COVID-19: Wearing Face Masks In Church Means Denying The Finished Work Of Jesus - Okotie

The Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church, Pastor Chris Okotie, says wearing a face mask or face shield in church negates the basic foundation of the Christian faith, being the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced that religious centres in Lagos can reopen from August 7 after months of closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Lagos Governor, however, noted that churches  and mosques would be allowed to open only once a week and operate at 50-percent capacity.

He added that all standard COVID-19 protocols such as “physical distancing, mandatory temperature checks, use of face masks in public, regular disinfection of premises and personal hygiene”, must be strictly adhered to.

But in a 28-minute special broadcast sent via WhatsApp to his church members, Okotie said he would not reopen his church.

While acknowledging other precautions put in place by the government to curb the spread of Coronavirus, he said the wearing of face masks was unacceptable.

Citing various Biblical passages, the televangelist said wearing a mask or a face shield to church means separation from God because it is like reintroducing the veil which was torn the moment Jesus died on the cross.

According to him, “When a man is standing before God in church wearing a shield or mask, he is denying the finished work of the cross.

“Before we offer our sacrifices and lift up holy hands before God, we must make sure that everything is decent and in order.

“We must only follow the protocols outlined in the Bible, not any directive that violates the basic tenets of our faith.”

AllNews recalls that Okotie had last month accused Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, of leading a global conspiracy to destabilize the world economy and execute a “satanic agenda” against the church.

He described the COVID-19 pandemic as a “bizarre project” by Gates in association with powerful elements in the multilateral institutions and supported by key leaders to achieve sinister objectives.

“People have asked me if we’re dealing with the number 666; if this is about the antichrist. Is this about you taking that number and the eternal damnation that is the consequence of that?

“No. We’re dealing with another number that is the precursor to the number 666.  There’s a man who is the protagonist of this whole process that we’re seeing today. His name is Bill Gates.

“The year 2020 was particularly chosen by Satan as the year when he would challenge the authority of the almighty God upon the face of the earth in preparation for the coming of the antichrist.

“How is he going to do it? First, he’s going to get a man who has the pattern and that man is Bill Gates. And then, there will be a conspiracy to bring in a pandemic, sickness," he had said in a YouTube video.