Shincheonji · Topic hub

Shincheonji Immortality: Why Lee Man-hee’s Life Is Central

Shincheonji teaches that its “first resurrection,” a union of martyrs’ spirits with living members’ bodies, is when the mortal puts on immortality, and its own books place the “promised pastor,” with whom God’s throne rests and whom SCJ identifies as Lee Man-hee, at the center of that union. Lee has denied claiming eternal life (2007, 2017), but former leaders and members say they were taught he would never die, and the doctrine needs him alive when the promised “wedding” comes. Born in 1931, Lee is now 95 and on trial in Seoul, which makes this the doctrine’s unavoidable test.

Families often ask us whether Shincheonji really taught that Lee would never die. It is no side issue: in Shincheonji’s own books, the first resurrection, the spiritual marriage and the teaching of Lee Man-hee’s physical eternal life (이만희 육체영생) all depend on one living man.

By Chris Vishoot, co-founder of Bible Vaccine Center International and former Shincheonji memberDrawn from 2 SCJ books plus SCJ’s own blog and columnsPrimary and secondary sources markedUpdated How we sourced this

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On this page

Dated update

Where things stand (October 2026)

Current as of . Lee denies the charges, and no verdict has been reached.

  • Age. Lee Man-hee was born on September 15, 1931, so he is 95 by the international count used in Korean news reports today. Our timeline below uses traditional Korean reckoning, which makes him 96 in 2026. (source)
  • Detained, June 24, 2026. After a warrant hearing that day, the Seoul Central District Court ordered him detained, saying there was a risk that evidence could be destroyed. (Yonhap)
  • Indicted, June 29 and July 13, 2026. A joint prosecution-police task force charged him with violating the Political Parties Act and with obstruction of business. It alleges that Shincheonji enrolled at least 56,472 members in the People Power Party between 2021 and 2024 to influence party primaries and elections. In August the task force also announced tax-evasion charges against him and the church. (Yonhap; Herald Business)
  • First trial hearing, September 21, 2026. Lee came into court in a wheelchair, had trouble understanding the judge’s questions about his date of birth and address, and spoke about Revelation rather than the charges. The court asked his lawyers to find a hospital that can assess his cognitive ability, ideally through inpatient observation. His lawyers denied any coercion, intent or conspiracy. (Etoday; Hankook Ilbo; Asia Business Daily)
  • Detention suspended on health grounds. Since late August the court has suspended his detention several times so he can receive medical treatment. On October 7 it extended his temporary release to November 6. A bail request heard on August 21 has not yet been decided. (Yonhap; Newsis)
  • October 6 pretrial hearing. Lee did not attend. His lawyers asked for bail, saying his cognitive impairment is “almost certain” and that he needs 24-hour care after surgery. They had not yet filed the expert opinion on his cognition that the court had asked for. With about 190 witnesses expected, the judge said the trial could take a year even with weekly hearings. The next pretrial hearing is October 20, and full hearings are scheduled to begin November 2. (Edaily; Newsis)
  • The doctrine itself. Korea JoongAng Daily reported on February 3, 2026, that investigators were also looking into accusations that Shincheonji promoted an end-times doctrine centered on physical immortality. (Korea JoongAng Daily)

We include this because the teaching on this page depends on Lee remaining alive. It is not a judgment on his guilt or his health. We will update this box as the case develops.

From SCJ's own books

Why Immortality Is Central to Shincheonji’s Theology

Each step builds on the one before. Every quote is shown with its source, and where we have SCJ’s original Korean, it appears beside the English.

  1. God's throne & the promised pastor
  2. The spiritual marriage
  3. The first resurrection
  4. Putting on immortality
  5. So: if Lee dies…
Diagram of Shincheonji’s immortality teaching in five steps: 1, God’s throne rests with the promised pastor, whom SCJ identifies as Lee Man-hee; 2, a spiritual marriage in which spirit and flesh unite; 3, the first resurrection, which SCJ calls the unification of spirits and flesh; 4, the mortal puts on immortality and believers leap over the wall of death; 5, so Lee must be alive when the wedding comes.
The five-step chain as Shincheonji’s own books and blog present it. Each step is quoted and sourced below.

  1. Step 1

    The throne rests on one man

    Shincheonji (SCJ) reads Revelation 3:12 and 3:21 as describing a single “promised pastor”.

    The books give his title, not his name, but SCJ makes the link. Columns credited to SCJ call this overcomer the 기둥 (pillar) of its temple and “오직 한 사람뿐” (“only one person”) (천지일보, 1 and 4 Oct 2021). On SCJ’s official blog, Lee calls himself “new John at the time of Revelation’s fulfillment” (28 May 2024).

    SCJ’s English text

    …God and Jesus are with the promised pastor who fought against and defeated Satan’s group. The throne of God and Jesus is also with the promised pastor (Rv 3:21).

    Primary source · p. 258 The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shinchonji Press, 2009, p. 258 Link Source: English edition (2009)

    Why this leads to the next step: SCJ’s books go on to say that Jesus’ Spirit joins this one man as a groom joins his bride.

    Read SCJ’s 2005 text on God’s throne resting on a man of flesh →

  2. Step 2

    He is the bride in a spiritual marriage

    In the 1985 commentary, Jesus’ Spirit takes this earthly servant as his bride.

    English translation

    The Lord, who has come in spirit, chooses one flesh, the commissioned servant on earth, and receives him as his bride.

    원문 · Original

    영으로 오신 주께서 지상의 사명자 한 육체를 택하시어 신부로 맞이한다.

    Primary source · pp. 349–351 『계시록의 진상』, 도서출판 신천지, 1985, pp. 349–351 Link Our translation; awaiting native-speaker review. Page numbers are a section range.

    Why this leads to the next step: SCJ’s 2009 English book says: “This wedding refers to the holy spirit of Jesus entering believer’s hearts; it refers to the unification of spirit and flesh” (The Creation of Heaven and Earth, p. 245). SCJ uses the same words for the first resurrection.

    How SCJ ties the spiritual marriage to the 144,000’s eternal life →

  3. Step 3

    The wedding is the first resurrection

    SCJ calls the first resurrection “the unification of spirits and flesh”, the same union it calls the wedding.

    SCJ’s English text

    I pray that everyone would understand this concept and participate in the first resurrection (i.e., the unification of spirits and flesh), which Jesus promised.

    Primary source · p. 524 The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Shinchonji Press, 2009, p. 524 Link Source: English edition (2009)

    Why this leads to the next step: SCJ then reads Paul’s promise in 1 Corinthians 15, that the mortal will put on immortality, as fulfilled in this union.

    See SCJ’s quotes calling the wedding the first resurrection →

  4. Step 4

    In that union, the mortal puts on immortality

    SCJ’s 2009 English book says: “This passage in 1 Corinthians is physically fulfilled by the spirits and flesh that participate in the first resurrection in Rv 20” (The Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 252–253).

    The 1985 commentary says the people in this union leap “the wall of death” (사망의 벽).

    English translation

    At last, as Paul said, these are the people who are suddenly changed, leap over the wall of death, and rise into the ranks of eternal life.

    원문 · Original

    마침내 이들은 바울이 말한 바와 같이 홀연히 변화 받아 사망의 벽을 뛰어넘어 영생의 반열에 오른 사람들이다.

    Primary source · pp. 300–301 『계시록의 진상』, 도서출판 신천지, 1985, pp. 300–301 Link Our translation; awaiting native-speaker review. Page numbers are a section range.

    Why this leads to the next step: If immortality comes through this union, and its first bride is one living man, that man has to be alive when the wedding comes.

    Read SCJ’s 2009 text on the living putting on the imperishable →
  5. So:

    Why Lee Man-hee’s death breaks the chain

    SCJ’s official blog says this wedding is still ahead, and that the first resurrection “happens after” it (quoted below). No SCJ book has Lee saying “I will never die.” The doctrine requires it anyway, because its bride must be alive on the wedding day.

    If the one man who carries the throne dies first, the first resurrection loses its central case, and the promise to leap “사망의 벽” (the wall of death) fails. As former SCJ education director 신현욱 put it, quoted in 교회와신앙 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-12 (19 May 2008): “신천지에서의 신앙의 정점은 이만희 씨의 육체가 죽지 않고 영원히 사는 것을 믿는 것” (“The peak of faith in Shincheonji is believing that Lee Man-hee’s body will not die but live forever”).

    SCJ’s English text

    The wedding banquet of the Lamb in Revelation 19 takes place after the events of Revelation 18, but because the judgment of Babylon in Revelation 18 has not yet happened, the marriage with spirits and flesh in Revelation 19 has not been fulfilled. The first resurrection in Revelation 20 happens after the marriage with spirits and flesh in Revelation 19.

    Primary source · SCJ official blog SCJ official English blog (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-05-11 (enblog.shincheonji.kr), 28 May 2024 Link Source: SCJ official English blog (2024)

    What comes next: how SCJ’s wording has changed as Lee has aged, the members who died waiting, and how families can respond with patience and hope.

    What happens when Lee Man-hee dies? Read the explainer →

Change over time

How the wording changed

Entries run oldest to newest.

Lee's ages use Korean reckoning (born 1931: year − 1931 + 1), as our sources give them. “~” marks an approximate year.

2000s

  1. 2005Policy

    Directive signed in Lee’s name bans long-term insurance for pastors and lecturers

    Shincheonji senior pastors and lecturers are forbidden to hold long-term insurance… because it is conduct that shows faith is not recognized and disregards God, and it lowers the faith of the members. (our translation)

    신천지 교회담임 및 강사는 장기보험 가입을 금한다. … 이는 믿음이 인정되지 않고 하나님을 무시하는 처사이며 성도들의 믿음을 저하시키는 것이기 때문이다.

    Source: 특별 지시사항, 신천기 22년 11월 10일; image published in 기독교포털뉴스 13338 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2025-08-27 (2015); not independently authenticated

    Lee's age at the time: 75Secondary

2010s

  1. ~2010Deaths

    Education director 윤재명, taught to be one who would ‘never die’, dies of cancer (date disputed; before Dec 2011)

    If even a founding pillar who worked alongside Chairman Lee for so long dies without gaining eternal life, what will become of me? (our translation)

    개국공신도 이렇게 영생을 얻지 못하고 죽는데 나는 과연 어떻게 될까?

    Source: 지명한 exit statement (26 Jan 2012), ikccah.org/scj/2256 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-23 and amennews 11809 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-09-20; cause per 황의종, 기독교포털뉴스 13338 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2025-08-27

    Lee's age at the time: ~80Secondary
  2. 2017Denials

    Statement attributed to Lee tells a US outlet he never claimed eternal life

    I did not ever say I have eternal life… It’s a misunderstanding.

    Source: PRI The World (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-03-14 (22 Jun 2017)

    Lee's age at the time: 87Secondary
  3. Late 2017TeachingThen / Later

    Magazine reports one-to-one spirit-flesh union dropped; white multitude said to live forever with God’s and Jesus’ spirit

    Then · 2007

    They are God’s kingdom, they are priests, and they reign forever and ever. After this, crowds dressed in white come flocking, and they become the people of God’s kingdom. (our translation)

    하나님의 나라요, 제사장이며 세세토록 왕노릇하는 자들이다. 또 이 일 후 흰옷 입은 무리들이 몰려 오는데 이들은 하나님 나라의 백성이 된다.

    Source: 『천지창조』 (2007), p. 519, via 교회와신앙 (amennews) 8603 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-12

    Secondary
    Later · Late 2017

    SCJ put forward a hasty fix: that the white multitude will live forever with the ‘spirit of God and Jesus’ being ‘with’ them. (our translation of the magazine’s analysis)

    흰 무리가 ‘하나님과 예수의 영’이 ‘함께’해서 영생한다는 성급한 수습책을 내놓았다.

    Source: 현대종교, 조하나 (11 Apr 2025) (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-02-18, Wayback copy

    Secondary
    Lee's age at the time: 87

2020s

  1. 2023DenialsThen / Later

    At a Word Assembly Lee says he is 93 and that living and dying belong to God

    Then · 1985

    At last, as Paul said, these are the people who are suddenly changed, leap over the wall of death, and rise into the ranks of eternal life. (our translation)

    마침내 이들은 바울이 말한 바와 같이 홀연히 변화 받아 사망의 벽을 뛰어넘어 영생의 반열에 오른 사람들이다.

    Source: 『계시록의 진상』 (1985), pp. 300–301

    Primary source
    Later · 2023

    This person is 93 years old. Lived too long, right? … isn’t living and dying bound to God? (our translation)

    이 사람이, 나이가 93살입니다. 너무 오래 살았죠? 그래, 인명재천이라, 죽고 사는 게 하나님께 매여 있는 거 아닙니까?

    Source: 기독교포털뉴스 21295 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-11-03 (30 May 2023), on 22 Apr 2023 event

    Secondary
    Lee's age at the time: 93
  2. 2024TeachingThen / Later

    Leaked audio: a center instructor (not Lee) says ‘eternal life is longevity’

    Then · 2007

    In this period, human life will grow long, like the lifespan of a tree (Isa 65:17–23). … will live forever. (our translation)

    이 시기에는 사람의 생명이 나무의 수명처럼 길어진다(사 65:17~23). … 영원히 살게 된다

    Source: 『천지창조』 (2007), pp. 120–121, via 교회와신앙 (amennews) 8603 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-12

    Secondary
    Later · 2024

    Eternal life is longevity. (our translation)

    영생은 장수다

    Source: 교회와신앙 (amennews) 30114 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-01-13 (3 Dec 2024), on 20 Nov 2024 class

    Secondary
    Lee's age at the time: 94
  3. 2024TeachingThen / Later

    Leaver reports center course now says Lee’s life and death are God’s will and he may appear in ‘another flesh’

    Then · 2008

    …even if others die, he must not die. That is Shincheonji’s doctrine… I believed it and taught it. (our translation)

    다른 사람은 죽어도 그 사람만큼은 죽지 않아야 하는 것이 신천지측 교리다 … 나도 그렇게 믿었고 그렇게 가르쳤다

    Source: 신현욱, 교회와신앙 (amennews) 8603 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-12 (19 May 2008)

    Secondary
    Later · 2024

    The Chairman’s living or dying is God’s will. … After the Chairman passes, he may appear in another flesh, because Jesus did too. (our translation)

    총회장(이만희 교주)이 죽고 사는 것은 하나님의 뜻이다 … 총회장 돌아가신 후 다른 육으로 나타나실 수 있다. 왜냐하면 예수님도 그러하셨기 때문이다

    Source: 교회와신앙 (amennews) 30347 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2025-03-21 (28 Jan 2025), via YouTube 물고기상담소

    Secondary
    Lee's age at the time: 94
  4. 2025TeachingThen / Later

    Magazine reports groom/bride recast: Jesus the only groom; martyrs’ spirits and members both the bride

    Then · 1985

    The Lord, who has come in spirit, chooses one flesh, the commissioned servant on earth, and receives him as his bride. (our translation)

    영으로 오신 주께서 지상의 사명자 한 육체를 택하시어 신부로 맞이한다.

    Source: 『계시록의 진상』 (1985), pp. 349–351

    Primary source
    Later · 2025

    The groom is Jesus alone, and the martyred spirits and the Shincheonji members in the flesh are all the bride, waiting for Jesus. (our translation of the magazine’s summary)

    신랑은 ‘예수님’ 한 분이며, ‘순교한 영과 육체인 신천지 신도’ 모두가 신부로서 예수님을 기다리고 있다고 신천지 교리를 바꾸었다.

    Source: 현대종교, 조하나 (11 Apr 2025) (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-02-18, Wayback copy

    Secondary
    Lee's age at the time: 95
  5. Feb 2026News

    Korea JoongAng Daily: investigators also examining accusations about SCJ’s physical-immortality doctrine

    In addition to the alleged religion–politics collusion, investigators are also looking into accusations that Shincheonji promoted an end-times doctrine centered on physical immortality and coerced members into unpaid labor and donations.

    Source: Korea JoongAng Daily (opens in new tab) (3 Feb 2026)

    Lee's age at the time: 96
  6. 2026News

    Lee, detained and on trial, appears in a wheelchair; court seeks a cognitive assessment

    If possible, he needs to be admitted and observed for a considerable period to confirm it. (the court, 21 Sep 2026; our translation)

    가능하면 입원해 상당 기간 관찰해서 확인할 필요가 있다

    Cognitive impairment is almost certain. (Lee’s defense, 6 Oct 2026; our translation)

    인지장애가 거의 확정적

    Source: detained 24 Jun 2026 (Yonhap (opens in new tab)); first trial hearing 21 Sep 2026 (한국일보 (opens in new tab); wheelchair per 이투데이 (opens in new tab)); 6 Oct 2026 hearing (이데일리 (opens in new tab))

    Lee's age at the time: 96

See the full timeline (23 entries) →

What this means for families

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Go deeper

Explore this topic

New here? Read the first three in order, then browse by type.

Start here

Suggested reading order

  1. Explainer

    1 of 3

    What Happens When Lee Man-hee Dies?

    Why Lee Man-hee’s death matters in Shincheonji doctrine, what SCJ already says, and how families can respond with patience. Sourced, non-clinical.

    5 quotes8 min read Updated

  2. Evidence

    2 of 3

    Lee Man-hee’s Eternal Life Claims in SCJ Books

    What Shincheonji’s own books say about eternal life and never dying, 1985 to today: Korean originals, English renderings and page numbers.

    12 quotes9 min read Updated

Evidence from SCJ's books

  • Evidence

    Sealed Members Who Died

    Shincheonji leaders taught never to die have died, including an education director around 2010. What sources say, and how SCJ’s explanations changed.

    5 quotes8 min read Updated

  • Evidence

    Lee Man-hee’s 2005 Insurance Ban

    A 2005 directive signed by Lee Man-hee banned long-term insurance for SCJ pastors and lecturers. Full Korean text, translation and caveats.

    4 quotes6 min read Updated

Testimonies

In their own words

  • Testimony

    What Former Leaders and Members Say

    Former Shincheonji leaders, lecturers and members describe the “never die” teaching in their own words, with sources, plus Lee Man-hee’s denials.

    13 quotes9 min read Updated

For families

Practical next steps

  • For families

    Talk with us

    Questions about a family member in Shincheonji? Reach out to our team.

Questions & sources

Frequently asked questions

What does Shincheonji teach about immortality?

Shincheonji’s books teach that at the “first resurrection,” a union of martyrs’ spirits with living members that SCJ calls “the unification of spirits and flesh,” those taking part are “suddenly changed, leap over the wall of death, and rise into the ranks of eternal life” (Reality of Revelation, 1985). SCJ’s 2009 English book says Paul’s promise that the mortal will put on immortality “is physically fulfilled by the spirits and flesh that participate in the first resurrection in Rv 20” (The Creation of Heaven and Earth, pp. 252–253). SCJ calls the same union a wedding, and its official blog said in 2024 that it has not happened yet.

The 144,000 and physical eternal life: every quote →

Does Shincheonji teach Lee Man-hee will never die?

No SCJ book we have found has Lee saying “I will never die,” but the doctrine requires it: SCJ’s books make the promised pastor, whom SCJ identifies as Lee, the bride in the union that brings immortality, so he must be alive when it comes. Former leaders and members say it was taught outright. Former education director 신현욱 said in 2008 that “the peak of faith in Shincheonji is believing that Lee Man-hee’s body will not die but live forever,” and members on MBC PD수첩 (2007) and Bible study teacher Michelle Chang (PRI’s The World, 2017) said Lee won’t die. Religion scholar Massimo Introvigne also reported in 2020 that, according to Shincheonji, prophecies indicate “the promised pastor will not die” (CESNUR).

Lee Man-hee’s eternal life claims in SCJ’s books, 1985 to today →

Has Lee Man-hee denied it?

Yes. In 2007 Lee said “I never spoke of eternal life” (MBC PD수첩), and a 2017 emailed statement attributed to him told PRI’s The World, “I did not ever say I have eternal life… It’s a misunderstanding” (PRI). At a March 2, 2020 press briefing he refused to answer a question about eternal life (The Korea Herald). In April 2023 he told a gathering that he was 93 and that living and dying are bound to God (기독교포털뉴스).

What former leaders and members say, and Lee’s denials →

What happens to Shincheonji if Lee Man-hee dies?

Shincheonji hasn’t said publicly. Its own 2024 blog says the “marriage with spirits and flesh” hasn’t happened yet and that the first resurrection comes after it, and SCJ’s 2021 천지일보 columns tie that union to Lee as the promised pastor. So if he dies before it happens, the doctrine loses its central figure. A leaver’s account published in January 2025 says a center course now teaches that Lee’s living or dying is God’s will and that he may appear in “another flesh” (교회와신앙). Lee was born in 1931 and is 95.

What happens when Lee Man-hee dies? Our explainer for families →

Who gets eternal life: the 144,000 or the great multitude?

At first, only the 144,000 were taught physical eternal life, while the great multitude in white were promised “salvation” (The Creation of Heaven and Earth, 2009). Former insiders say this widened around 2007 to 2010, and later lessons say “both the great multitude and the 144,000 receive the blessing of heaven and eternal life.” We found no official SCJ document announcing the change.

From the 144,000 to the great multitude: the full timeline →

Have members who were taught they’d never die passed away?

Yes. Education director 윤재명, whom members were taught would never die, died of cancer around 2010 (the date is disputed, but it was before December 2011), according to a 2012 exit statement and later reporting. One leaver wrote: “If even a founding pillar who worked alongside Chairman Lee for so long dies without gaining eternal life, what will become of me?” In 2021 a former member told ABC News (Australia) that he had been told members were immortal, then watched members die of COVID-19.

Sealed members who died: the record →

Why did Lee ban insurance in 2005?

A “special directive” dated November 10, 2005 (Shincheonji year 22) and signed in Lee’s name forbids SCJ senior pastors and lecturers to hold long-term insurance, “because it is conduct that shows faith is not recognized and disregards God, and it lowers the faith of the members” (our translation). Pastor 황의종, who published the image in 기독교포털뉴스 in 2015, places it a year after the 2004 death of a tribe leader whom members had been taught would not die. The image has not been independently authenticated, and we know of no second copy.

Lee Man-hee’s 2005 insurance ban: full text and caveats →

Is Shincheonji’s immortality teaching biblical?

Read in context, the passages Shincheonji relies on do not support it. Revelation 20:4 describes “the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus” coming to life and reigning with Christ; it says nothing about martyrs’ spirits uniting with the bodies of living people. In 1 Corinthians 15, the change from mortal to immortal comes “at the last trumpet,” at Christ’s coming, for all “those who belong to Christ” (15:23, 52), not through union with a living man. Paul says the same in Philippians 3:20–21: Christ himself “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Closer Look Initiative).

Source notes

  1. 『계시록의 진상』 (Reality of Revelation; Lee Man-hee, 도서출판 신천지, 1985), pp. 300–301 for “the wall of death.” Checked against our copy; page numbers are section ranges. English renderings are ours.
  2. 신현욱 (former SCJ education director), quoted in 교회와신앙 (amennews), 정윤석, “이만희 교주 육체영생을 왜 믿는가,” 19 May 2008 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-12.
  3. MBC PD수첩, “신천지의 수상한 비밀,” aired 8 May 2007, as reported by 뉴스앤조이, 9 May 2007 (opens in new tab). Also the source for Lee’s 2007 statement. Members’ words from the broadcast were also transcribed by 교회와신앙, 19 May 2008 (above).
  4. Matthew Bell, “This apocalyptic Korean Christian group goes by different names. Critics say it’s just a cult.” PRI The World, 22 Jun 2017 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-03-14. Source for Michelle Chang, whom PRI calls a Bible study teacher, and for the emailed statement attributed to Lee.
  5. The Creation of Heaven and Earth (Advocate Manhee Lee, Shinchonji Press, 2009; ISBN 978-1-61658-643-0), p. 14 for the great multitude’s “salvation”; pp. 252–253 for 1 Corinthians 15. Printed page numbers, checked against our copy.
  6. SCJ official English blog, 28 May 2024 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-05-11.
  7. 천지일보 (SCJ-affiliated) columns credited “(출처: 신천지예수교 증거장막성전)”, 1 Oct 2021 (opens in new tab) and 4 Oct 2021 (opens in new tab).
  8. Closer Look Initiative: “Revelation 7 – Shincheonji and the Great Tribulation,” 23 Feb 2025 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-05-20 (the 2007–2010 range is our conversion of its “mid-20s of the SCJ year”); and SCJ Lesson 109 notes as posted by Closer Look Initiative, archives/3381 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2026-06-17. Disclosure: Bible Vaccine Center and Closer Look Initiative are run by the same team.
  9. Lee’s date of birth (15 September 1931): 천지일보 (SCJ-affiliated), 강수경, “하늘의 빛으로 태어난 신천지 이만희 총회장,” 14 Mar 2024 (opens in new tab); also Wikipedia, Lee Man-hee (opens in new tab). Korean news outlets give his age as 95 in 2026 (international count).
  10. 연합뉴스 (Yonhap), 박재현, “'국힘가입 압력' 95세 이만희 신천지총회장 구속…"증거인멸염려",” 24 Jun 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the 24 June warrant hearing and detention, the court’s stated reason, and the task force’s figure of at least 56,472 members.
  11. Choi Eui-jong, “Shincheonji’s Lee Man-hee indicted, W26b seized from Unification Church leader as joint probe wraps up,” The Herald Business, 31 Aug 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the 29 June and 13 July indictments and the tax-evasion charges.
  12. 한국일보, 이서현, “첫 재판서 계시록 언급한 신천지 이만희… 재판부 "인지 능력 감정 필요",” 21 Sep 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the court’s request for a cognitive assessment, his remarks on Revelation, and the third suspension of detention.
  13. 이투데이, 조소현, “‘국힘 당원 가입 강요’ 이만희 측, 첫 재판서 혐의 부인…“강요·고의 없어”,” 21 Sep 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for his appearance in a wheelchair and prison uniform.
  14. Oh Kuemin, “Lee Man-hee’s Shincheonji Representatives Deny Charges of Forcing Party Membership at First Trial,” The Asia Business Daily (English edition), 21 Sep 2026 (opens in new tab).
  15. 연합뉴스 (Yonhap), 이승연, “'국힘 가입강요' 신천지 이만희 총회장 측 "강요 없었다" 혐의 부인,” 21 Sep 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the defense’s denial and the history of health-related suspensions since August.
  16. 이데일리, 강민혁, “이만희 재판 장기화하나…법원, 신천지 사건 병합 여부 검토,” 6 Oct 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the defense’s “almost certain” statement, the missing expert opinion, about 190 witnesses, and the 20 October and 2 November dates.
  17. 뉴시스 (Newsis), 이윤석, “'국힘 입당 강요' 혐의 신천지 이만희 석방 연장…내달 6일까지,” 7 Oct 2026 (opens in new tab). Source for the extension of his temporary release to 6 November and the undecided bail request.
  18. Son Sung-bae, “Beleaguered Shincheonji Church slams joint probe, points to ‘persecution’ and past legal victories,” Korea JoongAng Daily, 3 Feb 2026 (opens in new tab).
  19. Massimo Introvigne, “Shincheonji: An Introduction,” The Journal of CESNUR 4, no. 3 (May–June 2020): 3–20, at p. 11, PDF (opens in new tab) (DOI 10.26338/tjoc.2020.4.3.1): “Prophecies, Shincheonji claims, indicate that the promised pastor will not die and will enter the millennial Kingdom of God with his body.” The article is broadly critical of Shincheonji’s opponents, which makes this description notable.
  20. Song Seung-hyun, “[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee refuses to answer question about eternal life,” The Korea Herald, 2 Mar 2020 (opens in new tab). Reports that at a 2 March 2020 press briefing in Gapyeong, Lee refused to answer a question about eternal life, “concerning a claim he is said to have made to his believers.”
  21. Carrington Clarke, Sook-young Lee and Mitch Denman Woolnough, “Cult or church? This Korean sect has thousands of devotees, but ex-believers lost faith and money,” ABC News (Australia), 2 May 2021 (opens in new tab). Former member Kim Jin-yong: “I was told by Shincheonji we were immortal, but then I saw … members dying from COVID-19.” Former member Kim Eun-kang: “I truly believed that I was going to live forever.”
  22. 기독교포털뉴스, 30 May 2023 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-11-03, on Lee’s remarks at a 22 April 2023 Word Assembly.
  23. 교회와신앙 (amennews), 28 Jan 2025 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2025-03-21, citing a leaver’s account on the YouTube channel 물고기상담소.
  24. 지명한 exit statement (26 Jan 2012), ikccah.org/scj/2256 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-07-23; amennews 11809 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2024-09-20; cause of death per 황의종 (see next note).
  25. 황의종, 기독교포털뉴스 13338, 13 Aug 2015 (opens in new tab) · Archived 2025-08-27. Publishes the image of the 2005 directive (특별 지시사항, 신천기 22, 10 November). Not independently authenticated; we know of no second, independent copy and found no SCJ response.
  26. Closer Look Initiative, “The First Resurrection,” 19 Oct 2025 (opens in new tab). Basis for the answer on whether the teaching is biblical. Scripture quotations in that answer are from the ESV. Disclosure: Bible Vaccine Center and Closer Look Initiative are run by the same team.
Sources & methodology
Primary source
A passage we have read in an SCJ publication ourselves, cited with title, publisher, year and page. Page scans will be added as we obtain them.
Secondary · via outlet
A passage we have only seen quoted by a news outlet or researcher. We name the outlet and the book it cites.
Translation
English renderings of Korean passages are our own translations and are awaiting native-speaker review.
Corrections
See our editorial process.

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