If someone were to ask you if you've ever heard of Shinchonji, you would probably be among the vast majority of people who have not. And yet, there are handfuls of people all around the world who are getting involved in Shinchonji without their knowing.
If someone were to ask one of them if they've ever learned about the revealed word or the opened word, they would say, yes. They would probably say, I'm learning the revealed word right now. How do I know this? Because two months ago, this was me. I was deeply involved in learning the revealed word for months and never knew that I was actually being converted to the Shinchonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle.
There are lots of groups that claim to have "the revealed word," so the two may not necessarily be linked. But, if you're anything like me, the revealed word is the first thing I thought to research because it is such a central component to Shinchonji teaching.
In my experience, every time I asked direct questions about the name of the organization, the founder, or where these teachings were headed, my teachers would hand me vague and evasive answers. The organization had no name. The founder was a "missionary" who gives all glory to God. My teacher's church was "a church that teaches the revealed word." When pressed, my teacher called her church a non-denominational church called "Serving Christ Jesus." I was not able to maintain any information about this church via the internet because this church does not exist. Another name they've given out is "California Zion Church" which is searchable via the internet... that is, with no real information attached to it. It is listed in the yellow pages siting 1) where it could be found on a map, and 2) a phone number. None of this was useful to me because the people there will not give out any palpable information. Questions about their teachings usually led to "that will be covered in another lesson" or "just continue with the lessons and wait till you see the whole picture." When I expressed concerns with the way they were interpreting scripture, they would persist to tell me, "you are using your own thinking like the Israelites did in the first coming of Christ."
If you are experiencing similar situations with a group of believers, you may be getting involved in Shinchonji Church of Jesus. I did not find this out until a month after I left their teachings due to heavy, investigative research. And I was involved in learning their teachings for five months!
This is their website: www.healingallnations.shinchonji.kr/content/welcome-healing-all-nations.
This is a website that desires to test Shinchonji teachings in light of the Word and sound reason: www.shinchonjiandthebible.blogspot.com.
This is some of their beliefs/teachings:
1. They don't believe in the trinity.
2. They believe that believers today must completely understand Revelation
and the parables in order to enter the kingdom (Matt 13:10-11).
3. They claim that "the one who overcomes" in Rev 2:17, 26-27 is a
prophecy of a coming pastor who will open the Word. This is controversial since
this phrase appears to be taken out of context since the writer is writing to a
church body. Thus the phrase would more easily be interpreted as “those among
you who overcome.”
4. They claim that they alone have the Revealed Word because their pastor is
this pastor—Mr. Manhee Lee.
5. They believe they are the 144,000 recorded in Revelation 14:1.
6. They believe that the old generation of Christians will betray God as the
Israelites did by not receiving the Revealed Word (2 Thess 2:3). The sun, moon,
and stars in Matt 24:29 that fall to the earth represent the pastors and
Christians who will betray God.
7. They believe that the "Counselor" Jesus spoke of is not the
Holy Spirit, but actually this promised pastor of the end times.
8. They believe that the church today is interpreting many things literally
that were always meant to be taken figuratively—thus, the Revealed Word opens
those figurative meanings.
A. Trees represent people (Ps
1:3, Is 55:12).
B. Fire represents the Word
of judgment (Jer. 5:14).
C. Food/Bread represents
spiritual learning (Is 55:2).
D. Pregnant woman
represents pastor (Gal 4:19).
E. Light represents the
Revealed Word (Ps 119:105).
F. Foxes represent false
prophets (Ezekiel 13:4).
(And many more. These are
just to name a few.)
9. They believe that Jesus Christ has passed his scepter of authority down
to the "promised pastor" to rule over the nations with the Revealed
Word, and that this pastor will turn around and give all glory back to Christ.
10. They use one-on-one studies to reel people into their classes. Usually
there is one teacher and at least one recruiter—a member who is pretending to
be learning for the first time along side of you.
11. They justify their deceptive practices with 1 Cor 9:22, and using Abraham
and Jacob as examples.
