FALSE PROPHETS AND PASTORS IN NIGERIA

When Jesus Christ, over two thousand years ago, warned of the deluge of false prophets as one of the signs of the end time, he certainly had Nigeria in mind. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; in so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24 KJV)

There are innumerable false pastors and prophets in Nigeria and the number is growing on a daily basis. Most of them are charlatans, publicity-seekers, who have obtained powers from the kingdom of darkness in order to deceive and hoodwink the hapless people of Nigeria. Jesus Christ has not left us in the dark about them. “Behold, I have told you before,” was his emphasis in Matthew chapter 24 verse 25. When we see the number of the so-called men of God increasing arithmetically and sinners are growing geometrically, we know the prophecy of our Lord is coming to pass. And here in Nigeria, it is being fulfilled, before our very eyes. The more the pastors and prophets, the more the whitewashed sinners!

It is apt to start with the ignorant among the so-called men of God. In this category are the poor illiterates or semi-literates and the frustrated educated ones, who could not secure a gainful employment or dependable vocation as a result of the economic downturn. With a few scriptures in their heads, coupled with a diploma certificate from one seminary, they mistake their plight for the call of God: “If I’m not doing well in my business or could not secure a job, then God must have called me to His service or ministry.” Those who are indeed saved, and belong to this group, could be said to be suffering from spiritual infantilism.

In another category are the clergymen and priests who read the bible upside down. They are neither saved nor had their old nature been dealt with by God. They are what we can call sinners-in-priestly garments. They fiddle with young girls during the day and sleep with their church members under the cover of darkness, yet they appear on the pulpit on Sundays as angels, quoting from the same bible, “Thou shall not fornicate, thou shall not steal, thou shall not….” Jesus Christ equally warned in Matthew chapter 7 verses 15 and 16: “Beware of false prophets (priests and pastors) which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.”

The economy of Nigeria is prostrate, no thanks to the former military rulers and their civilian comrades-in-looting. The present quest for materialism is unprecedented in the annals of Nigeria. And so, every man tries to out-cheat the other in order to stay afloat in the turbulent waters of the Nigerian factor. Not a few feral hearts have seen the church as a veritable ground for swindling the rich and milking the poor under the illusion of salvaging their spirits from eternal doom. The blind leads the blind. These men of God organize all manners of crusades and break-through services, sometimes bringing in fellow 419ners from abroad to help proclaim God’s blessings on their unwary congregations. It’s all an exercise in hoax and stratagem. They increase their reach through the print and electronic media and many ignorant citizens from far and near throng such meetings. Unfortunately, they return to their homes to discover that nothing has changed. They have been indoctrinated to believe that such is the lot of givers but that when the blessings shall come, the whole Central Bank of Nigeria will not contain them. These so-called ministers of God are hollow, empty and without substance. Their strength lies in high faulting spiritual rhetoric and jargons. Only the shallow can call to the shallow!

Those who pose the greatest threat to mankind (vis-à-vis God’s promise for man) are the most popular ones around. They have dined and wined with men of the kingdom of Satan. Their strength is in the covenant they have made stealthily with herbalists, mediums, stargazers and the like. They ask the infirm, sick, lame, paralysed, blind to come and receive their healings before organized paparazzi. With hot air oozing from their mouths, their victims fall flat “under the anointing”!  They give false hope to the hopeless, transient and phony health to the sick and infirm, demon-infested children to the barren (such children don’t actually last) and offer a couple of their followers as sacrifice to the gods- the fulfillment of their satanic covenant.

Many are alarmed, confused and confounded: “If these people are not from God, why are they able to do all these things? Aren’t they using the name of Jesus?” Yes, they are using the name of Jesus. But Jesus told you earlier that they would use his name. Of course, how would they succeed if they had come in the name of the devil? “For many shall come in my name… and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24: 5 KJV). These so-called men of God are men of the devil. They are leading thousands of their followers to hell. Sometimes, they ask you to bring solid or liquid materials through which you’ll be delivered from the power of darkness. That is part of the pact with the kingdom of darkness. Through them, your eternal bondage is guaranteed! They have exchanged you for demonic signs and wonders, wealth and publicity! Are you one of their unwary members?

Soyombo Opeyemi is at densityshow@yahoo.com