Welcome to a weird church where animals are freely slaughtered for sacrifice. As you step into this place of worship, you are confronted with the sight of a spot on the right that will make you conclude that you may have strayed into a slaughterhouse.

Even though insinuations of a slaughterhouse stick out starkly and grisly, this is by no means an abattoir. There is neither buying and selling of meat in this worship centre called As God Said, It Must Done, The Temple of The Most High God.

An evangelist at the church explained that the spot is called the ‘Earth Altar’ and that it’s where different types of sacrifices are offered unto God.

Located on a street named after it, Off Fakunle Street, Oke-Aro in Ogun State, a suburb near Lagos, the church is neither Pentecostal nor orthodox. All the same, both the shepherd and the sheep are strongly convinced that they are serving the living God the right way.

This reporter gathered that the blood splattered all over the ‘Earth Altar’ is that of animals. Similarly, in sharp dissonance, the mode of worship verges on the oddity, just as members cling on to what many people will consider unusual beliefs and teachings of the church.

As your curiosity wanders untrammeled at the multihued sight of the church and the strangeness of its name, you meet Prophet Blessed Dike, the general overseer and self-styled seer. He tells you with celestial audacity that God revealed the name of the church to him while in a trance. “While I was praying God gave me the name of this church from the Book of Isaiah 46 verse 11”, he said.

A probing by this reporter further revealed that besides the ‘Earth Altar’, the church also has a place called the ‘Holy of Holies.’ A worker in the church, Isaiah Anyaehie explains that the ‘Holy of Holies’ was put up as a replica of the ark of God built by Moses in the Old Testament.

Like the pool of Bethesda in the Bible, members believe that anytime you are sick and you climb into the ‘Holy of Holies’, you would instantly receive your healing.

Here, members show forth when they also want to receive forgiveness of sins and other requests from God. “We have access to the ‘Holy of Holies’ anytime there is a special programme in the church. When you ascend into the ‘Holy of Holies’, you would be healed of whatever ailment you have and whatever you ask God for, He would do it for you,” another member said.

While you are still wondering why the entire premises is painted in red and white, the self-styled seer tells you that white symbolizes peace while red is totemic as it blots out sins.

“God used the blood to wipe out the sins of Adam and Eve. We offer sacrifices because that is what God commands. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other great men in the Bible offered sacrifices,” he said.

A female member of the church revealed to this reporter that members of this church are expected to wear red or white attires every first and last Sunday of the month. On the floor of the auditorium, there are straight red lines drawn across the floor.

She explained that the red lines are Angels’ pathways. “God revealed to Daddy to make those pathways because angels usually visit the church,” she said.

There are two types of sacrifices that are offered in As God Said It Must Be Done, the Temple of The Most High God, this reporter gathers. There is the sacrifice of atonement, which is offered when seeking forgiveness of sins from God.

In carrying out the sacrifice, the prophet slaughters whatever animal the member provides at the ‘Earth Altar’ and ‘forgiveness’ is obtained from God after the prophet has prayed and blessed the person.

There is also the sacrifice of thanksgiving offered when a member wants to thank God for a favour granted him by God. The type of animal used for this type of sacrifice may vary based on individual needs. “You can bring a cow, a ram, a goat, a chicken or even a dove,” another female member of the church said.

Creepy and funny caveats are never in short supply at As God Said It Must Be Done, the Temple of The Most High God. For instance, a woman who is in her monthly cycle is not allowed to enter into the temple; else, she may be visited by God’s wrath.

Prophet Dike said “It’s a sin for a woman to come into the church while she is observing her menstrual flow. It is a very terrible thing. No woman has the right to come into the presence of God while she is menstruating.”

Despite his weird doctrines, Prophet Dike is very hospitable albeit in a way that one may describe as shocking. As soon as visitors to the church among whom was this reporter stepped into the auditorium, he instruct his workers to bring them refreshments.

This consists of two cartons of canned Guinness, popularly known as small stout. While you are yet to overcome the shock of seeing a prophet of God serve alcoholic drinks in the church, he further instructs that some bottles of whisky be brought to entertain his guests.

Seeing the surprise on the faces of his visitors, he immediately explained the reasons for his actions. “There is nothing like alcohol or strong drink in the bible, so where did you get that from? In Deuteronomy 14 verse 26, God says, “You shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires, you shall eat there before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”

God told us to spend our income on what we want. If a man calls himself a man of God and he doesn’t have money, the anointing would turn to annoyance. It is better that you drink in the House of God than to go to a public place and misbehave” he said. Before the prophet was through with attending to his visitors, he had gulped two bottles of small stout.

“Are you not afraid of going to hell” this reporter queries the prophet? Then he laughs hysterically and said “It is unfortunate that you have been taught the wrong doctrine from the time you were little.

“Who told you that hell exists? Heaven and hell do not exist. Can a spirit judge a spirit? There is nothing like heaven or hell. They don’t exist. All the punishment is here on earth. If a man cannot feed himself and his family, he is living in hell. If he cannot pay his house rent and cannot afford to buy a car for himself, he is living in hell. When your mates are enjoying life and you cannot enjoy it, you are living in hell.

“If you are suffering, it means that God is punishing you for something you have done, so there is no hell anywhere. When a man dies, that is the end. He does not go anywhere and God does not judge him. In Mark 12, verses 18 to 27, it is written there that “God is not the God of the dead but of the living.

“So what death are we talking about? If you are living well and you are enjoying your life, you are living in heaven. People like Aliko Dangote, Adenuga, Otedola, Obasanjo and other rich men are living in heaven already. In the Bible, it is written that it’s God’s wish that we live in health and prosper even as our soul prospers.”

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I'll be right back

The irony of this is that, some will still have their prayers answered. Some will have miracle jobs, babies etc. Some will be good people giving out to charity, some will give testimonies that God gave them a car, house.. In the same church.

... Ikpom reserved

Honestly, the widely taught doctrine about heaven and hell sounds somehow.

The mainstream religions (Christianity and Islam) also teach that you may be wicked and evil all your life but if you repent/change a few minutes before your death you'll go to heaven; the reverse is also true.

If you're in heaven, you'll be there for ever. The same thing applies to hell.

If you're a good man or have done/invented wonderful things for the benefit of mankind, if you don't believe in the strict doctrines of these religions, you'll go to hell where you'll spend eternity.

In any case, there's no universally accepted religious doctrine. Even within each religion, there are sects or divisions or denominations.

Why are some people born with obvious advantages and some born with defects? There's no clear and lucid answer.

Some say man would be punished or rewarded based on how he uses his 'freewill'. I ask, who created both man and his freewill'? Was it not God? How does 'thought' occur to man? What is the source of thoughts or impulses? Is God not the source of everything?

The religions that preach heaven and hell have not been able to do so convincingly.

So whenever i feel like getting drunnk, i walk in there and get bottles of whisky. Plz remind me of the address again.