Changing the world one heart at a time

April 2009

Is SCJ Church of Jesus really a cult?

Is SCJ Church of Jesus really a cult? Is it a cult from God’s point of view or is it a cult from the point of view of men? We should confirm whether or not SCJ is a cult using the Bible as our standard. Let’s discover the correct answer.
 
Since 1990, many Christians have joined SCJ after listening to SCJ’s revealed word (i.e. the word of revelation). This mass exodus of Christians angered many Korean pastors, and in response, these pastors have held several meetings to work out strategies for preventing their congregation members from leaving their churches. Ultimately, they decided to call SCJ a cult to avoid losing any more congregation members.

The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony

Ref.: Rv 15:5; Rv 13:6; Heb 9:1-10; Ex 25:8-9, 22; Acts 7:44-45

The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony is the place for all nations to come and worship. This is the temple where the witnesses who have seen and heard all the events of Revelation (including the events of Rv 13) at the location they took place have gathered. After overcoming the beast in Rv 12, these witnesses have gathered before the sea of glass and the throne of God, according to the promises in Rv 2 and 3.

666—the mark of the beast

Main ref.: Rv 13:11-18; Dn 3:1-7; 1 Kgs 10:14; 1 Kgs 11:2-8; Mt 25:14-3; Dn 2; Dn 4; Dn 7; Mt 13:34-35

Question: There are two different beasts in Revelation. The beast coming out of the sea enters the tabernacle of heaven and defeats its congregation members. Because it is victorious, the beast seizes authority over the defeated congregation members. The other beast, which comes from the tabernacle (the figurative earth), arrives at the throne of the beast from the sea and works on its behalf. This beast from the earth entices the congregation members of the tabernacle to worship the first beast and its idols. He kills anyone who refuses to worship the idols. His name, in fact, is 666. Isn’t the number 666 familiar to you? Who is this beast called 666?

The beast with seven heads and ten horns that comes out of the sea

The references for today are Rv 13; Rv 17; Prv 30:1-2; Mt 7:6; Phil 3:2; 2 Pt 2:22; and Rv 22:15.

What is the beast that receives his authority and throne from the dragon in Rv 13 and Rv 17? Who is the prostitute in Rv 17?

What is the scroll sealed with seven seals in Rv 5:1?

The sealed scroll contains prophecies that will be fulfilled in the end times of the given generation (Hb 2:2-3). Prophecies are given to people so that they might believe in the physical fulfillment of the prophecies when it arrives (Jn 14:29). Both the Old Testament (Is 29:9-14) and New Testament (Rv 5) are sealed. The sealed scroll in the Old Testament represented the prophecies that had to be fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming (Jn 19:30), and the sealed scroll in the New Testament represents the prophecies that have to be fulfilled at Jesus’ second coming (Rv 21:6).

What is the true identity of the tree of life in Gn 2 and Rv 22?

There are two kinds of trees in Gn 2: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil each represent people or pastors. The tree of life that appears in Gn 2 and Rv 22 each point to the same entity.

The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are located in the middle of the Garden of Eden (Gn 2:9). Revelation 22:2, however, only mentions the tree of life.

What is the true meaning of Rv 1:7?

As the prologue to Revelation, Rv 1:1-8 is a highly condensed summary of all the chapters of Revelation. Before we discuss Rv 1:7, we should remind ourselves that Rv 1:7 is also part of that summary.

The fact that Jesus returns with the clouds means that he is coming in spirit. Clouds are capable of hiding things from view. In Acts 1:9-11, Jesus’ disciples were staring into the sky after Jesus’ ascension, and a cloud hid Jesus from their sight.

Who are the one who reads, those who hear, and those who obey in Rv 1:3?

Apostle John recorded Rv 1:1-8 as a summary of Revelation after he saw and heard the events of all the chapters of Revelation. Since Rv 1:3 is part of this summary of Revelation, the three entities mentioned in the title of this article—the one who reads, those who hear, and those who obey (Rv 1:3)—can be found elsewhere in Revelation. Anyone who desires the correct answer to the question in the title should ask Jesus, Apostle John, or the pastor in the position of Apostle John who ate the open book of Revelation in Rv 10 in reality. The one who reads is Apostle John who eats the scroll in 10; those who hear are the nations, peoples, languages, and kings in Rv 10; those who obey are the 144,000 and the great multitude in white robes in Rv 1:1, Rv 7, and Rv 14.

Sin and life

Main references: Rv 21:1-7; Is 65: 17-25; Jas 1:15; Gn 2:7; Jn 1:1-4; Jn 5:24-25; Gn 5; Jn 6:40, 47-57; Jn 8:51-55; Jn 11:25-27; Rv 22:1-5People who lived in Adam’s time were able to live for almost 1,000 years (Gn 5). Now that roughly 6,000 years have passed, modern people are lucky to live over 80 years. Why has human life-expectancy fallen so dramatically?

True orthodoxy and true heresy

The Bible does not mention the word orthodoxy. The Bible does mention the word heresy, but it does not give a clear definition. There are, however, standards in the Bible believers can use to discern orthodoxy from heresy: the one and only true God (Jn 17:3) and false gods (Jn 8:41-44; 2 Thes 2:4); the true vine (Jn 15:1) and wild vines (Dt 32:32-33; Is 5:2); the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gn 2:9); the truth (Jn 1:14; Jn 3:21; Jn 17:17) and lies (Jn 8:44); God’s seed and the devil’s seed (Mt 13:24-25; Mt 13:36-40); the true pastor and false pastors (Jn 8; Mt 15); and heaven and hell (Rv 4; Rv 21-22; 2 Pt 2:4).