it. He quoted Ezk 3. Jesus at the first coming was also a walking Bible because he received the opened scroll and ate it. In Rev 10, John received and ate the opened scroll (thereby mastering the book of Revelation at this second coming of the Lord). 

Chairman Lee encouraged the audience, “Let us all become walking Bibles. If you record the word on your heart, it will be your spiritual food. In Jn 1:1-4, doesn’t it say that the word is life and light? If you completely record the word onto your heart, you will become a walking Bible, a child of light, a child with life. Jesus said in Jn 15, 'You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you'. With the word, you will have life, it can help you, and make you perceive entirely. Without the word, there’s nothing.”

Then, he suggested the audience to record Revelation because the book says not to add or take away, or you cannot enter heaven.

He continued explaining the fulfilment of Revelation. In Rev 13, people were symbolised as a beast with seven heads and ten horns. There was also a pastor of God. The pastor gives birth to a male child in Rev 12. This child is the person who will rule all nations. The male child and his brothers of the pastor fought against the group of the dragon and defeated them. Since then, God’s kingdom and salvation have come to be, as written in Rev 12. Defeating the group of the dragon brings God’s kingdom and salvation. That’s why Jesus kept advising the seven messengers in Rev 2 and Rev 3 that they must fight against Satan’s pastors and defeat them.

While emphasising the importance of knowing the word, Chairman Lee mentioned that he has been sending letters to the churches until now, and said that if there’s anything wrong with his testimony, please let him know. He explained that he is the one who saw the reality of the fulfilment of Revelation, taking an example of Rev 2-3. He saw the seven messengers (who had been chosen by Jesus) and the person who fed them the food sacrificed to idols. He also quoted Revelation and the Four Gospels to highlight the importance of knowing the fulfilment of today. In Rev 21, the first heaven and first earth disappear, and the new heaven and new earth appear. In Mt 8, people from the east and west take their seats in the kingdom of heaven, and the subjects who had been in heaven are kicked out, weeping and gnashing their teeth. These people who came from the east and west are the harvested people from Mt 24. Jesus promised that he will come back with the angels to gather his elect (through the work of harvest). This event will happen after the event of destruction. After the event, in Mt 24, “the abomination that causes desolation stands in the holy place (when Jerusalem falls)”.

Chairman Lee then suggested that the pastors learn the word and verify if it’s true. “Let’s discern what is true and false, and bring lies to an end.” Chairman Lee said, “Let’s put the word in our hearts and become one. How much effort have you put in to go to heaven and receive eternal life? Shouldn’t the goal be achieved so that one's efforts won’t go to waste? I believe that if we do our best together to achieve it, it will turn out well.”

If you’re interested in learning the true meaning and the fulfilment of Revelation, register for a free online Bible course. Shincheonji Church of Jesus provides free online Bible courses according to the teaching in Rev 22:17 (“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life”).

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