…says both Pilate and Herod never wanted to kill Jesus

The number one bestselling author and former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, pastor Reno Omokri has disagreed with Pastor Tunde Bakare over his recent scriptural submissions, noting that both Pilate and Herod never wanted to kill Jesus Christ but wanted to free him.

Pastor Omokri was reacting to a recent viral video of pastor Bakare defending former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and making allusions to the scriptural account of the condemnation of Jesus Christ to death for mankind.

According to Omokri, “Pastor Tunde Bakare is probably confusing Herod Archelaus with his father, Herod the Great, who wanted to kill Christ, but died in 4 BC, when Christ was 4…”

He however added that Bakare’s allusion to the scripture in such manner is tantamount to lying against the Holy Spirit.

His words:

Many of my readers would, by now, have watched Tunde Bakare’s viral video where he came out swinging in defence of Bola Tinubu, and made a number of claims, among which were that some ‘rancorous elements, bitter and resentful noise makers’ Yorubas, ‘who have not achieved as much as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has achieved’ had sent someone to him, and they included his name in a list of participants in a conference without asking him, and that the conference was being backed by two sworn enemies.

His exact words were “when Pilate and Herod agreed, it is because they wanted to kill Jesus. Who do you want to kill? I reason straight from Scripture.”

If he had stopped at ‘who do you want to kill’, then I would have held my peace. But by saying ‘I reason straight from Scripture’, he libeled Scripture, and I for one will not let that pass, lest younger believers are misled by this untruth.

He claims that if two enemies come together, then it means they want to kill Christ. He gives Scriptural backing to it, saying Pilate and Herod were enemies, that only came together because they wanted to kill Christ.

That alone smacks of a shallow grasp of Scripture. Although, like many Nigerian big men of God, Bakare is blessed with oratorical skills and a firm grasp of the art of persuasion, but these skills are often used by some of these men of God to beguile our people, who hardly read Scripture to verify what they are told, but just eat up slop dished out to them from the pulpit.

His argument, though clever, sleek, and highfalutin, is however, rather inaccurate and the body of Christ could be misled by that, even if that may or may not be his intention.

Pilate never wanted to kill Christ. As a matter of fact John 19:12 says:

“From then on, Pilate tried to set Yeshua (Jesus) free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Pilate actually wanted to free Christ and indicated his desire, but was firmly resisted by the Jews. We see that in Matthew 27:23:

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”.

In fact, both Herod and Pilate did not want to kill Christ. We see that in Luke 23:14-15

“You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. NEITHER HAS HEROD, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.”

When Pilate was pushed to the wall by their threat to report him to the Emperor l, and could not prevail against the Jews, Scripture records the following:

“When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”-Matthew 27:24.

I think Pastor Tunde Bakare is probably confusing Herod Archelaus with his father, Herod the Great, who wanted to kill Christ, but died in 4 BC, when Christ was 4, at which point, Joseph and Mary brought Him back from Egypt, from where they had taken him after they were warned by an angel.

That Herod (who murdered all the children of Bethlehem, from two years under) did not live to meet Pontius Pilate. He had no agreement with Pilate.

Tunde Bakare, by that submission, showed a limited grasp of Scripture. And his congregation would not know it, because by and large, many Nigerian Christians are very unlike the Berean Christians of which Scripture said:

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”-Acts 17:11.

As far as many African Christians are concerned, if it comes out of the mouth of our pastor, it is true. Mesmerise them with big grammar, and they fall in love with you and out of love with Scripture and its author!

What we saw with Bakare was an attempt to bend Scripture to suit his bias, rather than to bend his bias to suit Scripture.

And let us for the sake of argument agree that Herod and Pilate wanted to kill Christ (they did not), Is Bola Tinubu Christ?

Scripture asks us to make peace with our enemies (Follow peace with all men-Hebrews 12:14). That is what these two former enemies are doing (I know their identities, but I promised not to reveal it).

Bakare is a man of God, who preached in October of 2019 as follows:

“That’s why potholes are killing you, that’s what pools of water…you can’t drive now anymore because what is meant for road has been stolen since democracy began, they are living larger than life having jets here, having jets there, HAVING HOUSE IN BOURDILLON, having house in this place, having house in that place, having house in every place at the expense of the public. You will not go without vomiting what you have stolen. Wait, and see. Because a king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule with justice. Unfortunately, Nigeria people, you celebrate your villains and crucify your heroes.”

And now, barely a year later, he has now become Voltron, The Defender of those who have “HOUSE IN BOURDILLON”?

He is like one of those who feed the false stereotype that the Yoruba are unreliable backstabbers. That stereotype is not true because some of the most reliable Nigerians have been Yoruba, including President Obasanjo himself (a man who, unlike what Bakare said, has achieved more in life), who returned from Copenhagen to clear his name of coup plotting charges levelled against him by Abacha, Tunde Idiagbon, who returned from Mecca after he and Buhari were overthrown by Babangida, and Adekunle Fajuyi, who chose death, rather than abandon and betray Aguiyi-Ironsi.

Take a stand and stick to it. Scripture says “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not DOUBLETONGUED, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.”-1 Timothy 3:8.

Note that word “double tongued”.  Take a stand and stick to it. He is not sticking to his stand. That is why he has become a figure of fun amongst Buhari’s inner circle, who mockingly call him ‘Number 16’ behind his back (a reference to his laughable claim that God told him he would succeed General Buhari). I am aware. I have my informants.

Bakare gave a prophesy that did not come to pass by prophesying (wrongly) that “Let me tell you the truth by the spirit of God, neither OBJ, Atiku, IBB and this tall one, Buhari are part of the new. They are part of the old that is decaying. That old one is passing away. The new is emerging and these ones are not part of that new.”

For those who do not know, Pastor Tunde Bakare made the above statement in an October 2, 2006 interview he granted to the Punch Newspapers. Please research it.

It is now a historical record that after claiming that God’s Holy Spirit told him Muhammadu Buhari was part of Nigeria’s decaying past, the same Pastor Tunde Bakare went ahead to accept to be the running mate of the Muhammadu Buhari who was ‘not part of the new’ in 2011.

Perhaps only in Nigeria can a pastor do this and still parade himself as a pastor. It is as Karl Marx said, “religion is the opium of the people” and Bakare sure knows how to feed that addiction.

The Bible clearly tells us two things about the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 12:32, Christ, the Son of God said “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

This is lying against the Holy Spirit of God because his so called word “by the Spirit of God”, DID NOT come to pass.

1 Corinthians 14:33 further tells us that “God is not the author of confusion.”

Did Bakare not say “I have never said that to you before. I make it plain this morning, I let you know it this morning, nothing can change it in the name of Jesus. He (Buhari) is number 15, I am number 16”?

If God actually told him that, why is he campaigning for Bola Tinubu today?

And you can imagine him accusing eminent Yoruba elite of making “rancorous noise”? What nonsense!

It is just his luck that Nigerians have short memories. Is this not the same Bakare that prophesied on March 7, 1999 that Obasanjo was going to die before he was sworn in as Nigeria’s President?

His exact words were “Obasanjo is not your messiah. He is King Agag and the prophetic axe will fall upon his head before May 29.”

When he was questioned about the failure of his ‘prophecy’, Bakare said “If I gave a false prophecy, why did Obasanjo invite a thousand pastors to Ota to start praying for intervention?”

I know for a fact that President Obasanjo did NOT invite a thousand pastors to Ota. Again, Bakare lied.

Twenty one years later, Obasanjo is still alive and is still making news, while Tunde Bakare is still making noise!

We remember all the nasty things he said about Bishop David Oyedepo, when he publicly tore Bishop Oyedepo’s book. Who does this fellow think he is? Today, in terms of integrity, credibility, and morality, Bishop Oyedepo, whose book he tore, stands head and shoulder above him.

Oyedepo will certainly not be caught dead eulogising a man whose house was photographed receiving bullion vans on the eve of an election! Never!

Tunde Bakare is a guesser, not a prophet. And like any guesser, some of the things he speaks will come to pass, because a broken clock will automatically be right twice a day. But those who still believe in him and believe him, should read Deuteronomy18:22:

“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

Reno Omokri

He is like one of those who feed the false stereotype that the Yoruba are unreliable backstabbers. That stereotype is not true because some of the most reliable Nigerians have been Yoruba, including President Obasanjo himself (a man who, unlike what Bakare said, has achieved more in life), who returned from Copenhagen to clear his name of coup plotting charges levelled against him by Abacha, Tunde Idiagbon, who returned from Mecca after he and Buhari were overthrown by Babangida, and Adekunle Fajuyi, who chose death, rather than abandon and betray Aguiyi-Ironsi.

Take a stand and stick to it. Scripture says “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not DOUBLETONGUED, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.”-1 Timothy 3:8.

Note that word “double tongued”.  Take a stand and stick to it. He is not sticking to his stand. That is why he has become a figure of fun amongst Buhari’s inner circle, who mockingly call him ‘Number 16’ behind his back (a reference to his laughable claim that God told him he would succeed General Buhari). I am aware. I have my informants.

This is serious stuff because it follows a pattern.

That pattern is that some so called men of God in Nigeria have absolutely no interest in God but rather in themselves alone. They speak only things that would in the end feather their personal nest rather than edify God.

I feel especially sad when I see CHRISTIAN leaders support or acquiesce in the policy of impunity in Nigeria.
They keep quiet!
Forget about Bakare because I personally believe that he may at heart be a Muslim, afterall he (like a few of our Yoruba pastors) was born Muslim. What I don't understand is a man like Osinbajo who is supposed to be a pastor.
His is even more painful because he is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. But he keeps quiet when impunity and corruption reigns supreme in Nigeria.

Why did a few prophets of old die? Why were they killed by the powers that be?
It was because they spoke the truth!

So, when a Nigerian hustler abi na pastor, tells us that God told him, or "by the spirit of God" that this or that would happen, and they live to see it NOT happen, isn't that enough for us to simply start seeing them for what they are? False prophets!

Here in this forum, I have received a few revelations, but I never share them until they actually happen.
And I would share the raw vision, instead of my interpretation of it, because God is MASSIVE and have actually designated or gifted some people with the power to interpret visions and dreams... but I digress!

What matters is that Bakare has been speaking from all sides of his mouth, and is cementing a stereotype, which is NOT good. When he said that he would become Nigeria's next president, I didn't really care to accept or reject his views. He is entitled to them. But when he brings God into such things, he politicizes God, which is not what he should be doing as a declared Christian leader.


Reno did an excellent job of calling out Bakare in this article.
Nothing more really to add!