TB Joshua: Christians Body Condoles with Nigerians, SCOAN

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA), haven mourned, expressed deep sympathy and sent condolences in respect of Prophet Temitope Joshua again condoles with all and celebrates the laying to rest of the great man of God. Prophet Temitope Joshua. Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, at NSCEA stated, “it’s not only that the sad news came as a rude shock to the entire body of Christ in Nigeria and all around the world as our beloved brother translates into glory, but that she is “still left in shock and dumbfounded since the sudden breaking of the news of the demise of the man of God on June 6, 2021.”

It is no more news that the Founder and General Overseer of The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as Prophet TB Joshua has translated. THE PARADISE had reported that Prophet Joshua died on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at age 57 (from June 12, 1963, to June 5, 2021) but he left some powerful words before he departed from the face of the earth.

As contained in the Church’s statement on Twitter, the last words of Prophet TB Joshua were: “One life for Christ is all we have; one life for Christ is so dear” and “Watch and pray”, as Prophet Joshua spoke these during the Emmanuel TV Partners Meeting before he gave up the ghost, adding that: “There is time for everything – time to come here for prayer and time to return home after the service”. And he has definitely gone home.

Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies quoted, the Senior Pastor of Divine Grace of Glory Church International, Pastor Peter Israel Obaseki, as she sends her condolence message to the family of the late pastor of the Synagogue Church of All Nations. According to him, “Prophet TB Joshua is a man of God. Although we have not seen him in CAN meeting, PFN meeting and other Christian bodies, but he is a man that stands on his own, that came with a new dimension of Christianity, a new dimension of power according to the revelations of the holy spirit to him and by the divine ‘impartation he has received from the holy spirit.”

And “That makes his ministry to be different and because of that difference, many people misconstrued him, not believing him because the way God manifested through him became what many Christian bodies were doubting and this caused a lot of issues.”

“It is now many are trying to come to understand his ministry because many that criticized him years back, they are coming to understand that yes, of a truth, this man is a man of God and not as we thought because, at the earlier stage, many were calling him an antichrist, at the earlier stage, many were calling him a false prophet, which he never gave attention to, as he stayed focused in the area God has called him,” Obaseki explained.

Adesanya-Davies added, TB Joshua was a phenomenon, a great televangelist, a spiritual colossus to the Christian community and dying world – To me, watching him on Emmanuel TV, was a great inspiration. TB Joshua was an enigma” and enviable personality blessed with godly character as he radiated the fruit and gifts of the Spirit in and out of season, at any and all points.”

Again, here are Prophet TB Joshua’s last words: “Watch and pray.” And I complete that scripture in Mark 13:33: “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” – That one will depart or the Lord will come. The Holy Bible says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (Matthew 25:13).

According to Strong’s Concordance, ‘agrupneo’, the Greek word translated as WATCH in verse 36 means “to be sleepless, i.e. keep awake.” Frequently, when the Bible mentions being asleep or tells us to wake up, it refers to our spiritual state (Matthew 25:5; Romans 13:11; I Thessalonians 5:6-8). We are to “Watch and pray” always, as he admonished.

By divine example, the Lord Jesus himself shows us that, watching is about spiritual preparation. He also stresses that same point in the Bible when He uses the word “watch,”’ gregoreuo’: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15). He emphasizes what we are to watch—our garments, our character. We are to be removing every spot and wrinkle from them (Ephesians 5:27; II Peter 3:14). We want to be sure there are no holes in our character (James 5:2) when He returns or we die.

According to SCOAN, “God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home – as it should be by divine will. His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for”, the post from @SCOANTBJoshua Twitter page said.” “Prophet TB Joshua leaves a legacy of service and sacrifice to God’s Kingdom that is living for generations yet unborn”, the tweet added. As Prophet Joshua says, “The greatest way to use life is to spend it on something that will outlive it”.

Once again, our heart goes to his wife, the three children, the entire family, The Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Emmanuel TV Family and all fans of the prophet in this time of great loss, mourning and burial. We are saddened to hear of his sudden loss. Our hearts are with you all. Please accept our heartfelt condolences on the loss of the man of God once again. Words seem inadequate to express our sadness over the passing of the Prophet. May the almighty God grant them the fortitude to bear his transition and continue in the work of the ministry on the foundation he has laid.

Again, as Nigeria and the world are currently laying to rest and celebrating the life time of Prophet Joshua in a five day long event culminating into his final burial yesterday, we at NSCEA, say RIP to the man of God. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

The God’s End-time General was exemplary, a role model, a philanthropic, always giving generously to the body of Christ and all as Christ our Lord Jesus Christ commanded. What a great loss to this generation, the Church, Nigeria, Africa and the entire humanity. We believe like Apostle Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7). You religiously have!”

“May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace at the blossom of the Lord. Live on beloved as you join the company of angels and hosts in heaven, praising God while beholding us down here; unlike us, where there is no sadness, sorrow, trials and troubles as we currently are faced with daily in Nigeria – but eternal glory, peace forever and ever.”

Bishop Adesanya-Davies speaking on the burial arrangements said, SCOAN had at a news conference on June 29 said that July 5 to July 11 would be dedicated for a series of Joshua’s ‘laying to rest’ activities tagged: ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Prophet Joshua (1963 to 2021)’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that people from different races, cultures and countries gathered to give final respect to the late prophet. NAN reports that before the interment of the late prophet, his burial service was held and Bible passages read. The first Bible reading, taken from First Corinthians 15: 51 – 57, was taken by Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, after which Bishop Stephen Ogedengbe of the Wisdom of Chapel Ministry explained the passage. The cleric urged Christians to emulate the exemplary life of love lived by the late founder of SCOAN.

Ogedengbe said: “The character of a true believer is to find refuge in our Lord Jesus. “That is why children of God are not afraid in reaching the final destination – death. ”Heaven is our home, our dwelling place.”

According to him, Joshua had always mentioned that those from above longed to be there. Minister Ayoub Kara from Israel took the second Bible reading from Revelation 21: 1- 7, while Pastor Robert Acosta from Argentina peached a sermon from it. Acosta said that christians should follow Christ “because outside Jesus there is no reality”. He said that Joshua did so many miracles and showed much love to many people.

After the sermon, Akeredolu and the representative of governor of Lagos State delivered speeches. Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu was represented by the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Olanrewaju Elegushi. Sanwo-Olu told the congregation that the late prophet fulfilled his destiny on earth by living for others. He encouraged Christians to long for the spirit of dedication shown by SCOAN founder. “His life should encourage us to renew our hope in Christ. “Unity, peace, progress and love should be our watchword as Christians,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu urged Christians to emulate the late prophet’s life and live in peace with everyone without discriminating. In his speech, Akeredolu, described the death of Joshua as a huge loss to the people of Ondo State, Nigeria and the world at large. Akeredolu said that Joshua contributed immensely to the emancipation of the downtrodden, orphans, widows and other less privileged people. He said that the late prophet touched the lives of many people economically and spiritually.

“He was not born with a silver spoon but from what I heard, he was a special child because he performed miracles even from primary school. “He was born with a special gift, and his love was not only for the less privileged. “Even those of us who are privileged benefitted from his love,” Akeredolu said.

As the body of the late Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua is being laid to rest today, some of the dignitaries attended the burial of the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) include the former first lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan, governors of Ondo and Ogun States; Rotimi Akeredolu and Dapo Abiodun.

The late prophet died at the age of 57, a few days to his 58th birthday, after concluding a Church programme. His passing has stirred reactions among members of his church and Nigerians in general, most of whom were shocked by the news. Newsflash Nigeria had earlier reported how hundreds of mourners filled the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos to pay their final respects to Prophet T.B Joshua who died after conducting a church service on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Recall that the body of the late prophet arrived at the church on Thursday morning for the lying in state service.

Here is an abridged profile of the popular pastor and some controversies that surrounded his ministry as obtained by Newsflash Nigeria: “Prophet TB Joshua, a Nigerian cleric, televangelist and philanthropist was born on June 12, 1963 in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria. From 1971 to 1977, he attended St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School, Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria. While in school, Joshua was known and called ‘small pastor’ due to his love and knowledge of the Bible and also his ability to predict the future, according to SCOAN. He led the ‘Scripture Union’ during his time in school.

In 1987, Joshua founded Synagogue Church of All Nations that has become so huge today. The church began with few members and later grew into a large crowd and was popular even outside Nigeria. The cleric was popular across Africa and Latin America. However, some controversies went on about TB Joshua. Although the cleric was always heavily criticised due to the large number of miracles that happened in his Church during services.

Bishop Davies on behalf of NSCEA prays, today, as his body has been laid to rest, may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace at the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN