Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, conducted a comprehensive Bible examination focused exclusively on the Book of Revelation across major Tanzanian cities including Dar es Salaam. The August 18th event brought together 138 participants comprising 40 church members and 98 local Protestant pastors, representing a significant cross-section of the religious community.
The examination structure included 10 main questions with 33 sub-questions, all designed to test detailed knowledge of Revelation's content and themes. Results revealed a substantial disparity in performance between the two groups. Shincheonji members achieved an average score of 95 points, demonstrating near-perfect mastery of the biblical text, while Protestant pastors averaged only 7 points, indicating minimal familiarity with Revelation's content.
According to church representatives, the examination's purpose was not to establish superiority but to provide participants with an opportunity for spiritual self-assessment. One participating pastor acknowledged the experience prompted serious reflection, stating, "Watching Shincheonji members confidently write down the correct answers today made me reflect on my own faith and my calling as a pastor." The pastor further committed to studying Revelation through the Shincheonji Zion Christian Mission Center and improving biblical instruction for congregation members.
The examination reflects Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee's longstanding emphasis on Revelation 22:18–19, which warns against adding to or subtracting from the words of prophecy. Chairman Lee has consistently maintained that "the standard for discerning truth from falsehood, orthodoxy from heresy, is not human tradition or doctrine, but solely the word of the Bible." This theological position underpins the church's approach to scriptural education and examination.
This event follows a similar Bible examination conducted in Korea during 2024, where only one church pastor participated among 313 total examinees. The increasing participation of pastors in Tanzania suggests growing engagement with Shincheonji's biblical education initiatives. A church representative noted, "This Bible exam is not just about testing knowledge, but about confirming whether one's faith is truly based on the word of God. We are thankful that pastors at home and abroad are gradually participating."
Since its establishment in 2018, Shincheonji Tanzania Church has grown significantly to 2,440 members as of August 2025. The church continues to pursue Bible-centered faith development through ongoing fellowship with local religious leaders, representing an expanding influence in Tanzania's religious landscape. The examination results highlight ongoing theological education gaps and the importance of scriptural literacy among religious professionals serving diverse congregations.
