In the extraordinary days of social restiveness amid the unexpected arrival of the mysterious and insidious coronavirus, I took time off my tight schedule and blissfully delved into the prophecy archives of our ‘Men of God’ with the view to finding out whether there were earlier prophecies on coronavirus outbreak.

But to my utter disbelief, I did not come across any of such prophecies. ‘What a surprise’! I murmured in amazement.

I thought I was dreaming. But I was not. I was wide-awake. God did not inform the Men of God of the imminent arrival of the pernicious coronavirus. Wonders shall never end, our elders say.

Back then, a long-term confidant of mine suggested somewhat passionately that our ‘Men of God’ are rather experts in predicting the issues about the two main political parties (NPP and NDC).

My pal then posed somewhat passionately: so do you believe that their prophecies are really from God?

My dear reader, let’s be honest, how can God, the all-knowing, hide the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus from His messengers, and inform them of the outcome of elections results?

My pal was absolutely right: ‘false Prophets can sometimes perform Impressive Miracles to deceive their followers.

Mat 24:24: ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’.

Indeed, the Bible talks about false prophets and their self-expansiveness and the need for their followers to be on their guard.

The influx of the so-called Men of God and their revoltingly ugly activities are a cause for concern, so to speak.

How long should we endure the complexities of false prophets and their antipathetic interpretations of Christianity?

In Ghana today, no one can deny or ignore the fact that false prophets are blissfully at work, and command a multitude of truth seekers, many of whom lack knowledge, hence following the con-artists, who are probably resorting to black magic, albeit masquerading as “Men of God”.

The founders of the one-man churches have succeeded in hoodwinking, proselytizing and swindling unsuspecting truth seekers, who only want adulterated, more 'palatable' forms of Truth, watered down and compromised for convenience.

I cannot for the life of me, get my head around how and why any authority on this planet would turn a blind eye to the complexities of false prophets and their antipathetic teachings of Christianity and societal norms.

Some of us jumped for joy when some Members of Parliament prudently called for the enactment of regulation to curb the unscrupulous activities of the men and women who are swindling and maltreating the unsuspecting followers in the name of God.

When the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame took bold steps and closed down over 6000 alleged wayward churches and mosques, he invariably received avalanche of condemnations and curses from church goers, but wasn’t censured by God.

Honestly, Paul Kagame was not sanctioned by God for clamping down on false prophets. But Rwanda is rather being blessed by God, if the country’s economy is anything to go by.

It pains my heart so much to stress that the founders of the one-man churches have long been getting away with their ceaseless scheming guiles and irrevocable self-aggrandisement.

It is an undeniable fact that freedom of worship is an inalienable human right, which is encapsulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

More significantly, freedom of worship has been transposed and given meaning in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.

As such, there is no permitted abridgment as to which religious sect one could join. Indeed, individuals have their inherent dignity and inalienable rights to choose or join any congregation of their choice.

That being said, the founders of those churches do not have God’s given right to trample on the inalienable rights of their church members, while the authorities look on unperturbed.

Let me however stress forcefully that this article is not seeking to censure those churches that have contributed in the past, and still contributing meaningfully to the advancement of humanity.

Indeed, the vast majority of Ghanaians owe a great debt of gratitude to orthodox churches for their unstinting missionary endeavours.

In my humble opinion, the orthodox churches deserve every commendation for their numerous charitable endeavours. However, the same cannot be said about the “one-man churches”.

Regrettably, some of the founders of the one-man churches have succeeded in proselytizing and swindling unsuspected truth seekers, who only want adulterated, more 'palatable' forms of Truth, watered down and compromised for convenience.

It is written, “but the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die”(Deuteronomy 18:20).

Jeremiah 14:14: “Then the LORD said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Deuteronomy 18:21).

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follows not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:22).“

Truth must be told, the influx of the so-called Men of God and their revoltingly ugly activities are troubling, so to speak.

In any case, there are numerous Bible verses on false prophets and their self-aggrandisement, and therefore the need for their followers to be on their guard.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com