The honour to be a saint is bestowed exclusively by God through Jesus Christ upon His anointed one, and, whether life or in death, it remains with one. It is not attainable by intellectual pursuit, neither by human appointment nor by promotion in a church denomination. A person is predestined and called by God to be a saint. Therefore, it is justified and commendable to give honour to whom it is due, and to keep the memory of a man of God whose works testify to his sainthood and who had left a foot-print on the sands of time to God’s glory. Yet he is not to be worshipped.
Saint Gideon Meriodere Urhobo, formerly known and called Gregory Mogboruko Ukoli, was the Founder and Late President of God’s Kingdom Society (GKS). He hailed from Agharha in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, and was the second son of Ukoli an Urhobo by tribe. St. Urhobo was born in 1903, and had his early education at the popular Government School Warri, where he also taught though a staunch Roman Catholic. He later dissociated himself from the Roman Catholic Faith because of his disagreement with a Reverend Father over the issue of some of their teachings. He joined the Post and Telegraph Department in June 1930, as a third-class postal clerk and telegraphist, a post he relinquished in 1933 for the sake of the gospel of Christ. In his biography he wrote: “I was in Government Service, Warri as a Third Class Postal Clerk and Telegraphist in June, 1930, when after three and half years diligent and prayerful studies of the Holy Bible Jesus Christ revealed himself to me and commanded me to go and preach the “EVERLASTING GOSPEL” or the “GOSPEL OF PEACE” to all nations and kings as the only remedy for all the human sufferings and woes, and to expose all the false doctrines which Satan had used to deceive the whole world and to keep the people in ignorance of GOD’S ESTABLISHED KINGDOM or GOVERNMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE, and purpose of creation; and to pronounce God’s written judgement against wickedness.
“I gladly left the Government Service in February, 1933 and fully devoted all my life to the Kingdom Service of the Lord.
“Before this time I was a staunch member of the Roman Catholic Church, baptised but not confirmed, and I was totally ignorant of the Holy Scriptures” – Eighteen Years Kingdom Service, Page 1.
Because St. Urhobo found elements of truth in the works of the late Judge Rutherford, the then President of the Watchtower Bible and Tracts Society of America, he associated with Mr. William Roland Brown, a Jamaican and representative of the society in West Africa based in Lagos. This association was short-lived for the reason of differences in doctrines in that Brown did not take kindly to the correction of errors in their teachings as proffered by St. Urhobo. His hostilities blew open in Tom Jones Hall in Lagos and resulted in the saint’s withdrawal from the Watchtower Society when he organised in October, 1934, also in Lagos, his sympathisers and adherents into the “Lagos Company of Christian Peoples”, now known as God’s Kingdom Society.
After 19 years of meritorious services in the Lord’s vineyard, having imparted the sound knowledge of his visions to his companions and associates in Christ, and accomplished his mission to the world, St. G. M. Urhobo departed this world on 25 February, 1952. “My Mission To The World” is the heading of the lectures he delivered in series, which took him to different parts of the country, before he breathed his last on that fateful morning while a partial eclipse of the sun occurred. The Daily Times of Saturday, January 26, 1952, carried his advertisement on page five entitled: “My Mission To The World”. He wrote, “According to my visions of the Almighty God and the understanding of the Holy Scriptures, I believe that I am predestinated and called to preach the “Everlasting Gospel” or the whole truth of God’s Kingdom or perfect Government which has been set up since 1914 as the only place of safety and protection in this atomic age; and to expose all the false doctrines (religious or political) which Satan has used to deceive the people and to keep them in ignorance of God’s established Kingdom -Rev. 14:6,7: Matt 24:14-21: Rom 8:29-31: Dan. 2:44:7:13,14; Rev. 11:17,18; 129,12 And to this task, I fully devoted my life for the past nineteen years in spite of all misinterpretations, persecutions, imprisonments and abuses…”
The visions and works of St. G. M. Urhobo viewed against the critical background of the Holy Scriptures lead to the conclusion and conviction that he was truly an anointed servant of Jesus Christ called to be a saint. Through him we have the accurate knowledge of God today, and the mystery of His eternal power and Godhead. as well as His Fatherhood of Jesus Christ and all creation now revealed, has been redefined. By his teachings we have the revelation of the mystery that not only was Jesus Christ created by God but also that he had the honour of being His first creation and the agent used by the Almighty Father to create all other things in heaven and earth Prov. 8:22-30; John 1:1-3.10: 29:17; 1 Cor. 8:56. Eph. 1:17, 39, Col. 1:15-18; Heb. 1:1-3: Rev. 3:14, etc.
By his visions he received the revelation of the Kingdom of God and how it has been established both in heaven where the capital, Mount Zion, is, and here on earth as a grain of mustard seed in fulfilment of Bible prophecies. All he preached and taught us about the kingdom as a universal, perfect and an everlasting government of peace, happiness and righteousness under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, we have found unquestionable, unchallenged and wholly consistent with the Holy Bible. -Ps. 2:6,7: 22:27.28: 145:10-13; Isa. 967.321: Dan 7:13,14; John 18:36,37, Rev. 14:1-5; 17:14 12:2-4; Micah 4:1-3: Dan. 2:44: Matt. 24:15,16: Rev. 17:10.11, etc.
His visions in regard to the second coming of Jesus Christ that makes bare the manner and form of his appearing the signs of his presence and the purpose of his return are just marvellous as he made the Bible to be its own interpreter. And when we even at our low level preach these things some people simply gaze at us as if we are not ordinary human beings, and they are astonished as to how we come about this knowledge of the Bible. The difference is clear. For further references, the issues of THE TRUMPET of January (Vol. 1 No. 7) and February (Vol. 1 No. 8) 1999, respectively, make good.
Space and time will fail me to go into other issues of doctrines on which his stand continues to be vindicated as true. He proved from the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit is not God nor is it a person but the active force or power of God by which He operates in men and moves them to make utterances or carry out His purpose in accordance with His own will. God sent it to His prophets of old and it was also given to Jesus Christ at his baptism in Jordan River. 2 Sam. 23:2; Job 32:8: 2 Tim 3:16.17; 2 Pet. 1:20.21; Matt. 3:16,17; Luke 4:16-21, etc.
St. Urhobo exposed the falsehood in the teaching that hell is a place of eternal torment for the wicked and where the devil and all the demons reside. The truth he expounded about hell as the grave, pit or tomb derived from the Hebrew sheol and Greek hades has brought freedom from unnecessary fears and superstitions to many people. Jesus descended into hell though he was not wicked because it is the place of the dead. He expounded that hell-fire as derived from the Greek Gehenna was figuratively used by Jesus Christ to mean the punishment of the wicked who will suffer at his hands before they are destroyed everlastingly from the earth, especially, in the forthcoming “great tribulation” and “battle of the great day of God Almighty”. Gen 37:35; Job 14:13.14; 17:13-16: Ps. 16:10, Acts 2:27: Mark 9:43-48: 2 Thess. 1:7-9, Matt. 24:21: 2 Pet. 3:7; Rev. 16:13,14,16
His exposition that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25, and that Christmas originated from paganism though unpopular initially has gained ground tremendously as true and now accepted by the clergy in Christendom. His position on all the fundamental truths such as Creation, Justice Manifested, Abrahamic Promise, Birth of Christ, Ransom, Resurrection, Mystery Revealed, Our Lord’s Return, Glorification of the Church and Restoration remain genuine and scripturally well founded. When in 1940 the Watchtower Society claimed that the World War II was the battle between the Lamb and the Beast marking the end of the World, Saint G. M Urhobo debunked the claim and explained that, that was not the battle of the great day of God Almighty that would bring this evil world to an end. He remains vindicated till this day. Yes, the world has not ended He predicted the defeat of Germany during World War II and also the destruction of Hitlerism during his public Bible lectures under the headings of:
1. “Germany Under Complete Domination Of Satan Hitlerism foretold in the Bible” (West African Pilot –8/4/40)
2. “Present War Not Armageddon” (Daily Service –7/6/41)
3. “Germany Will Not Win The War” (Daily Service – 20/9/41).
His role as a spiritual watchman of the nation during the nationalistic struggles for the independence of this country was noble and notable it ought not to be neglected by Nigerian Scholars. His lectures on “Freedom for Africa” and so on, were a source of spiritual enlightenment and inspiration. He was totally opposed to violent. revolution as a means of gaining nationhood. That Nigeria attained her independence without violence was a clear vindication of his spiritual insight and stand.
Jesus stated that by their fruits we would know who is and who is not, a true prophet. The facts are abundant to show that St. G. M. Urhobo was and is a rare gem, an apostle chosen of God through Christ in our time for the propagation of the gospel of salvation. To those who want to examine St. Urhobo the answer of Paul the apostle makes good: “Am I not an apostle? (was G. M. Urhobo not an apostle?) am I not free? (was Urhobo not free having resigned from government service?) have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? (did Urhobo not see Jesus in a vision as he declared and as evidenced by his teaching?) If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. (If Urhobo be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless he is to us of GKM and others: for the seal of his apostleship are we in the Lord.) -1 Cor. 9:1.2.
Indeed, it was King David who, in one of his inspirational songs, declared: “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Ps. 112:6) This understanding accounts for the saying of King Solomon in his proverbs, to wit: “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” – Prov. 10.7.
At Bethany when Jesus Christ was in the house of one Simon, a woman as a show of faith poured very precious ointment on his head. Some of his disciples showed resentment to this act which they felt was a waste. But he reacted otherwise to their shame and commended the woman, saying. “Verily I say unto you. wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she had done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” -Mark 14:9.
St. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo through the grace of God handed down and/or passed on so great a wealth of divine knowledge to children of this generation for their benefit that his memory cannot be forgotten. Therefore. it is proper to keep His memory to the glory of God according to the scriptures. And for so doing we shall be blessed. PRAISE THE LORD. AMEN.
May God Almighty keep and prosper you all through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Being full text of the Address of the Archminister. Brother Benjamin O. Tietie, at this year’s St. G. M Urhobo Memorial Thanksgiving Service held at various branches of the Church on Sunday, 28 February. 1999).