“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” – Matt. 24:5
“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” – Matt. 24:11
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” – Matt. 24:24
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Pet. 5:8
“Founded in 1978 in South Korea by Jeong Myeong-seok – a self-proclaimed Messiah who is a former “Moonie” cult member boasts of many followers throughout the world. To gain admission to the Providence congregation, one must vouch that Jeong is the Messiah. Like the Moonies before, Providence recruits new members using a method called “heavenly deception”. Recruiters often lure new disciples into the fold by offering them modeling opportunities, Bible “study” classes, or through participation in organized sport. Female believers are taught that they are brides of God and, by inference, brides of Jeong. They are drilled on the importance of looking good, keeping themselves slim and dressing well. Former members say the organization’s teachings praised Hitler and preach members will be purified by having sex with Jung. In 1999, Jeong was accused of rape and fled South Korea. He was later charged with multiple counts of rape and, in 2009, sentenced to 10 years in prison. His followers say he has been falsely accused. He is due to be released on parole in early 2018. Jesus warned there will be many false Christs that will deceive many. Know the real Jesus Christ of the Bible and be grounded in the Word of God as Satan’s snares are rampant.”
When the real Jesus returns all eyes will see Him: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”(Revelation 1:7)
Some more information about the cult:
Providence is a religious group founded in 1978 in South Korea by Jeong Myeong-seok. A self-proclaimed Messiah who sometimes refers to himself as Pastor Joshua, he is a former “Moonie” or follower of the late Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church.
The group also goes by other names including Jesus Morning Star (JMS, which also happens to be the initials of the founder’s name), Christian Gospel Mission and The Bright Moon Church.
Headquartered in South Korea, Providence claims to have 300 affiliated churches and more than 100,000 followers in its home base. The group also boasts a worldwide following of over 10,000 and operates in a number of other countries including Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Japan and Taiwan.
Providence was set up in Australia in 1997 and has established branches in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra.
‘Heavenly deception’
Providence’s teachings are based on the so-called 30 lessons, or 30 principles, which state that only a Messiah can lead people to heaven. Recruits wanting to gain admission to the Providence congregation must study the 30 lessons and vouch that Jeong is that Messiah.
Like the Moonies before, Providence recruits new members using a method called “heavenly deception”. Recruiters often lure new disciples into the fold by offering them modelling opportunities, Bible study classes or through participation in organised sport.
Brainwashed
In one urgent phone call Gerry Wagemans’ life changed forever.Female believers are taught that they are brides of God and by inference, brides of Jeong. They are drilled on the importance of looking good, keeping themselves slim and dressing well.
Recruiters are known to be active in and around shopping centres and university campuses and are said to target tall, attractive women to become spiritual brides for the leader.
Once they are inducted, new members are then encouraged to sever ties with friends and family and to live in a communal house with other members.
It has been reported that female recruits were encouraged to have sex with Jeong in order to attain purification.
In 1999, Jeong was accused of rape and fled South Korea. He was later charged with multiple counts of rape and in 2009, sentenced to 10 years in prison. His followers say he has been falsely accused.
He is due to be released on parole in early 2018.
Sexual objectives
Australian Peter Daley began following Providence when he arrived in South Korea to teach English in 2003. Daley gained first-hand knowledge of the way Providence operates when he was invited to a function at the cult compound. What he witnessed shocked and surprised him.
“The church seemed to really put importance in beautiful women,” he told 7.30. “The leader wasn’t there … but his brother was there and he was surrounded by an entourage of women that looked like they had just stepped out of a magazine. I thought this is strange for a church to focus on.”
Mr Daley, who has been harassed and taken to court by JMS, concluded that the organisation “is just existing to serve [Jeong’s] needs as a serial rapist”.
He has unearthed videos produced by the group which support this view. In one video, he says, four or five naked women are seen dancing around chanting “Seonsaengnim, we love you!” “Seonsaengnim” means teacher in Korean.
In another scene, a woman is shown licking a photo of Jeong before placing it close to her crotch.
Active from behind bars
Despite being in jail, Jeong has kept in contact with his flock. A number of recruits have told of how photographs of them, often dressed in bridalwear, have been sent to Jeong in prison. Others have spoken about being encouraged to fly to South Korea to visit him.
One former member of the cult, only identified as “Liz”, appeared on SBS in 2014 saying she had been encouraged to write intimate letters to Jeong, who would reply in kind.
“So, he would say things like ‘women are much more beautiful when they are naked’ and he said my white skin arouses him,” Liz told SBS. She also said recruits prayed to images of Jeong and Jesus and were given necklaces as symbols of their dedication to the founder.
A notorious cult which allegedly brainwashes young women into having sex with a serial rapist is luring potential members in major cities across Australia.
South Korean organisation, Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) – who it’s claimed praise Hitler and preach members will be purified by having sex with their leader – are believed to be recruiting in shopping centres and universities in Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne.
The quasi-Christian sect was founded in 1980 by Jung Myung-seok, who is serving a 10-year-prison sentence in Seoul for raping and molesting his followers. He is due to walk free in 2017.
The organisation, which is little known in Australia, is thought to be secretive and also known by the names Providence and Jesus Morning Star (JMS). It is believed to have spread to Australia through a number of front groups, including fashion modelling classes and bible studies.
Ex-members say they are groomed into following a ‘doctrine’ which enforces sleep deprivation and encourages severing ties with family in order to be ‘spiritual brides’ for Jung.
Former followers have told Daily Mail Australia of the devastating impact the cult had on their lives and said they were left psychologically and emotionally scarred after leaving.
Jung Myung Seok, the leader of Christian Gospel Mission, is serving a 10-year-prison sentence in Seoul for raping and molesting his followers
Elizabeth was a member of Providence’s Canberra fraction for 18 months before she was counselled out of the CGM
Elizabeth with members of the organisation’s Canberra faction: She says she was groomed into following a ‘doctrine’ which enforces sleep deprivation and encourages severing ties with familyElizabeth, who chose not to give her full name for fear of reprisals, was a member of Providence’s Canberra fraction for 18 months.
‘I was shopping inside the Canberra Centre in April 2011. A Korean woman came over and said she was holding a Christian art show. It looked good so I thought I would check it out.’
After meeting the group’s local leader she moved in with them later that year and was subjected to the indoctrination process, which includes sleep deprivation and a restricted diet.
‘We had to wake up at 3am everyday to pray because they said this brought us closer to god. It’s a mind control technique: when you’re deprived of sleep you can’t critically think.’
Teachings centered on the ‘Messianic’ leader Jung, who was depicted as a living Deity who had been falsely accused and persecuted like Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth in South Korea in 2011, when she went to visit Jung in prison at the organisation’s request
Elizabeth said she was told to recruit members through front modelling classes, the main way Australian members are being recruited
‘They encouraged us to write letters to him like he was our lover. He wrote sexually explicit replies saying things like ‘your white skin arouses me,’ or ‘your vagina would look pretty.’
However, Mr Andrew Choi, the CGM’s spokesman, refutes Elizabeth’s claims. ‘There is no record of such letters’.
‘Pastor Jung hand writes his letters in Korean, and the letters go through the prison’s mail system and through several other personnel. In the case where the recipient does not understand Korean, like Elizabeth, the letter is translated and delivered to the recipient orally,” he says.
‘Numerous members of Providence have also never received such letters, and find this claim to be ridiculous,’ insists Mr Choi.
‘Members are also free to write letters to Pastor Jung, and are free to write whatever contents they want. No encouragements are given as to how or what they write to him,’ further claims the spokesman.
The group Elizabeth belonged to then asked her to fly to Seoul to visit him in Daejon prison, where he was locked up in 2009 on charges of rape and molestation after several years as a fugitive.
‘I spent 15 minutes with him and three other members. He blew kisses at us and knew all our names and how we looked from photos in his cell. It was very surreal.’
However, CGM spokesman, Mr Choi asserts otherwise. ‘Many men have visited Pastor Jung. If people – both male and female – wish to visit him, they may request to do so,’ he says.
‘Before any visitation, the names of visitors are provided to the prison staff and communicated to Pastor Jung. Those who visit Pastor Jung do so voluntarily. People make their own travel arrangements to see him. A prison guard also supervises the visit,’ claims Mr Choi.
Elizabeth said she was told to recruit members by telling them ‘you look pretty, have you thought of being a model?,’ before inviting them to front fashion classes.
After months of sleep deprivation and regulated eating, she was hospitalized with an eating disorder in 2012.
Mr Choi refutes such claims of restrictive practices though. ‘Providence has never encouraged sleep deprivation and a restricted diet. Members are entitled to make their own lifestyle choices,’ he says.
‘It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,’ continues Elizabeth. ‘Because when I got out I moved back in with my parents, who organised an exit counselor to speak with me,’
‘It was a devastating realisation to learn the truth. I was left mentally and physically broken.’
Former members say the organisation’s teachings praised Hitler and preach members will be purified by having sex with Jung
The organization which is thought to be secretive and also known as Providence and Jesus Morning Star, is believed to have spread to Australia through a number of front groups
Members of the Canberra faction are understood to have moved to Melbourne following scrutiny into their controversial practices.
Another woman, who wished not be named, said she was recruited in early 2014 inside University of Melbourne, where the group is believed to still be actively recruiting.
‘They asked me to fill out a survey about the class we were in. It seemed friendly enough, so I agreed to meet for one of their classes.’
After attending one of bible studies she was initially struck by some of their bizarre teachings – such as a holy reading of Adolf Hitler.
‘Part of the teachings explored the idea of God’s punishment. They said the holocaust was his mark of atonement because Jewish people killed Jesus. They told us Hitler was a vessel from god.’
However, Mr Choi denies pro-Hitler claims. ‘Providence has never taught about Hitler, and has never been pro-Hitler in any of its church’s sermons or teachings.’
‘Providence has spread to over 40 countries and embraces all histories, cultures and promotes cross-cultural peace and harmony,’ is the CGM spokesman’s opinion on such allegations.
The same former member also said girls were pressured to dress up for Jung and refrain from talking to the opposite sex so as to be ‘spiritual brides’ for him.
Elizabeth was shopping at Canberra Centre in 2011 when she was recruited for the notorious organisation
Another ex-member said they were recruited inside Melbourne University, where the organization is still actively recruiting
‘I started recruiting for more members. I was told to look for virgins, and encouraged new members to wear white as much as possible to show Jung their purity.’
Eventually her parents staged an intervention, and she was deprogrammed by a cult expert.
CGM spokesman, Mr Choi, also denies various claims of sexual misconduct in the organisation.
‘Providence has never brainwashed young women into having sex with a serial rapist. Purification by having sex with Jung has never been part of Providence,’ he asserts.
‘A significant proportion of CGM’s congregation is also male. If such doctrines were taught, it makes no sense for there to be male members. Not only does Providence not teach this, but it is contrary to all our doctrines,’ insists Mr Choi.
‘Both male and female members are encouraged to lead a pure life of faith, not to dress up be spiritual brides for Jung. People – male and female – are the spiritual brides of the Holy Trinity, as written in the Bible,’ the CGM spokesman contends of ex-member’s assertions.
‘Members are not pressured to refrain from speaking to the opposite sex. Male and female members interact freely with each other in both their religious and social lives,’ he claims.
But for some families, the warning signs of becoming a member of CGM or Providence come too late.
One father said his daughter was recruited in Sydney Uni, and after being brainwashed by the organisation she was ordered to move to Western Australia.
‘I only learned she had moved there when I saw her on one of their sites. It took a long time to pieces together the reality she had been told to move by the group.’
Since his daughter was over 18 he could not seek the help of police to help track her down.
‘I’m powerless to find her. I get a generic email from her every couple of months but aside from that we have no contact.’
He says he believes CGM still recruits at Sydney Uni and Broadway Shopping Centre through a number of front organisations.
However, Mr Choi again rubbishes claims of recruitment.
‘Providence does not recruit virgins. We do not recruit. We evangelise. We have evangelised people of all background, age, married, divorced, remarried, with family, pregnant, old, young, male, female and anyone else – you name it,’ he says.
‘People in Providence are also not encouraged to wear white. People wear any colours they want,’ Mr Choi also argues.
Peter Daley, a Canberra born University lecturer who now lives in South Korea, has spent over a decade researching JMS and writing about them online in the hope of raising awareness.
‘JMS is dangerous beyond assaults from the leader. The sleep deprivation and the stress caused when members cut ties with their family is incredibly damaging to members health.’
‘And Jung is due out next year with no signs of rehabilitation. The numbers of girls that have visited him in jail suggest he is not going to change his ways any time soon.’
One father said his daughter was recruited in Sydney University – before she was ordered to fly to Western Australia and sever ties with him
The father said the organisation is still recruiting at Broadway Shopping Centre through front groups
Peter Daley says Australian universities should be doing more to educate their students about the notorious cult
He said universities should be doing more to educate about the dangers of the group given they are known to target campuses.
‘I think they have a duty of care to educate students about the dangers of the group. Many former members were recruited on their university campus’.’
However, Mr Choi rubbishes Peter Daley’s credentials regarding his knowledge of the organisation. ‘In one of Peter’s recent podcasts on his website he said “I prefer to think of myself as someone who’s maybe obsessed with cults rather than as an expert’.”
A University of Melbourne spokesperson said they were not aware of the organisation’s presence but advised students who are involved to contact their Safer Community Program.
‘We have an industry-leading Safer Community Program, and we have been very active in raising awareness of the program, and the support the University can offer students who experience situations like this.’
A spokesperson for Sydney University also denied being aware of the organisation but urged students to report groups misrepresenting their activities.
‘Any behaviour by individuals or groups on campus misrepresenting themselves or their activities to students should be reported to Campus Security so that appropriate action can be taken.’
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can receive Him into your heart and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.
If you are sincere you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):
“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”
Jesus Truth Deliverance 