Pastor David Anifowose, head pastor of The Whole Bible Believers Church, Valentino area, Ondo Town has revealed why he and other pastors kept 77 members in the underground of the church.
This is coming hours after the recent operation and arrest of pastors by operatives of Ondo State Police Command where 77 people were rescued from the church’s underground.
According to pastor Anifowose, those rescued by the police were in the church dungeon to await the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Anifowose also revealed that he was given the prophecy by God to gather his church members underground as a way of preparing before the rapture finally hit the air.
“I was the one that received the instruction from God that the people of the church should be camped underground and await his coming.
“And my Church Members were awaiting for the second coming of Jesus when the policemen invaded the church and arrested us”.
Recall that the Police at Fagun Division, Ondo Town, received Intelligence Information that some children are being harboured at The Whole Bible Believers Church, Valentino area, Ondo Town.
Policemen were deployed to the Church on Friday night to invite the Pastors and the members of the Church, on sighting, the Police attacked them.
Preliminary investigation revealed that one Pastor Josiah Peter Asumosa, an Assistant Pastor in the Church was the one who told the members that Rapture will take place in April but later said it has been changed to September, 2022 and told the young members to obey only their parents in the Lord.
Another family who was also around during the rescue said their daughter a part 3 student, dropped out of school due to the strange teachings of the Pastor and left home in January, 2022 to start living in the Church.
In all, Seventy seven (77) members – Twenty Six (26) children, Eight (8) teenagers and Forty Three (43) adult members were rescued from the Church.
The two Pastors are in Police custody.
However, pastor Anifowose denied saying Jesus would come in September, stressed that nobody knows exactly when the rapture would sound.
The assistant pastor of the church who was also arrested, Peter Josiah, on his part said he did not tell children to run away from home as alleged, but only taught them according to the scriptures.
“I was called by God to rewrite the king James version of the Bible because there are a lot of passages that are wrong in the version of the Bible.
” I don’t teach children to run away from their parents, I only taught them the gospel and to obey their parents in the Lord”, he added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, SP Odunlami Funmilayo, said investigation has commenced and the outcome would be made known to the members of the Public as soon as possible.