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Tabernacle Temple Church

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Tabernacle Temple (South Korea)
장막성전
Wacheon Tabernacle Temple 1970s
Tabernacle Temple Headquarters located in Makgyeri Gwacheon
ClassificationChristian new religious movement
LeaderYoo Jae-yeol (유재열)
RegionSouth Korea
FounderYoo Jae-yeol (유재열)
Origin14 March 1966
South Korea
Tabernacle Temple
Branched fromHosaeng Prayer Center (a pseudo-Christian group led by Kim Jong-gyu)
DefunctOctober 1980 (Tabernacle Temple’s demolition in 1979-1980 recorded in the History of Seoul Land’s Development)[citation needed]
Members2,000 (According to prosecutors published by Donga Ilbo Newspaper)[1]
Other name(s)Tabernacle Temple, Jangmak Seongjeon (accepted common name). Known by Shincheonji as Tabernacle of the 7 Golden lampstands
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJangmak Seongjeon
McCune–ReischauerChangmak Sŏngjŏn

The Tabernacle Temple (Korean: 장막성전) was a South Korean end time Christan new religious movement founded by Yoo Jae-yeol and his father Yoo In-gu on March 14, 1966 and was disbanded in September 1980. The 2 founders claimed to be the 2 witnesses prophesied in the biblical revelation of Apostle John. [2]

The church successfully recruited over 2000 members to Gwacheon through Yoo Jae-yeol's prophecy that the world would end in September 1969,[3] and that only those who gathered under the shelter of the Tabernacle Temple before this day would be saved. Yet 2 years after their end time prophecy had failed, a new headquarter church was relocated and built in Makgye- ri, Gwacheon 1971.[4] Soon after, scandals regarding their fraud, corruption and abuse began to surface, the church eventually caught the attention of the public and law enforcements which led to their downfall.[5]

Founders

[edit]

All the founders were former members of the pseudo-Christian group called the Hosaeng Prayer Center 호생기도원, led by cult leader Kim Jong-gyu.[6]

The King and 7 Angels
Name Religious Title Details
Yoo In-gu King Immauel Yoo Jae-yeol's father and married to the sister of Shin Jong-hwan. He acted as 'the King' over the '7 angels' and a witness of God [Revelation 11]. Kicked out of the Tabernacle Temple in 1967, but returned and left again in 1969.[7]

Prior to establishing the church, he practiced medicine fraudulently under his brother's medical license, who was taken away to North Korea.[8]

Yoo Jae-yeol Angel Samson, (Young servant, Counselor, Spirit of Truth) He founded the church along with his father and claimed to be the second witness of God [Revelation 11] and the young servant angel who eats the open scroll [Revelation 10]. In 1975, he was arrested, imprisoned (2.5 years) and was under probation (4 years) before leaving for America in October 1980.

He was born in Bukmun-ro, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do as the eldest son of Yoo In-goo and Shin Jong-soon. [8]

Kim Chang-do Angel Michael Left the Tabernacle Temple in September 1980.[9]

A former gangster from Noryangjin, nickname: Motorcycle.

Jung Chang-rae Angel Samuel Left the Tabernacle Temple in September 1980.[9]

Born in Chungcheong-do.

Baek Man-bong Angel Solomon Represented the Church of Sardis, and left the Tabernacle Temple in 1969 and started another similar end time cult in 1977.
Shin Kwang-il Angel Joshua Represented the Church of Philadelphia, but left the Tabernacle Temple in 1969 to perform his military service.
Kim Young-ae Angel Dira Left the Tabernacle Temple in September 1980.[9]
Shin Jong-hwan Angel Moses Kicked out of the Tabernacle Temple in 1969.

Over a decade later, he would briefly join another Pseudo-Christian group Shincheonji with Shin Kwang-il.

History

[edit]
  • Yoo Jae-yeol, born on February 1, 1949.[10]
  • In 1964, Yoo Jae-yeol and his family joined one of South Korea's many emerging end time pseudo-christian groups, the Hosaeng Prayer Center in Sangdo-dong, Seoul. Following their leader Kim Jong-gyu. Founded on January 4, 1964, this end time cult advertised the miraculous healing powers of their leader.[11]
  • In 1965, Yoo Jae-yeol dropped out of High school and followed Kim Jong-gyu to Makgye-ri Gwacheon during the expansion of the church. While scandals erupted regarding the leader's sexual affairs with many of the church's female members, Yoo Jae-yeol soon left in February 1966 along with his parents and 20 other members to establish the Tabernacle Temple.[2]
  • Yoo Jae-yeol claimed he received revelation from God in 1965 and was raised in a booth for 100 days. He founded the Tabernacle Temple the following year.[2]
  • The Temple of the Tabernacle was called a 'refuge from the final judgment' and there were 400 households in the Cheonggyesan reservoir area in Makgye-dong (Source: Seoul Urban Planning Story, Vol. 4), and its influence expanded to the point where about 2,000 believers lived in groups across the country.[12]
  • In 1975, Yoo Jae-yeol was imprisoned for fraud and embezzlement. [12]
  • Yoo Jae-yeol immigrated to the United States in October 1980 and the church was officially dismantled.[12]

Doctrines

[edit]

Doctrines of the Tabernacle Temple were mainly contributed by Yoo Jae-yeol and Yoo In-gu, who were influenced by the teachings they've received from Kim Jong-gyu of the [1]Hosaeng Prayer Center 호생기도원 .[2][8] On February 1,1970, Yoo Jae-yeol wrote a document called 'The current state of our temple' which records the various beliefs, practices and doctrines taught within the church,[2] these were investigated and documented in Chapter 2 'Korean Christian Tabernacle Temple' of the book 'New Religion in Korea Volume 3" published in 1974 by Tak Myung Hwan.[13]

Beliefs about Their Leader Yoo Jae-yeol

[edit]

Believed that the founder Yoo Jae-yeol is:

1. the Counselor sent by God, the Spirit of truth,[2]

2.the one who reaps (Harvests) the grains of eternal life,[2]

3. the messenger whom God designated as the bearer of the seal,[2]

4. the one who received God's revelation, ate the book sealed with seven seals in 1966,[2]

5.the prophet of the nations and the servant whom all peoples used as their symbol,[2]

6. the young servant is the one who will receive the power of the seven kingdoms to rule over all nations,[2]

7. the child servant born out of the person who abandoned the umbilical cord without cutting it. Referring to the fact that he was reared under Kim Jong-gyu's ministry as a part of the interpretation of Ezekiel 16:4-5,[2]

8.The young servant 'male child' who will receive the supreme authority to rule over all the nations (Revelation 12:5).[2]

Their Claims

[edit]

Like many pseudo-Christian groups they claim to have a unique understanding of scripture. In a document written by Yoo Jae-yeol, The Current State of Our Temple (우리 성전의 현황)[14] and chapter 2 in the book New Religion in Korea Volume 3 written by Tak Myeong Hwan in 1974, we find details of what was taught and believed by members of the Tabernacle Temple since its founding.

1) The Last days & The End Time Prophecy: The “War of Armageddon” Will Fulfill on Sep 14, 1969.

a. These are the last days, and existing churches do not have salvation, and pastors are hired pastors and false pastors. You must come here to receive true salvation.[2]

b. "I am just replicating what God, who sent me, told me and showed me"[2]

c. Secret pairing in the Bible, "Jesus did not speak unless it was a parable or parable, but today, in the end times, he clearly shows spiritual things and tells them as they are. (2 Peter 1:21, Isaiah 34:16)"[2]

d.  In the last days, "salvation is achieved by selecting only one nation (Ezekiel 3:1-5)."[2]

2) 7 angels & the Tabernacle Temple

a. Their Mission

Gen19:1-2, Rev21:17, Heb13:1; To gather believers to be sheltered from the Apocalypse until salvation is accomplished.[2]

b. 7 lampstands, horns, messengers, lamps of God

King Zerubbabel or Emmanuel (Yoo In-gu) led the 7 angels: Young Servant or Angel Samson (Yoo Jae-yeol), Angel Joshua (Shin Gwang-il), Angel Tira (Kim Young-ae), Angel Michael (Kim Chang-do), Angel Samuel (Jeong Chang-rae), Angel Solomon(Baek Man-bong), Angel Moses (Shin Jong Hwan)[2]

c. Structure of the Church:

7 angels wore silver badges, the 24 elders wore white badges, the 48 deacons wore red badges, the 70 monks wore blue badges, and the general believers wore black badges.[2][8][14]

3) The fulfillment of the Abomination of Destruction “The Beast”:

The first 20-40 members of the Tabernacle Temple were former members and victims of Hosaeng Prayer Center.[2]

After joining the Tabernacle Temple, they were convinced that their former pastor was an agent of Satan as recorded in Ezekiel 16: 4-5, Mat 24 :15 - referring to Kim Jong-kyu as the Abomination and the Beast. [2]

They claim “the reason why the evil one appeared in this way was because of the work of Satan, so that he would not be saved when he came to the point of destruction by deception of all powers, signs, and false miracles (2 Thessalonians 1:9,10).  Therefore, you should not believe that it is a spirit, and you must have the wisdom to discern whether it is a spirit of truth or a spirit of delusion (John 1:4~6)” [2][8]

Downfall & lawsuits

[edit]

In 1971, the first official criminal report and lawsuit was filed against the Tabernacle Temple and the leaders including Yoo Jae-Yeol. Amongst the followers who filed the complaints were Lee Man-hee and Hong Jae-ho, the founders of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, another pseudo-Christian group that is still active today in South Korea.[15]

In September 1975, The Yeongdeungpo branch of the Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office arrested four people, including the head of the Korean Christian Tabernacle Temple, Yoo Jae-yeol (26 years old at the time), Kim Chang-do (41 years old at the time), the deacon, and the leader’s secretary, on charges of violating the Punishment Act such as fraud, identity theft and violence, as well as making false allegations against their members.[8]

According to the prosecutor who investigated the tabernacle temple at the time, "the mortality rate was very high only where the tabernacle temple was located, and all the property of believers was extorted without providing meals".[16] Yoo gathered about 2,000 believers and moved them to Gwacheon go build a church building and a luxury house with the donations and labor of his followers. And while expanding the church, Yoo and many of the leaders continued to hijacked their members' houses, farms and rice fields by mortgaging them, but also robbed the believers' factories and sexually abused female members.[12]

By October 1980, Pastor Oh Pyeong-ho took charge of the Tabernacle Temple organization, which was left-behind by Yoo, and seemed to be carrying out reforms. And according to Pastor Oh's testimony and Book 1 of The Story of Seoul's Urban Planning by Son Jeong-mok, regarding the development of Seoul Grand Park, the property of the Tabernacle Temple church in Makgye-ri was bought by Seoul metropolitan government and demolished for the construction of Seoul Land.[17]

The Tabernacle Temple and Shincheonji Church of Jesus

[edit]

The Tabernacle Temple (also known as The Tabernacle of Heaven, The Tabernacle of the 7 Golden lampstands and the Tabernacle of the 7 stars and 7 lamps by Shincheonji) is one of the main contributors to Shincheonji's doctrines and inspiration to Lee Man-hee's eschatology regarding the downfall of Christianity and the establishment of a new Christianity through another 1st coming Jesus like figure who has been appointed as Jesus' witness and vessel for Jesus' spirit during the 2nd coming.[18][19]

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, has grown to be the largest faction among the successors of the Tabernacle Temple. Shincheonji claims as one of its core doctrines that the Bible follows the sequence of betrayal, destruction, and salvation. According to this doctrine, Yoo Jae-yeol is labeled as the betrayer, Oh Pyung-ho is deemed the son of destruction, and Lee Man-hee is claimed to be the "victor".[20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Investigation into the new religious group 「Tabernacle Church 」 (in Korean). Donga Ilbo Newspaper. 3 April 1975.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Korean Christian Tabernacle Temple (in Korean). Korea Internet Theology and Seminary.
  3. ^ Interview with Elder Kim Dae-won of Shincheonji 7th Revelation. Korean Christian Heresy Information Center. 17 June 2017.
  4. ^ Baek, Sung Ho (10 March 2020). "[백성호의 현문우답] 과천 장막성전, 18세 교주 유재열, 그리고 이만희 신천지". The JoongAng. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. ^ "신천지의 뿌리 - 장막성전의 정체" [The Roots of Shincheonji- The Identity of the Temple of the Tabernacle] (in Korean). 25 January 2020.
  6. ^ Hongcheol Kim. Hosang Prayer Center (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies.
  7. ^ Lim, Woong Ki (21 April 2014). "[한국 개신교 이단의 발생과 교리 특징] (15)재림주 이단의 뿌리를 찾아서" [Tracing the Roots and Doctrines of the Second Coming Cults in Korean Protestantism]. kidok.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Yoo Jae-yeol's Tabernacle Temple, its roots and divisions.
  9. ^ a b c Lim, Woong Ki (14 July 2008). "한국 개신교계 신종교의 윤리성에 대한 비판적 접근(4)" [A Critical Approach to the Ethics of New Religious Movements in Korean Protestantism (4)]. amennews.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. ^ Yoo Jae-yeol.
  11. ^ Hosang Prayer Center.
  12. ^ a b c d "新興宗教(신흥종교)단체「帳幕聖殿教會(장막성전교회)」수사" [Investigation into the new religious group「Temple Church of the Tabernacle」] (in Korean). 3 April 1975.
  13. ^ "Post - Tabernacle Temple Tak.docx". Google Docs. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b "한국기독교 이단사이비 정보센터" Yoo Jae-yeol's Temple of the Tabernacle and Shincheonji Lee Man-hee. www.kcjsm1972.or.kr. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  15. ^
    Prosecution Office's response to Lee Man-hee

    Prosecution Office’s Response to Lee Man Hee’s lawsuit filing evaluated on 1971.2.2

  16. ^ "豫備軍法(예비군법)등違反(위반) 帳幕聖殿教會(장막성전교회) 教主追加立件(교주추가입건)". NAVER Newslibrary. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  17. ^ "[이단타파] 실상상담-5 "과천장막성전 별 조작"". 바로알자 (in Korean). 7 January 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  18. ^ The Mystery of the Tabernacle Temple in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. 8 October 2015.
  19. ^ "[단독] "그가 이만희의 스승이다"…유재열, '싸이' 장인의 실체". 디스패치 | 뉴스는 팩트다! (in Korean). 23 March 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  20. ^ Jang, Woon Cheol (1 April 1995). "장막성전의 후예들" [The Successors of the Tabernacle Temple]. amennews.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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