By Margaret Jackson

February 12, 2013

The God that millions or billions of people fall prostrate to and admire, is a God who reveals to redeem. Throughout the bible, we have found God revealing His impending plans through prophets, and in many instances redeeming those who were involved. God has never done things in isolation. Therefore, behind every gloomy prophesy from God, there has always been the accompanying redemption. That is how God works and that is how we have known Him to be. Otherwise, He ceases to be the God that we know and love.

Imagine waking up from bed with a good feeling and serving your husband his favourite breakfast. Imagine with that same good feeling you tune in to a radio or television station to listen to the news of the day. Bang! Breaking News! Your beloved husband who just left the house for work after having his breakfast is reported by a man of God that he is going to die this year. Just imagine how your feelings will be like and how your attitude towards that man of God will be from that point. How is the rest of the day going to be like as you continue to receive phone calls from family and friends to reassure you of God’s faithfulness?

If you hear this gloomy news and you happen to be that person in the centre of this prophesy by the man of God, what will be your first reaction? You just heard the news that you are going to die this year. Do you sit down and pray or call your wife? Do you cancel all your appointments and go home to ponder over this? I mean do you start crying or throw your hands up in despair?

I am wondering how your Blood Pressure will react to such depressing news. This may be the most traumatic news to hear because once the news is out there and people start calling you, you can never get it off your head. And slowly but surely your work is going to suffer, and if you do not take time your health as well, will suffer. There are many people who cannot take these kinds of disheartening news with grace.

In life there are certain things meant for our ears and eyes, but not our mouths. That is why it is not everything that we need to comment on. The founder and leader of the Glorious Word Ministry International, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah informed his congregation during the Watch Night Service on December 31, 2012 that it has been revealed to him that President John Mahama is going to die this year.

And this news has suddenly taken the centre stage in the country. Many people have condemned Owusu Bempah, with some calling him names. But that is not what I am here to do. I feel very sad for Owusu Bempah, for not taking so many things into consideration before throwing this bombshell.

President Mahama, apart from being the President of the Republic of Ghana has a wife and children who are emotionally attached to him. Apart from being their bread winner, President Mahama also serves as an inspiration to the members of his family. Therefore, imagine how they will feel from now on till the rest of the year. Will the members of his family go to sleep daily thinking that, that will be the last time they will speak or hear from him? Just imagine how their feelings will be even if he leaves the house for work. The situation will even become worse if President Mahama travels outside Accra or the country.

These are the issues that Owusu Bempah should have taken into consideration before saying what he said on that day, which was supposed to have been the most joyous of days in the lives of the people of this country. It was New Year’s Eve and therefore, many people may not have been in the mood for such terrible news.

Assuming God revealed to Owusu Bempah that he was going to die this year, do you think he would have informed his congregants about it? Or assuming God had revealed to Owusu Bempah that his wife was going to die this year, do you think Owusu Bempah would have informed the church? So why then does Rev. Owusu Bempah put so much stress on President Mahama and his family?

Going forward, people around President Mahama may be forced to read meanings to any health issues of his. Even a simple headache could send panic waves among the people surrounding him. Rev. Owusu Bempah may think that he has done the most honourable thing by coming out to say those things, but he has not done himself any good as many people are denouncing the way he did it.

And to make matters worse, Rev. Owusu Bempah who was holding some papers in his hands during the sermon on that day announced the impending deaths of several other prominent people in Ghana. He did however not name them. If Owusu Bempah was able to name President Mahama as one of the people to die, why then did he not name the rest? If Owusu Bempah indeed meant well for the country, why should he leave everybody in the dark?

And what was Rev. Owusu Bempah doing dabbling in politics? Did Owusu Bempah see the cheers that erupted when he announced that the NPP was going to win the Supreme Court case? What does Owusu Bempah think the NDC members of his church will feel going forward? Now what happens if the NPP does not win the court case? Will Owusu Bempah have done members of his church any good?

True men of God pray fervently and intercede for people when they see in the spiritual realms that calamity is about to befall them. True men of God hardly open their mouths wide and say things just to boost their ego. And it does not help when people who claim to be men of God say things that can cause fear and panic.

We are talking about the President of Ghana and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. You will never get away with such a statement in any part of the world. The country’s democracy has been thrown to the dogs with people saying anything that comes from their chest. We seem to have gotten to a situation whereby people are calling for the destruction of life and property and we are all saying nothing until calamity visits the country.

I want to put it on record that even if Owusu Bempah does not like President Mahama, one thing should be clear to him, that President Mahama is somebody’s son, husband, father, brother or uncle. He has many friends and he is currently the country’s President. Therefore, Rev. Owusu Bempah should have been circumspect in what he said. Like I said earlier on, GOD REVEALS TO REDEEM, THEREFORE PRESIDENT MAHAMA WILL NOT DIE. AND I FEEL VERY SORRY FOR OWUSU BEMPAH (emphasis mine).

magjackson80@yahoo.com http://majjacks80.blogspot.com