Anthony Iwuoma
The latest guidelines rolled out by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for the reopening of worship centres have drawn the ire of Rev. Chris Okotie, Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church, Oregun, Lagos,
Okotie, rejected thevguidelines in a statement on Friday, insisting the doors of his church would remain shut if the governor refused to review the guidelines, which he described as an ‘profanation and secularisation’.
The governor had said on Thursday that Muslim and Christian worshippers would be allowed to open at a maximum of 40 per cent from June 19 and 21, respectively.
According to him: “We know that these places of worship have different sizes but even if your 40 per cent capacity is so large, you cannot have beyond 500 worshippers at once, and keeping that maximum 40 per cent capacity is really important.
“We will also be advising very strongly that persons below the age of 15, because of how well they walk around and are difficult to hold down, should be excused from the places of worship and citizens that are above the age of 65 should not be allowed into these places of worship.”
However, Okotie, is of the view that the governor has no right to reorder the mode of worship in the house of God.
“These guidelines are an ‘abomination of desolation’. Our doors will remain closed until these profanation and secularisation have been pulverised by the Emperor of heaven,” Okotie said.
“Beloved, yesterday, the abomination of desolation took a giant step towards standing in the holy place. The fulfillment of Bible prophecy is being accelerated by the forces of Janes and Jambres.
“To reorder temple worship is to deny God the divine prerogative of congregational adoration and the holy genuflects of the saints in light. Let no man’s heart be troubled by the vengeance of satanic antagonism.”
He had had earlier criticised the leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and described them as Pharisees for failing to speak for the church.