The rise and fall of Apollo Quiboloy and other false messiahs

If you’ve never heard of Apollo Quiboloy before, you’re not alone. His name was unfamiliar to me as well before reading a recent article in Christianity Today that chronicled his legacy and arrest on charges of rape, sex trafficking, fraud, and smuggling. What makes his arrest particularly troubling, however, is the legacy he leaves behind as the leader of a cult in which he claimed to be the “Appointed Son of God.” 

Quiboloy started his movement, called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), in 1985. Prior to that, he was a pastor in the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI). His departure was, perhaps, expedited by the fact that the UPCI was already investigating him for false teachings by the time he left. 

His church began with fifteen followers but eventually grew to as many as seven million, as his claims of being a messianic figure and bridge to God proved attractive to the people around him. 

He states that he earned his title as God’s Appointed Son because “he was the first man to have endured all the fiery trials of persecution and hardship and to have overcome them all without breaking his covenant with the Father.” Moreover, he claimed to have broken “the chain of sin by his absolute obedience to the Father’s will.” 

As such, he represented the firstborn and start of Christ’s second coming, which he taught would occur “in millions of sons and daughters of the Father in the Kingdom Nation of God on earth.”

As with many cults, however, his false teachings were not the only way in which he misled and abused his followers.

One of many

In 2021, Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in California after he was accused of forcing the girls he used as personal assistants—some as young as twelve—to have sex with him or risk “eternal damnation.” He also relied upon a network of followers to solicit donations that were used to finance “the lavish lifestyle of KOJC leaders.” Such allegations were hardly unique to the United States, however. 

His crimes were well-known back home, but he was allowed to continue unhindered, largely because he enjoyed the protection of the nation’s former president, Rodrigo Duterte. As such, even after being placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, he continued to preach and build up followers. 

It was not until Duterte stepped down in 2022 that the path was cleared for Quiboloy’s arrest. Yet, even then, it required 2,000 security officers to storm his complex and get past the thousands of followers who had amassed in order to protest his arrest; followers who have not exactly abandoned their leader in the days since. 

And even with Quiboloy in jail, it remains unlikely that circumstances will change in the Philippines anytime soon.

You see, as Beng Alba-Jones notes in the article referenced above, the KOJC is one of many such cults that continues to play an outsized role in Filipino society. And the reason why should serve as a warning to all of us, regardless of where we call home. 

What drives your devotion?

The common thread running through most of the Filipino cults Alba-Jones described is the idea that the best way to relate to God is to go through those who claim to be closer to him than we are. And that impulse is hardly limited to the Philippines.

We see it in the Old Testament when the people wanted to go through Moses rather than relate to God directly (Exodus 20:18–19). We see it in the way priests and rabbis became the undisputed mouthpiece for the Lord by the time of Jesus. And we see it today with the following garnered by many pastors and religious leaders. 

Even in the secular parts of our culture, there are countless examples of musicians, politicians, athletes, and others who garner an almost religious level of devotion among their fans. 

But why is that the case? Why do we seem to insist on following humans rather than God when Jesus came to enable us to go directly to the Father? 

I think at least part of the explanation is that, on some level, most of us recognize that the very idea that we should be able to interact with the omnipotent God of the universe is pretty ridiculous. After all, there is zero reason that you or I should deserve an audience with our perfect creator. As a result, when someone else comes along and offers to serve as the mediator we know we should need, it just makes more sense. 

The problem with that line of thinking is that we don’t get to be the ones to decide who is and isn’t worthy of experiencing a personal relationship with God. Only he gets to make that choice, and he has chosen to extend that invitation to all of us. 

However, accepting that invitation means recognizing that we don’t deserve it. It means making peace with the fact that we have done nothing to earn his favor and can never repay the debt Jesus covered on our behalf. 

In short, it means moving beyond our desire to be God when that impulse has been at the core of our fallen natures from the start (Genesis 3). 

So, the next time you see people fawning over pop stars, politicians, or pastors, remember that the same impulse driving their devotion lives in you as well. It may not manifest in the same way, but our need for God’s help in making sure that he remains the focus of our worship is just as great as theirs. 

Have you sought that help yet today?

Friday news to know:

• Pentagon concerned Israel will soon send troops into Lebanon after the latest bombing
• Kentucky sheriff arrested after shooting judge inside the courthouse
• Shohei Ohtani becomes first MLB player with 50 HR and 50 SB in a season after “greatest baseball game of all time”
• US overdose deaths drop by more than 10 percent over the last year
• On this day in 1973: Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in “Battle of the Sexes”

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Religion operates on the principle of ‘I obey—therefore I am accepted by God.’ The basic operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ—therefore I obey.’” —Tim Keller