Shincheonji - 0009 - The Lord's Commandments, Faith, and Deeds

The Lord's Commandments, Faith, and Deeds

         Although God is love (1Jn 4:16), people will still be judged according to what they have done as recorded in the books (Rv 20:12).

            God loved the world so much that he has given us his only son (Jn 3:16). That only son, Jesus, befriended sinners and bore the cross for them (Mt 9:10-13). The Bible says that God will pay back those who say, “Keep to yourself! Don't get near me, for I am holier than you!” (Is 65:5-6). Additionally, Jesus told us to love our enemies and to feed them when they are hungry (refer to Mt 5, 25:31-46).

            We, as believers, know very well that it is those who keep the commandments who have true faith in God and Jesus. Even if you believe, however, and claim to act in the name of Jesus, if you do not act according to the true meaning of the scriptures, you are not a true believer (refer to Mt 7:21-27).

            Do you think that it is truly God's will for people to hold educational seminars that fail to disguise their true purpose – persecution, judgment, slander, and spiritual murder which God has forbidden? Is this not the will of Satan? Is it good for Christianity and for believers? Christian churches must realize that it is the infighting and persecution of Christians by Christians that has cut the total number of Christians in Korea by 30% since 1990. Is it a newly established denomination that has caused this drop? No! Isn’t a drop in attendance the most natural outcome when people perceive corruption in the churches of their generation?

            From a certain perspective, Christianity (i.e. the belief in Jesus Christ) itself is a new religion. If all new religions are cults, should all Protestants return to Catholicism? Should all Catholics return to Judaism?

            Anyone who believes in and follows the Lord's commandments becomes a Christian regardless of their denomination (Jn 1:12-13); anyone who has the spirit of Christ and keeps his commands becomes a Christian (Rom 8:9-11). It is only those who hold to and teach the word of life, only those who love and forgive one another, who are doing God's will (1Jn 4). Christianity should unite and dig deeply into the word with faith in the words of promise.

            The persecution and slandering of each other that is going on between Christians should not be happening. Only when it stops will Christianity be restored as the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16).

Shincheonji - 0008 - The Blood, Flesh, & Prayers that Give Salvation

The Blood, Flesh, & Prayers that Give Salvation

           Since the scriptures cannot be broken (Jn 10:35), all people will be judged according to what they have done as recorded in the books (Rv 20:12). The consequences of this judgment are heaven and hell.

           Jesus bore the cross to atone for our sins. He declared that, in the last days, he would raise up anyone who eats his flesh and drinks his blood. He also said that the requests of those who pray in his name will be granted (Jn 6:51-57; Jn 14:13-14; Jn 16:13, 26). It is only the blood of the righteous one (i.e. Jesus) that redeems us from our sins. It is only in his name that we must pray for our prayers to be answered. It is only through Jesus' blood and his flesh that we can obtain salvation. It is also through obeying the New Testament, the promise of Jesus, that we can be saved (refer to Jn 14:21-24; Rv 1:3, 14:12). No other flesh or blood can give us salvation. If we pray in someone else's name, Jesus will not give us anything we ask for; we will not receive anything.

           People who ignore Jesus' words, claim that someone else's flesh and blood are necessary to receive salvation, or claim that we must pray in someone else's name for our prayers to be answered are true cult members – heretics that hold to the doctrines of demons. These people have revealed the fact that they have united with Satan; they belong to Satan. Unfortunately, there are believers who cannot distinguish the truth regarding these people or their lies. They think the liars explained above are orthodox. They unite with those who claim that someone else's flesh and blood are necessary for salvation and who urge others to pray in another name so that their prayers are answered. What can you say about these people? Are they heretics or are they orthodox? They are trying to convert others to their own organizations and points of view. Really, what can you say about them? Are they heretics or orthodox? If you are a true believer in Jesus, please consider this point and discern the truth (refer to 1Cor 10:15). We have banished these people from Shinchonji; we have banished everyone who has claimed that something other than Jesus’ flesh and blood are necessary for salvation and those who tell others to pray in anyone but Jesus' name (Jn 6:51-57). They are now holding seminars and persecuting us (i.e. the church and pastor that expelled them). Who are the real cult members? Who are the ones that truly believe in the Lord? All believers must discern whether persecuting others, cursing, judging, criticizing others, and spreading lies are actions according to the commands of the spirit (Mt 7:1-5, 5:10-12; Lk 6:37-38).

Shincheonji - 0007 - Why do we believe in Jesus as the Christ?

Why do we believe in Jesus as the Christ?

     We believe that Jesus is the Christ because he came and fulfilled everything that God promised through the Old Testament prophets to fulfill in the future (Jn 19:30). This is why we Christians have been testifying about Jesus and all the things he fulfilled (Ac 1:4-8).

     More important than what he has already fulfilled, however, is the new promise (New Testament) that Jesus made with us. This new promise was given to us so that we might believe when it is fulfilled (Jn 14:29).

     Now it has been over 2,000 years since the new promise was made. The people who refused to believe when they saw the fulfillment of the old promise were not true believers, and neither are those who fail to believe when they see the fulfillment of the new promise.

     The twelve tribes of Shincheonji are testifying with pride about what we have seen – the fulfillment of the new promise. If you hope to have true belief, if you hope to attain heaven and eternity, you need carefully analyze our testimony.

     Today, salvation is impossible without believing in the fulfillment of the New Testament, just as there was no salvation for those who refused to believe in the Old Testament.

     The priests during the first coming called Jesus and his disciples ringleaders of sects and riots (Ac 24:5, 14). Christians at that time were cast out of their jobs, schools, homes, towns, and countries (Heb 10). Although Paul was responsible for the stoning of Stephen (Ac 7:54-8:3), he later met Jesus, stopped calling him a cult leader, and instead began to proclaim him to be the Christ (Ac 9). Today, however, no one calls Jesus a cult leader anymore. Now, it is Shincheonji that everyone calls a cult. According to God and the Bible, however, Shincheonji is not a cult; it is the kingdom and priests of God (Rev 1:5-6, 5:9-10, 20:6, 21:1). Believers who truly know the Bible can certify that Shincheonji is the right way. We know that it is only by way of the cross that we can be atoned and saved from our sins.

Shincheonji - 0006 - The kingdom of Heaven and Eternal life

The kingdom of Heaven and Eternal life

     The main message that God and Jesus gave in the four Gospels was the message about the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Anyone who does not believe this message does not believe in Jesus or his word, because the scriptures cannot be broken (Jn 10:35).

     There are two kingdoms of heaven in the Bible. One is the spiritual kingdom located in heaven, and the other is the physical kingdom that is fulfilled here on earth. There are also two kinds of eternal life; spiritual and physical. What does this mean?

● The kingdom of heaven in the spiritual and physical worlds

     The kingdom of heaven in Rv 4 and 21 is the kingdom in the spiritual world. Moses made the tabernacle according to the pattern he saw in heaven (Heb 8:5), and God came to dwell there (Ex 25:22). Jesus called himself the temple and the kingdom of heaven because God was dwelling with him (Mt 13:24, 37). The kingdom of heaven is like a bird perching in a tree that has grown from a small seed (Mt 13:31-32). The tabernacle of the chosen people, where the sun, moon, and stars can be found, can be called heaven (Rv 12). The sun, moon, and stars represent Israel (Gn 37:9-11). Thus, heaven is the Tabernacle of the chosen people (i.e. the sun, moon, and stars), with whom the God of the spiritual heaven dwells (refer to Rv 13:6). Jesus asked in the Lord’s Prayer for God’s will to be done on earth as it is heaven (Mt 6:10). He also said that the gathering place for believers on this earth is the kingdom of heaven (Mt 8:11). People who fail to believe the words of these promises misunderstand the Bible.

● Spiritual and physical eternal life

     According to Gn 1:26-27, God created men in the image and appearance of God. God calls the men he creates “sons of the most high” and “gods” in Ps 82. God gave Adam the breath of life and Adam became a living being (Gn 2:7). The living being ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and his spirit died. His flesh returned to the dust at the age of 930 (Gn 5:5, 3:19). If Adam had not eaten the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, wouldn’t he still have lived in God’s image? In Jesus’ first coming, one of the topics his opponents liked to debate was eternal life (Jn 8:47-55). Jesus clearly assured us that we must believe in eternal life. God, who is life, left men because the sons of God returned to the flesh (Gn 6:1-3). From that time on all men have had original sins, inherited sins, and the personal sins that accumulate as they live their lives. As all of these sins added up, the human lifespan got shorter. People lived up to a thousand years in Adam’s time, but now the human lifespan is roughly 80 years (refer to Ps 90:10). When the sins that shrink the human lifespan are resolved, that lifespan will increase again because God can come to people and live with them (refer to Rv 21:4; Jas 1:15; Rom 8:9-11).

Let us find out what Jesus said about the two kinds of eternal life.

     “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:25-27) When Jesus asked his disciples about eternal life they affirmed that they did, indeed, believe (Jn 11:27). This was the same time Jesus was able to raise Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11).

     This, however, is not the only example in the scriptures. God took away Enoch (Gn 5:24); Elijah went up to heaven (2Kgs 2:11); and Moses’ body was not found on the earth (refer to Mk 9:4-8; Jude 1:9). Jesus, too, resurrected and ascended to heaven (Jn 11:25; Acts 1:22; Rom 1:4; Acts 1:2; Heb 4:14). It must be natural for those who believe in the Bible to believe these facts as well. Ever since Jesus shed his blood, anyone who believes in Jesus can be redeemed from his or her sins; God and Jesus can become his or her God (Heb 8:7-13). This is possible because peoples’ sins can be atoned through the blood of Jesus. The Bible says that those who have eaten Jesus’ flesh and drunk his blood before the second coming will be raised on that day as spirits (Jn 6:51-57, 63; 1Thes 4:13-18; Rv 20:4; 1Cor 15:51-52). The spirits and flesh that appear in these references are not those of regular people; they are the ones who become new creations by being born again of the water and the spirit (Jn 3:5-6; 2Cor 5:17). Anyone who wants to argue that the words of these scriptures are incorrect must have evidence to support that claim. On the other hand, if the words of these scriptures are correct, we must all believe them. Furthermore, there are some who persecute the people who believe these scriptures, calling them heretics. In fact, they are the ones who do not believe Jesus’ words, and in failing to believe, they themselves become heretics. They are no different from the Pharisees who called Jesus a serpent (someone who is demon-possessed) in the time of the first coming.

Let us examine a passage where the Jews, the chosen people, argued with Jesus over the issue of eternal life.

     (Jn 8:51-55) “I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death.” Then the Judeans responded, “Now we know you're possessed by a demon! Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death.’ You aren't greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our God.’ " 

     Jesus said, “If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death,” but, because of this comment, the Jews exclaimed that Jesus was demon-possessed. The Jews asked Jesus, “Both Abraham and the prophets died ... Who do you claim to be?” In reply to their words, Jesus said that he would not lie as they did, but he would keep God’s word (eternal life). This Jesus, who raised Lazarus from the dead, also said that he would be raised to life three days after his death. This did, indeed, take place, and after his resurrection he appeared to his disciples, saying, “Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.” (N.B. The KJV uses “spirit” instead of “ghost.”) He also ate a piece of broiled fish in their presence (Lk 24:39-43).

     Considering John’s testimony in Rv 21:1-4 and that of Paul in Rom 8:11, life can be given even to a mortal body if God dwells within it. It is also written, “ ... Death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist,” (Rv 21:4). Paul said, “Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen, ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory,’” (1Cor 15:51-54). The scriptures also say, “ ... They will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years,” (Rv 20:6); “ ... They will reign forever and ever,” (Rv 22:5).

     Why would we believe in Jesus if there were no such thing as eternal life? Eternal life is in God’s hands, regardless of whether you are referring to the spirits or the flesh. It is only applicable, however, to people who become new creations; people who are born again. The “dead,” whose flesh has died in the Lord, will be raised as spirits. Those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will live with Jesus for a long time just as people lived a long time before Adam sinned. Having faith in this idea is the true meaning of carrying out a life of faith. If there is a natural body, there is a spiritual body as well (1Cor 15:44).

Shincheonji - 0005 - Why did Jesus bear the cross?

Why did Jesus bear the cross?

     There are two main reasons Jesus bore the cross. The crucifixion allowed for the atonement of the sins of men (Mt 26:28; Ro 6:6-11), and it allowed God and Jesus to come and unite with people who have no sin (Ac 2:36-38; Gal 2:20; Ro 8:9-11). Before the crucifixion, the spirit was not yet with people (Jn 7:38-39), but after Jesus was crucified he breathed on people and told them to receive the spirit (Jn 20:22-23).

     Jesus, right before his ascension, commanded his disciples to wait for the holy spirit that the Father promised to send and to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth after the spirit came upon them (Ac 1:4-8). After that, they received the spirit Jesus had promised and went on to preach the gospel (Ac 2:1-4). The holy spirit, which left people because of their sins, was able to return to people without sin because Jesus bore the cross on behalf of his disciples to atone for their sins. Where does Jesus currently reside?

Let us truly believe by meditating on the following scriptures:

•           I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

•           You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. (Jn 14:20)

•           Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)

•           And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” (Gal 4:6)

•           You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. (Ro 8:9-11)

•           We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building.  (1Co 3:9)

•           Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1Co 3:16)

•           Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Rev 20:4, NASB)

     According to the scriptures, Jesus resides within us after he has atoned for our sins. This is why he bore the cross and it is our hope. It is wrong to talk about the Bible if you do not understand it fully and if you are not a Christian. These people are not qualified to talk about the Bible. You must proclaim and testify the truth only after receiving the holy spirit that allows you to see, hear, and master the Bible. You should be thankful that you now know the true meaning of Jesus’ cross, which we proclaim for our own salvation.

Shincheonji - 0004 - Jesus’ Commission and His Ability

Jesus’ Commission and His Ability

     According to Jn 10:35, the scriptures cannot be broken.

     Jesus came according to the scriptures, fulfilled prophecy according to the scriptures, and left again according to the scriptures. God promised Abraham that the Israelites would escape Egypt after four generations. Just as he promised, God came to Moses, performed many miracles, and delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. Just as he prophesied through the Old Testament prophets, God came to Jesus and performed many miracles. He raised Lazarus from the dead and walked on water. He fed 5,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish leaving 12 basketfuls of leftovers (Mt 14:17). How could Jesus have performed these miracles if God wasn't with him?

     Moses had power because God was with him. Jesus had power because God was with him. God fed the Israelites manna and quail in the time of Moses (Ex 16). God also came to Jesus to perform powerful signs. The priests of that time, however, were jealous of Jesus because they could not perform the same miracles. They cursed at their congregation members that followed Jesus. They tried to prevent others from going to Jesus by calling Jesus a cult leader and the devil (Jn 8:51-59; Ac 24:5, 14; Mt 12:22-28).

     They should have given thanks and glory to God that Jesus was able to feed so many people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Instead, they slandered Jesus for not keeping the traditions of the elders (e.g. washing one’s hands before eating). They were obviously not thinking clearly. True heretics blame others for their own wrong doing. Jesus, on the other hand, bore the cross for our sins and established the 12 tribes of the Spiritual Israel. He also promised what would be fulfilled in the future. He promised he would return and then he ascended to heaven. Today, believers must not be like the Jews of that time, who refused to believe and instead told lies designed to harm others. We pray that everyone will believe in the work of God so that everyone can be saved.

Shincheonji - 0003 - Physical marriage and spiritual marriage

Physical Marriage and Spiritual Marriage

Physical Marriage

     The marriage of Adam and Eve in Ge 2:20-24 is a marriage between two bodies (flesh). God chose them and joined them together. When Jesus mentioned marriage, he said that no one can separate what God has joined together (Mt 19:6; Mk 10:9). Anyone who causes them to separate must not believe God, Jesus, or their words.

Spiritual Marriage

     God led the Israelites out of Egypt to the land of Canaan and said, “They broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” (Jer 31:32). This scripture shows us that God is the husband and the Israelites were his bride.

     God prophesied through Hosea when he said, “I will betroth you to me forever” (Hos 2:2-20) That is why God came to Jesus and why Jesus said that he and the father were one (Jn 10:30). This is what Paul meant when he said, “The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” Jerusalem here refers to Jesus. Paul also referred to the unity of God’s spirit with our spirit as a marriage.

     God was able to come to Jesus because Jesus had no sin. God left men because of their sins (Ge 6). God cannot be with sinners. God sent Jesus to resolve the problem of sin by bearing the cross. Thus, there are two reasons for bearing the cross: to resolve the problem of the sin, and to allow the spirit to unite with our flesh. These two things are promised in many places in the Bible (e.g. Ro 8:9-11; Jn 14:20; Rev 3:20; Gal 4:6; Gal 2:20). This is the marriage between the spirit and flesh in the New Testament.

Shincheonji - 0002 - The Difference Between God’s People and Satan’s People

The Difference Between God’s People and Satan’s People

     Good belongs to God and evil belongs to the devil. Jesus said that the very words he spoke would condemn people (Jn 12:48). He also said the scriptures (Bible) cannot be broken (Jn 10:35). The words of Jesus in the New Testament judge the truth from the lies.

✦     Some of the words of Jesus in the New Testament

     ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.   ¹¹Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me.   ¹²Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

(Mt 5:10-12)

     ¹Do not judge so that you will not be judged.   ²For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.   ³Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?   ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?

     ⁵You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

(Mt 7:1-5)

     But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.

(Mt 5:44)

     ¹⁸If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first.   ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own.    However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.

(Jn 15:18-19)

     ¹¹Give us today our daily bread,   ¹²forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.

(Mt 6:11-12)

     But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

(Mt 6:15)

     Those who believe Jesus will keep his commands. Those who belong to the devil will neither believe the word of Jesus nor will they keep it. They condemn, persecute, and assume the worst about people by making up lies about them. They slander and curse people to expel them from society. Their fruits (i.e. their actions) reveal their allegiance. Jesus bore the cross for sinners. He befriended, ate, and drank with sinners and tax collectors (Mt 9:11-13, 11:19). Are we holier than God and Jesus? We must forgive and love others just as Jesus did. We must also love Christianity. We must learn the truth.

     ¹²And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life.  So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.   ¹³The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

(Rev 20:12-13)

     ³⁴Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.   ³⁵The good person brings good things out of his  good treasury,  and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury.   ³⁶I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.   ³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

(Mt 12:34-37)

     ⁵They say, “Keep to yourself! Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!” These people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps burning all day long.   ⁶Look, I have decreed: I will not keep silent, but will pay them back; I will pay them back exactly what they deserve.

(Isa 65:5-6)

     I answered, “Who would listen if I spoke to them and warned them?  Their ears are so closed that they cannot hear! Indeed, what the Lord says is offensive to them. They do not like it at all.” (Jer 6:10)

✦     How can we tell who belongs to God and who belongs to the world

     ⁵They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world’s perspective and the world listens to them.   ⁶We are from God; the person who knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this  we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. (1Jn 4:5-6)

     ³¹The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all.   ³²He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.   ³³The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful.   ³⁴For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly.

(Jn 3:31-34)

     Jesus shed his blood out of his love for sinners. We must love one another and forgive one another to lead people to salvation. This is how God teaches us to attain salvation.