ManHee Lee, Chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus), said this at the Shincheonji Bible Seminar for pastors, seminarians and lay believers at the Andrew Tribe Training Centre in Busan on the 18th October as to the reason he testifies about the entire book of Revelation despite being labelled as a 'heretic'. On that day, Chairman Lee lectured without rest, even though he is over 90 years old, going through the entire book of Revelation on the theme of ‘The Reality of the Promised Shepherd at the Second Coming’.

On that day, the presider said about Chairman Lee, “Just as the promised pastor, Jesus, appeared in physical form at the first coming, the promised pastor will appear at the second coming today.” He added, “The Chairman of Shincheonji is the pastor promised to appear at the second coming, when the Book of Revelation is fulfilled, and the testimony of the realities that have appeared make known the fulfilment of the prophecies of the second coming.” He continued, “He is the one testifying the fulfilled realities to the whole world as the messenger of Jesus who saw and heard all the realities of the war in Revelation according to prophecy, and the protagonist who signed the Mindanao Peace Agreement in the Philippines as a messenger of peace.”

About 1600 people, including 100 pastors, attended the event. Even though it was a weekday, the place was full. There was not enough space so people could be seen standing and listening. About 50 journalists also attended.

Chairman Lee also said on that day, “(Following the Old Testament and the First Coming), in the Book of Revelation, there is re-creation and judgment. Although this is a serious event, some treat it lightly and as a joke.” “The Word is absolute,” he said, repeatedly emphasising that the fulfilment of Revelation is nearing its completion.

At the same time, he said, “There is no need for commentaries (texts studied and interpreted by people), research, or theological seminaries,” and added, “Just as Jesus received an open scroll (book), ate it and spoke accordingly about the scroll (Ezekiel 3, Matthew 15:24), the same is true today.” “Even when the Book of Revelation is fulfilled, there is someone who receives this scroll (book) and eats it. Someone who receives this scroll will have it in their stomach. So, the scroll speaks, and the listener listens,” he explained.

He continued, “Particularly for pastors, it is written in Revelation 22:8, ‘I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things (all the chapters of Revelation).’ John was then sent to the churches to testify.” He said, “Pastors of the churches must know who the person sent by God and Jesus is, and you should not curse that person sent by God. You should clearly know whether he was sent by God and Jesus.” He pointed out, “Just because you claim to categorically believe, that does not mean you will go to heaven.” Chairman Lee also said, “Those who say this or that without knowing the Bible well must repent before God.”

As expressed at the previous Daegu Bible Seminar, on that day, Shincheonji emphasised that it is a 'family of God's kingdom' belonging to the '12 tribes' promised in the Bible, and asked the pastors, “Which tribe do you belong to according to the Book of Revelation?”

Regarding this, Chairman Lee said, “You must believe according to the Bible and be created according to the Bible,” and, “Before saying, ‘Who are you?!’, you must ask yourself, ‘Who am I according to the Bible? and, ‘Have I been created according to the Bible?’ “One must be created according to the Word of God,” he emphasised. Additionally, he said, “You should not carelessly say that you're saved,” and, “The Bible is fulfilled logically and according to process.”

Pastor Choi, who said this was his fourth time attending the Bible Seminar, cited 'the presence and absence of Revelation' as the difference between Chairman Lee and existing pastors. Pastor Choi said, “The Chairman's greatest characteristic is that he preaches the word of God, that is, the revealed word, as the promised pastor recorded in the Bible.” Pastor Choi said, “I also preached a lot, but many of the sermons were focused on the didactic aspect.” He confessed, “However, when I listened to the Chairman's words, I could see that there were too many differences between the teachings.”

He also said, “When I listen to the Chairman's words, I feel that the word of God is truly alive and active and it changes me. Furthermore, many people who hear these words feel changed and revived.” At the same time, he said to fellow pastors who have not yet heard of Chairman Lee’s lecture, “Once you are trapped in the cult-centred way of thinking, you can no longer think about anything else. That's where I was. But after listening to the word here, I realised that my thoughts were wrong and that this was right.” He continued, “Isn’t there a standard by which everyone can discern? I hope you don’t get stuck in that frame of thinking, but open your heart and listen,” and emphatically said, “I'd strongly recommend you do so.”

A pastor who has been active in Busan for about 35 years said, “It was an opportunity to make a firm resolve to stop the cult-naming and labelling and to check and learn from the Book of Revelation through future Bible education MOUs*.” He added, “There is nothing wrong with what Chairman Lee said in his sermon.” “I think I should come to Shincheonji and learn the Word,” he said.

A pastor who has been ministering in Busan for about 20 years also said, “I've thought that a religious reformation should occur in this era to unite Christianity through the truth.” “I believe I'll be able to have confidence and unwavering faith in the Word through the Shincheonji Bible Seminar,” he said, indicating that he will continue to sign Bible education MOUs with Shincheonji in the future.

A citizen who visited the site that day said, “Chairman Lee’s sermon was, in one word, 'refreshing.'” “I was able to know and understand the reality of Jesus and the promised shepherd at the Second Coming,” he said. “I was frustrated because there was nowhere in any denomination that preached the Book of Revelation, so I am relieved that it seems I have finally found an opening.” “I want to properly learn the revealed word of Shincheonji,” he said.

On that day, the Shincheonji Bible Seminar was broadcast in real time through LED video vehicles in major areas of Busan, and was broadcast simultaneously in 10 languages, including Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Russian, and French, on Shincheonji's official YouTube channel. At the same time, the number of online viewers reached about 36,000.

This is already the 8th time this year that the Shincheonji Bible Seminar lecture has been held for pastors, seminarians, and church members. Following the initial Bible series held in the first half of the year, the current series held in the latter half in Seoul and Daejeon went through the Book of Revelation chapter by chapter under the theme of 'Fulfilled Realities of the Entire Book of Revelation' and clearly testified to the meaning and reality of the prophecy. Then, in Daegu, a lecture was given on the three key mysteries of the Book of Revelation: 'Betrayer, Destroyer, and Savior'.

In Seoul, over 1600 people, including 450 pastors, attended, in Daejeon, over 2000 people, including 200 pastors, and in Daegu, over 2000 people, including over 100 pastors.

The Shincheonji Bible Seminar is being held sequentially in major cities across South Korea. This year's Bible Seminar will conclude on the 21st in Gwangju, South Jeolla province. In Gwangju, the theme is '144,000 and the Multitude in White That Will Be Saved.'

Meanwhile, Shincheonji Church of Jesus produced 103,764 graduates in 2019 for the first time in the history of any single denomination, and 106,186 graduates in 2022 for the second time despite the negative news of COVID-19. Unlike the religious world, which is on the path to decline, the number of Shincheonji believers currently exceeds 310,000.