“Reverend” Isaac Owusu Bempah is a self-professed “Christian” prophet, apostle, and televangelist which bears in his presentation a strikingly similar style to that of American televangelists. Known for his “prophecies,” which even many Christians in Africa look upon with suspicion, he incurred the wrath of Muslims because he prophesied doom concerning the national Imam, to which a group of young Muslims responded by sending him a video saying that if he did not apologise “to all Muslims” they would kill him and drink his blood:

A group of angry Islamic youth have issued a stern warning to Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah to render an apology over his recent doomsday prophecy about the National Chief Imam.

This warning follows an earlier attack on the premises of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International where properties were damaged by the irate machete wielding youth in protest against the prophecy.

The signboard at the church premises, glass windows and other properties in the main auditorium were vandalised in the process.

The Founder of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International, during his 31st watchnight service, prophesied that the Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharunutu will die this year.

Rev Owusu Bempah, also claimed he’s seen revelations that suggest former President John Mahama and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia may die in 2019 and advised them to pray to avert it.

The prophet made several other predictions, including the demise of an ex-president and a former first lady.

These prophecies, particularly the one about the Chief Imam triggered the attack on his church by the Muslim youth who have threatened to deal with Rev Owusu Bempah if he fails to apologise.

In a video circulating on social media, the agitated youth have given the controversial man of God, a 24-hour ultimatum to withdraw his prophecies of doom or experience worst attacks.

The youth led by their well-built ‘spokesperson’ threatened to attack Rev Owusu Bempah and shed his blood if he fails to eat the humble pie and further cautioned him against predicting doom for any member of the Islamic community.

“We’re warning you. You have only 24 hours to capture yourself in a video to apologise to all Muslims. Don’t bring your fake prophecies on the Muslims or our Chief Imam. If you don’t apologise, we’ll drink your blood,” the leader of the group stressed amidst noise from the others.

Forgive him – Chief Imam begs Youth

The National Chief Imam, has, however pleaded with the youth to forgive Rev Owusu Bempah and desist from attacking his church.

Reacting to the incident, he said, “We’re living in peace with fellow Christians and other religion so let’s maintain that relationship. Leave him with his character and forgive him. As for death every soul shall taste it either today or tomorrow so no need to attack the man. Please leave him and forgive him, I am begging you, I am begging you.”
(source, source)

It is clear that the Muslims saying they are demanding an apology and that they will drink this man’s blood is disordered and evil, and completely consistent with with the pattern of Islamic behavior throughout history, which encourages the worst of human behavior as it denies the intrinsic dignity of man and reduced it to a thing that is conditional upon the belief of a man in and his practice of Islam.

However, there is also much to be said about this “reverend” as well.

“Televangelism” is a phenomenon that began in the USA, in particular with the efforts by Catholic Bishop and Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen, whose program “Life is worth living” was broadcast around the USA since the 1950s until he death in 1979. Bishop Sheen was known for his orthodoxy and engaging way of preaching, and he touched the lives of millions of people.

Unfortunately, televangelism was also embraced by the worst aspects of Protestantism, which in spite of the false justification that Luther’s revolution began specifically because of financial abuse among some members of the Catholic clergy, Protestantism quickly became synonymous with both nationalism and later on, as a vehicle for quick cash by making false promises. For the avaricious or those who do neither fear God nor man, making claims about “healing” and “prosperity” in exchange for a “seed of faith” (a term used by many preachers that is synonymous with “donations”) allowed them to build their wealth on the meager earnings and genuine faith of many others.

While most of these “preachers” in the USA have been driven from daytime television either by regulations, public outrage, shame, or a fear of being caught, they still can be seen on some television networks late at night. The most infamous of these is BET (Black Entertainment Television) on late Sunday night, where one can watch beginning around 10 PM ongoing loops of what are objectively con artists attempting to fleece Christians.

One of the “Reverends” that was a feature of BET for many years was the televangelist and proven scammer Robert Tilton, who deceived his viewers out of millions of dollars before being exposed. While his “church” went into decline following this, he later rebuilt and continues to deceive people. Because much of his “televangelism” involved making outrageous claims and gestures, he became the subject of an early viral Internet video mocking his gestures known as “Pastor Gas”:

Peter Popoff was an American televangelist who also preached “prosperity” and “miracles,” but was simply stealing from the poor. The atheist and entertainer James Randi famously exposed Popoff by recording him using an earpiece and working with his wife to claim “supernatural” knowledge about people while on stage as a part of his entire “preaching” act:

Leroy Jenkins was another “pastor” and scammer who famously was exposed by Inside Edition for his questionable preaching activities. When confronted, he refused to answer questions and began cursing at the crew:

It is unfortunate to say, but there are far too many “Preachers” whose ministry is but a cover for their scamming. Now it is true that Africa has seen an explosion in Christianity, and with it a subsequent rise in “preachers” who have found new fertile ground for their deceptions.

One infamous case of scam “pastors” in Kenya was the case of Victor Kanyari, another self-professed profit (spelling intentional) who was exposed by KTN News in Kenya for telling people to give him money if they want “healing,” as well as engaging in sexually questionable activity with people and urging people to give false testimonies of “healing” and “miracles”.

There is the other notorious example of “Pastor Chijoke” in Zimbabwe who founded the “Breast and Honey Fellowship,” a “church” where the stipulations are that all the members must be women, and they must come either topless or without undergarments. As part of becoming a member of the “church”, this “pastor” requires that he give women the “holy spirit” by suckling on their breasts to “suck their problems out,” and it does not matter if the woman is single or married. His own words speak for themselves:

People have often times accurately criticized the “snake handling” churches of Appalachia, who in their perverting of Mark 16 will handle poisonous snakes in the belief that their faith will protect them from being killed. African pastors have taken note of this, such as Pastor Lesego Daniel of South Africa, who famously has his congregation show their faith by compelling them to drink petrol:

Also from South Africa is Pastor Penuel Mnguni, who has made news and legal attention for all kinds of vile behaviors. In addition to jumping on people while stripping their clothes off (see video below) and driving over them with cars, he has fed snake, rat, and now dog meat to them for “communion”:

There are also more “mainstream” ones too, such as David Oyedepo, a “bishop” of the Living Faith Church in Nigeria and who as part of his “ministry” has amassed for himself a $150 million USD fortune. Using a style bearing an uncanny semblance to American “preachers” and “prosperity gospel” ministers, he refuses to associate with politics while making claims presented as prophecies such as how Nigeria is going to be blessed in 2019, and publishing what are “books” on “faith” and “prosperity.”

This is just a small sample of the nonsense that comes from many African “pastors.” It is not to say that many of the American ones are “better”, but it is just that they are either more efficient at hiding their deviant behavior in a culturally acceptable manner. Their poison is equally dangerous because they would pervert the name of God and His teachings for personal gain.

I cannot say that “Pastor Bempah” is the same as the above “pastors.” However, his ministry style and personal life advocating “prosperity” suggests that he is of a similar nature as the above “pastors.” This is suggested even further by the fact that he has been married three times and as recently as December 2018 when invited on a radio show became angry after the host asked him about accusations of being tied to occultism in Ghana and so attacked the radio host and destroyed his radio equipment:

A pastor who was being interviewed in the studio of Hot FM, a private radio station based in Accra, suddenly lost his temper and vandalized some equipment in the studio, amidst insults and swearing directed at his interviewer.
Reverend Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, who is the Founder and Leader of Glorious Word and Power Ministry International, was invited to the station on December 13, 2018 to respond to another pastor, Evangelist Dominic Appiah, who had earlier alleged at the same station that certain church leaders in the country, including him (Owusu Bempah) were occult prophets.

In the course of the interview, the host of the ‘Ghana Must Know’, programme, Justice Kwaku Annan, asked the Reverend to perform in the studio one of the several miracles he is known for. The guest however got infuriated by the request and went on the rampage.

“Kwaku you are behaving like Satan who challenged God to perform miracles…Yes, you are a Satan. …I’m not a small boy for you to ask me these insane questions…I swear if you don’t produce Dominic [his accuser], I will sue the station,” the Reverend Owusu Bempah is heard saying in a video of the incident that has been widely circulated.
The rampaging pastor vandalized an apple laptop and a microphone in the studio.

The MFWA condemns Reverend Owusu Bempah’s disruptive behavior at the radio station, particularly when the media house had offered him a platform to respond to allegations made against him. The assault on Hot FM is a criminal offense; we encourage the Management of the station to report the incident to the police. (source, source)

It this a “pastor” being persecuted, or the case of another “pastor” who is but a scam artist and as it is many times, the Muslims threatening to murder him is a case of evil consuming evil?

Again, this is not to say that the Muslims are “right” or that the pastor is “right,” because both are evil. It is but an illustration of how truth is stranger than fiction, and while persecution is real and must never be ignored, too often there is more to a story than what is immediately available to see or understand, and upon further reading more is exposed that imparts a completely new dynamic to a given story about anything.