Shincheonji Church Graduates Nearly 60,000 Students Claiming Mastery of Biblical Revelation

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus announced the graduation of 59,192 students from its Zion Christian Mission Center's 116th class during a ceremony at the Cheongju Church, marking one of the largest religious education graduations in recent memory. These graduates are described as believers who have mastered the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation through a structured program that emphasizes prophecies and their fulfillment across Scripture.

Chairman Lee Man-hee addressed the gathering with a message challenging traditional religious authority, stating The Bible warns that no one who adds to or takes away from God's Word can enter heaven (Revelation 22:18–19). Our church has mastered the Book of Revelation. If you want genuine faith—if you truly want to know God's Word—come to Shincheonji and learn. He urged Christians to return to the Bible itself rather than relying on church hierarchy, emphasizing the importance of verifying whether one's faith aligns with biblical teachings.

The graduation ceremony, themed Love and Blessing—The Light That Shines on the World, attracted more than 20,000 attendees in person at the Cheongju Church while tens of thousands participated online through Shincheonji churches worldwide. The event featured powerful worship and emotional testimonies from graduates who described their experience as faith reborn through the Word.

Among this year's graduating class, 2,248 were ordained pastors, bringing the total number of pastor graduates over the last four years to more than 13,500. This significant number of religious leaders choosing to study at Shincheonji suggests a growing movement among clergy seeking deeper biblical understanding beyond traditional seminary education. The church reports continued growth in graduates despite what it describes as intensified persecution and misunderstanding from external critics.

Oh Sun-kyung, a former pastor who previously led three churches, delivered the main testimony at the ceremony, sharing his personal transformation. For years, I preached with confidence but carried a heavy burden—I could not understand Revelation, he confessed. I read the Bible over 30 times, but the answers never came. I was ashamed before my congregation and eventually stepped away from ministry. He described how his perspective changed dramatically after beginning studies at the Zion Christian Mission Center, stating Within an hour of the first class, my heart opened. Every lesson was grounded in Scripture—nothing else. Now I can say with conviction, I have mastered Revelation!

International testimonials highlighted the global reach of Shincheonji's educational program. Lígia Monteiro, who traveled 16 hours from the Netherlands to attend the ceremony, remarked What makes Shincheonji different is that they don't interpret the Bible based on personal opinion. Every verse is explained using Scripture itself. That's what moved me. Park Sang-jun, who spent over four decades in the Presbyterian Church, shared a similar perspective I used to criticize Shincheonji and even watched documentaries attacking it. But when I followed my wife to a Mission Center class, I realized—Shincheonji teaches strictly according to the Bible.

The Zion Christian Mission Center requires students to complete three educational levels—elementary, intermediate, and advanced—and achieve a minimum score of 90 out of 100 on the final comprehensive examination to graduate. Tan Young-jin, Director-General of the Zion Christian Mission Center, commented on the significance of the graduation Despite prejudice and misunderstanding, more people are being renewed through the Word. This proves God is with us. These graduates have uncovered biblical truths even pastors once struggled to understand—this isn't just knowledge; it's transformation through truth.

This mass graduation represents a significant development in religious education, demonstrating an alternative approach to biblical study that appeals to both lay believers and ordained clergy seeking deeper scriptural understanding. The event's emphasis on mastering Revelation, traditionally one of the most challenging biblical books to interpret, positions Shincheonji as offering unique insights that mainstream Christian institutions have struggled to provide.