By Artchil B. Fernandez
Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth, the only ‘begotten’ son of God walked the earth. He preached the “good news” to the people of Israel and his ministry lasted three years. Christian doctrine says his preaching ended when he was crucified and died for the sins of humanity but rose from the dead.
Two thousand years later, Apollo Quiboloy walked the streets of Davao City and proclaimed himself the ‘appointed’ son of God. He built a religious empire based on his claim. No, he is not the ‘begotten’ son of God Quiboloy asserted. The title belongs to Jesus Christ. As the ‘appointed’ son of God, Quiboloy contends he is the modern incarnation of the ‘divine.’ Quiboloy alleged that he has the power to determine who can enter heaven and who is condemned to hell.
There are two ‘sons’ of God, living two thousand years apart. Which one is bona fide and which one is a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Let us contrast them.
Jesus of Nazareth, the ‘begotten’ son of God did his mission literally walking around first century Palestine. He preached the ‘good news’ walking from one village to another. Occasionally he takes a boat when crossing the Sea of Galilee. Most of the time according to gospels’ accounts, Jesus of Nazareth traveled around by walking. He even walked on water if the gospels are to be believed.
In his final days, Jesus of Nazareth did ride a donkey or a colt. It happened during his triumphant entry to Jerusalem which Christians around the world today celebrate as Palm Sunday. The ‘begotten’ son of God remained simple until the end.
Walking is not in the vocabulary of the ‘appointed’ son of God. Apollo Quiboloy went around doing his ‘mission’ in state-of-art travel convenience. He owns a Cessna Citation Sovereign, a private aircraft with a current market value of US $18 million, a Bell 429 helicopter, and a fleet of luxury cars.
The ‘begotten’ son of God was an itinerant preacher. As such he has no permanent place to stay. Jesus of Nazareth had no place of his own. He was dependent on the generosity of supporters who provided him lodging and accommodation.
When a teacher of the law volunteered to be a follower, Jesus of Nazareth told him in Matthew 8:20. “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay His head.”
If the ‘begotten’ son of God did not even own a small hut, the ‘appointed’ son of God is the exact opposite. Apollo Quiboloy owns several mansions and palatial houses in North America alone. Three of these luxurious houses, one in the US and two in Canada – are estimated to be worth a total of $6.10 million (P338 million). In addition to these, two more mansions were discovered to be owned by Quiboloy – the $2.97-million (P165 million) mansion in Las Vegas, Nevada and the property in Hawaii worth $1.76 million (P97.71 million).
The ministry of the ‘begotten’ son of God ended on the cross. This Holy Week, the whole Christendom commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
On the night of Passover, Jesus of Nazareth was arrested. He was put on trial and was sentenced to die by crucifixion. He was accused of blasphemy and giving false testimony by Jewish authorities. Roman authorities charged him with treason and sedition, accused of claiming to be the ‘King of Jews.’ He had a quick trial and was crucified less than a day after his arrest. He did not run away but faced his accusers.
Apollo Quiboloy, the appointed’ son of God is also facing arrest. Presently, two arrest warrants were issued against him and possibly a third non-bailable is looming. The Senate ordered Quiboloy’s arrest for “unduly refusing to appear.” The Senate summoned him several times for a hearing and Quiboloy refused to come. The House also ordered his arrest for the same reason.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) last week filed qualified human trafficking case against Quiboloy before a Pasig City Trial Court. No bail is recommended for him. In Davao City, the DoJ also filed sexual abuse of minors and maltreatment against Quiboloy with recommend a bail of P180,000 for the sexual assault and P80,000 for maltreatment.
In the United States, Quiboloy and eight associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California in 2021. They are accused of sex trafficking by force; fraud and coercion; sex trafficking of children; marriage fraud; fraud and misuse of visas; bulk cash smuggling; promotional money laundering; concealment money laundering; and international promotional money laundering. Arrest warrants were issued against them. Quiboloy is now in hiding, a fugitive from the law.
While the charges against the “begotten’ son of God was religious and political in nature, the accusations against the ‘appointed’ son are purely criminal, particularly sexual crimes, human trafficking, and abuse of minors.
The ‘begotten’ son would pray and bless children and scolded his disciples for turning them away. The ‘appointed’ son on the other is facing serious allegations of molesting and sexually abusing children and cases related to these are filed in court.
Two ‘sons’ of God. The contrast between them is clear. Both are totally opposite of each other. Which one is genuine? Looking at their predicaments, it is not hard to identify the real from the bogus and distinguish the authentic from the fraud.
Two thousand years ago the ‘begotten’ son of God told his followers how to identify false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
