Temitope Balogun Joshua (born June 12, 1963), commonly referred to as T. B. Joshua, is the founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a Christian organisation headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. A Christian pastor, humanitarian and author, Joshua broadcasts Christian televangelism via SCOAN's Christian television station Emmanuel TV, and on the Internet via the Streaming Faith broadcast portal.
- Supernatural birth
According to SCOAN's account,supernatural phenomena accompanied Joshua's birth and early life. Joshua allegedly remained in his mother's womb for 15 months before he was born. In hospital, his mother was allegedly warned not do an operation by a pastor, who said that God was busy preparing the child in her womb.
During his naming ceremony seven days after birth, a big stone was said to have flown from where workers were drilling a borehole, pierced the roof where people were celebrating and landed where the baby was placed. The stone missed him narrowly.
It is also said a sage had predicted his birth a century earlier.
- Education
Joshua attended St. Stephen's Anglican Primary School (Ikare-Akoko, Nigeria, 1971–1977),but failed to complete one year of secondary school education. In school, he was known as 'small pastor' because of his love for the Bible and ability to predict things to come in his community.He further gained a reputation for alleged spiritual prowess after confronting a madman in the school premises and collecting his weapon from him. He was the leader of 'Scripture Union' while in school. - Joshua worked washing people's feet on the streets of Lagos, before moving to a poultry farm where he had the job of carrying chicken waste. At the same time, he held Bible studies with children and attended evening school.
His ambition to enlist into the military was aborted when the train he boarded to attend an interview at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, developed serious faults that left him stranded in the bush for six days.
- Founding of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)
The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria
In 1987, T. B. Joshua visited a ‘prayer mountain’ to seek the face of God. There, he allegedly fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. He wrote that in a heavenly vision, he had received divine anointing and a covenant from God to start his ministry. In his own words, he said concerning the life-changing experience:
“… I saw a hand that pointed a Bible to my heart. The Bible entered my heart and my former heart seemed to immerse with the Bible immediately… I heard a voice saying, ‘I am your God. I am giving you a divine commission to go and carry out the work of the Heavenly Father… I would show you the wonderful ways I would reveal myself through you in teaching, preaching, miracles, signs and wonders for the salvation of souls…’ ”
Joshua started a church with just a handful of members, naming it 'The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations'—a name he says God divinely revealed to him. Since then, the church has grown beyond Nigeria. More than 15,000 members attend the weekly Sunday service, and visitors from outside Nigeria are accommodated in the church facilities.
From the very first service held in 1987 to the present day, the church has been controversial due to reports of miraculous signs and wonders that occur every week. Numerous videos have been produced that allegedly document the healing of incurable sicknesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and paralysis; showing people's conditions before, during, and after prayer from T. B. Joshua.
The church currently has branches in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Greece. He also mentors evangelists from around the world on the church premises, saying: "The biggest reward God can give to His servant... is to make disciples who will do better than what we are presently doing."
A renowned Nigerian prophet, Akin Adewole, prophesied in 1995 that “a young man from Nigeria would be highly anointed, such that all the nations of the world would embrace the mighty God through him,” a message he later affirmed to be concerning T. B. Joshua.
- Healing and health-related events
Instantaneous baby deliveries, healing of cancerous sores, the HIV/AIDS virus,barrenness, and raising from the dead, all through prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, are among the reported miraculous activities taking place at the SCOAN. In September 2008, it was reported that a man who had been mentally ill for 14 years was restored to sanity and reunited with his family. Spiritual healing at The SCOAN has been mentioned by Time magazine.
Thousands from across Africa attend his monthly healing services.Many also testify to being healed through 'anointing water' from the SCOAN.
- Prediction of events
Joshua has allegedly predicted many world events and disasters, including the disastrous cyclone in Myanmar, the 2008 [[British Airways Flight 38crash landing of a Boeing 777 plane at Heathrow Airport, the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt from the Colombian jungle, the death of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, the death of Brittany Murphy,the death of former South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun,the attack on Pakistan religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi, precise details relating to the death of famed US Senator Edward Kennedy,the death of the legendary Nigerian lawyer Gani Fawehinmi,and the 2009 military shooting at Fort Hood.He is said to have prophesied concerning the plume of volcanic ash that disrupted air travel in Europe in 2010, the death of prominent Polish personalities including that of President Lech Kaczynski in the Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash, and the demise of Nigeria's leader Umaru Yar'Adua.
He is noted to even mention specific dates in his prophecies, such as July 16–17 concerning the recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia, Feb 13 concerning the New York plane crash and October 29 concerning the Nigerian ADC plane crash in 2006
- Personal prophecies
Joshua allegedly predicts events in the lives of individuals who attend his church services, often revealing details they have never previously disclosed to anyone.Many whose dire situations are revealed through prophecy are subsequently supported financially by the ministry, including armed robbers, for whom the church has a special rehabilitation program.
He is said to have personally predicted the annulment of the infamous June 12, 1993 Nigerian presidential elections to Chief MKO Abiola. Abiola won by an overwhelming margin but was denied his mandate when the election results were annulled by the preceding military president Ibrahim Babangida.
- Michael Jackson prophecy
T. B. Joshua allegedly prophesied the death of iconic pop legend Michael Jackson, personally sending a message of warning through his brother Marlon Jackson, who later visited the church during a trip to Nigeria after his brother's death.
- Football prophecies
T. B. Joshua's supposed prophetic foresight concerning football has come to the limelight with revelations that he predicted the outcome of Ghana's U20 World Cup Victory against Brazil to their coach, Sellas Tetteh. It was also reported that Joshua accurately predicted the outcome of two of Nigeria's Super Eagles crucial World Cup qualifying encounters between Tunisia and Mozambique, a claim confirmed by Nigerian Ambassador of Sports John Fashanu. He has countered insinuations of claiming glory for any team's victory, stating that a prophet is to 'speak the mind of God' to all who seek it in humility and cannot be said to help any team to win. Nigeria's Under-17 Team, the Golden Eaglets, also sought Joshua's help before the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Before Nigeria's match with Argentina, Joshua is said to have prophesied the outcome to Eaglet's coach John Obuh.Two players from his team My People FC were members of the Eaglets squad, including Nigeria's top scorer and Golden Ball Winner Sani Emmanuel.
The former coach of Nigeria's Super Eagles, Shaibu Amodu, attested to Joshua's prophetic insights, saying he had accurately revealed that Nigeria would win their final World Cup qualifying match with Kenya. During the FIFA 2010 World Cup, Joshua accurately predicted the opening and closing matches of the tournament. Kirsten Nematandani, the South African Football Association President visited The SCOAN before the tournament to seek God's guidance and protection for the tournament.
- Deliverance of the demon-possessed
Many who have come to the church possessed by evil spirits are said to be delivered following prayer from T. B. Joshua. It was recently reported that an occult grandmaster was delivered in the church and others also attest to being delivered from various evil spirits of death,snakes and lizards through his prayers.
- Relationship with Ghana's President
The recently elected President of Ghana, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, is said to be a member of the SCOAN and a close friend of T. B. Joshua. He said Joshua had predicted his victory in the Ghanaian polls, specifying that there would be three elections and that the results would be released in January. Mills has described Joshua as his mentor.
During U.S. President Barack Obama's recent visit to Ghana, it was reported that T. B. Joshua's prayers influenced the significant change in weather, with the forecast rain stopping merely hours before his arrival and the weather remaining clear for his entire trip.
T. B. Joshua has encouraged Mills to support charitable organisations in Ghana, in line with his principle: "Spend more on others and less on yourselves."
- Reconciliation
T. B. Joshua was instrumental in reconciling the families of the late Samuel Doe of Liberia and the man accused of assassinating him, Prince Yormie Johnson. Prior to the reconciliation, the two families were sworn enemies.
The Nigerian press have reported other cases of families being reconciled by T. B. Joshua after years of separation.
- Witchcraft accusations
T. B. Joshua is a strong advocate of families, and has embarked on numerous activities to reunite families who have been separated due to false accusations of witchcraft within the home, a practice common in certain parts of Africa.[158][159] The accused are often subjected to untold hardship, such as in the case of an 80-year-old woman who was forced to live in the same room with her daughter's corpse for 14 months after being stigmatized as a witch.
Families torn apart through such allegations of witchcraft are reconciled on almost a weekly basis at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations as the truth from God is revealed regarding the said accusations. Many are financially supported thereafter on the road to rehabilitation and teams dispatched to the areas concerned to correct the wrong impression imposed on the accused, oftentimes young children. or elderly women
- National honour
In recognition of his humanitarian activities, Joshua was awarded the National Honour of OFR (Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic) by the Nigerian government in 2008. - Controversies
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Some have criticised T. B. Joshua, claiming that his alleged miracles are counterfeit or that he "mixes witchcraft with Christianity".] The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), an umbrella association of Nigerian Pentecostal Churches, refused admission to the Synagogue Church, denouncing T. B. Joshua as an impostor, and querying his background, mentorship and calling to the ministry. Christian critics often refer to T. B. Joshua's unorthodox methods as being not confirmed in the Bible.
Some[who?] have insinuated that the persecutors of Joshua are moved more by jealousy and envy than genuine concern.Prophet Joshua is known for not responding to his critics in the belief that silence cannot be misquoted.He says he sees the persecution as a blessing, as it draws him nearer to God.
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