1. After the Failure of 1988, the Doomsday Business Resumes
Even after its failed doomsday prophecy in 1988, the World Mission Society Church of God never abandoned apocalyptic teachings. The church leadership tried to calm unrest and maintain internal trust by insisting that “the end has only been delayed.” Kim Joo-cheol and Jang Gil-ja, referencing Ahn Sahng-hong’s book As the Bridegroom Was a Long Time in Coming, and They All Became Drowsy and Fell Asleep, claimed “2012 would never pass” and kept postponing the predicted end times. They cleverly intertwined scripture, doctrine, and widespread social anxiety to once again deceive their followers.

2. Y2K and Fear Marketing: The Unfolding of the 1999 Apocalypse
In 1999, as the world approached the new millennium, the global community was gripped by fears over the Y2K computer bug. The media warned of economic collapse, social chaos, and even nuclear war. The church leadership took full advantage of this anxiety, repeatedly proclaiming, “the world will end before the year 2000,” and setting midnight on December 31, 1999, as the doomsday moment. Invoking the idea of a “God of justice,” they manipulated numbers, using the 12 years between the failed 1988 prophecy and the next predicted doomsday in 2012, to fabricate a sense of urgency. Tension, fear, and anxiety overwhelmed the members.

3. The Burden of Suffering and Sacrifice Placed on Members
The consequences of these false prophecies fell squarely on the shoulders of ordinary believers. The church distorted Bible verses like “store up your treasures in heaven” to pressure members into making offerings; some even sold their homes. Preparing for the end times, members stockpiled daily necessities, medicines, and emergency food, suffering enormous psychological and financial strain. Their everyday lives were disrupted, and family relationships and social trust suffered severe damage.

4. Failed Prophecies, Evasion of Responsibility, and Hypocrisy
As expected, nothing happened at midnight on December 31, 1999. Yet the leadership offered no explanation or apology, instead shifting the blame onto members with logic like, “Will you become a wicked servant who only looks for the date?” While proclaiming the end was near, they were secretly building a massive new church in Imae-dong, Bundang District, aiming to complete the 10 billion-won facility by September 2000. Their double-dealing—shouting doomsday while accumulating property—further destroyed the trust of their followers.

5. Repeated Organizational Deceit and Its Impact
The 1999 doomsday prediction was more than a simple religious error; it was a textbook example of how the church combined social fears (Y2K) with faith to psychologically manipulate its members. Despite failed prophecies, the leadership took no responsibility; instead, they used each new doomsday prediction to test and reinforce members’ loyalty. The repeated pattern in 1988, 1999, and 2012 exemplifies systematic fraud and highlights the church’s structural problems.

6. Conclusion: The Naked Truth of the 1999 Doomsday Scam
The 1999 doomsday crisis revealed the World Mission Society Church of God’s criminal exploitation of doctrine and social anxiety for financial gain. The leaders manipulated Ahn Sahng-hong’s writings and public fear to control members and, even after repeated failures, never reflected or took responsibility—only inventing new falsehoods that led to further harm. This event led to a dramatic loss of trust and heightened public vigilance toward subsequent doomsday scams. The World Mission Society Church of God can no longer evade accountability for its irresponsible prophetic business in the name of faith.