Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Chairman Man-hee Lee, Shincheonji Church of Jesus) delivered the third of its four lectures of the seminar series 'Testimony on the Fulfillment of Revelation' at 4pm on the 6th May at the KT Human Resources Development Center in Daejeon. About 500 pastors attended the lecture in person. An official of Shincheonji gave meaning to it, saying, “Pastors are flocking to Shincheonji in droves in Korea as well as abroad.”

Starting in Seoul on the 22nd, the lecture series delivered by Shincheonji Church of Jesus is testifying to the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation and pastors in Korea and abroad are being asked to confirm the fulfilment of the Book of Revelation for themselves.

Hundreds of pastors have flocked to the Open Bible Seminar held sequentially in Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon, proving the great interest in Revelation of the church community. Indeed, Shincheonji's first major in-person lecture in 4 years is drawing unusually high attention from pastors in Korea, with about 500 ministers, including pastors and evangelists, in Seoul and 150 in Busan in attendance.

As word of mouth among pastors spreads, the enthusiasm for the Shincheonji Open Bible Seminar is growing. 

About 500 former and current ministers (pastors, preachers, evangelists) from various denominations, including the Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, and Full Gospel Church from Daejeon, Gwangju, Jeonju, Chungnam, North Jeolla Province and South Jeolla Province, as well as 2,000 people, including the media, church members, and citizens, were in attendance in Daejeon.

Due to limited seating on site, Shincheonji Church of Jesus broadcast simultaneous livestreaming of the Open Bible Seminar both offline and online. Estimates show that about 8,000 people watched the live broadcast via the official YouTube channel of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Chairman Lee, who was the lecturer on that day, spoke with conviction for an hour. Chairman Lee said, “I did not conduct this meeting on my own terms, nor did I learn (the Bible) from anyone. I've been doing this because everything I've seen and heard is according to the Bible.”

He then asked, “How can a person who lived and worked in the countryside testify the word of God like this?” and “It is written that God and heaven will come to the place created according to the Book of Revelation, so we must re-examine the Bible for ourselves.”

Chairman Lee said, “If there is anyone who can testify to the Book of Revelation, there must be evidence to support that testimony. Shouldn't we know who the 7 messengers and 7 stars in Revelation 1 are, what their faces look like, and who the Nicolaitans are? Only those who have seen the entire fulfilment of the war recorded in the Book of Revelation will understand this.”

At the same time, Chairman Lee said, “The entities prophesied in the Book of Revelation have appeared at the appointed time, and this person saw them firsthand. Instead of slandering and blindly labelling something a 'heresy' or 'fake', one must check for oneself. As is promised in the book of Revelation, one era is judged and another era is created, so all pastors and believers today must know the book of Revelation in order to receive salvation.”

Chairman Lee also said, “In Revelation 21, the first heaven and first earth disappear and a new heaven and new earth are created. It's not rocket science. Pastors must first look into the Book of Revelation and know what kind of teaching their church members are hearing.”

In particular, Chairman Lee pointed out the indifference of established denominations to the Book of Revelation and the unconditional slander and criticism of Shincheonji.

At the press conference held prior to the Open Bible Seminar, Chairman Lee of Shincheonji addressed the pastors and elders, saying, “Why do we have to bicker and fight when we possess the same scriptures and beliefs? People should have the spirit to learn.”

The success of this Open Bible Seminar is evaluated as an opportunity to once again demonstrate the pastors' thirst for the Word amid the decline in church membership exacerbated by the non-in-person climate brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Presbyterian minister, Mr. Kim, who attended the event, said, “If the established Church maintains, ‘You only have to believe in Jesus,’ Shincheonji is now clearly informing us about what God and Jesus promised at the time of the Lord’s Second Coming and explains it through the 5W1H principle. Being able to clearly understand the Lord's Second Coming is the biggest difference between Shincheonji and general Protestantism.”

He also confessed, “As a pastor, I am of the belief that it would be beneficial for the existing Protestant churches to listen to and confirm the Word first, so that it would be pleasing in the eyes of God, rather than fighting and labelling each other a ‘cult' or 'heresy’.”

Even within the religious world, it is pointed out that the Korean church pays little attention to the book of Revelation, the last prophetic book of the New Testament. In fact, an official from the religious community analysed, “The fact that pastors are flocking to the 'Shincheonji Open Bible Seminar on the Testimony on the Fulfillment of Revelation' is a phenomenon that the religious world needs to wake up to.” He also said, “The Korean church is too passive in interpreting the Book of Revelation and teaching about the end times. Since the mention itself is taboo, not only church members with curiosity but also pastors are looking for teachings, and so they are taking this step forward to the Open Bible Seminar.”

An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “Many pastors who are hungry for an understanding of the Book of Revelation have been listening to the words of Shincheonji Church of Jesus and requesting MOUs. We hope this will serve as an opportunity for us to think about what kind of faith is desirable according to the will of God and Jesus and put it into practice.”

The Open Bible Seminar of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, 'Testimony on the Fulfillment of Revelation' is being broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and will conclude on the 13th in Incheon.