For Pastor Temitope Balogun Joshua, it is the end of an era.
But his was not just an era, it was a miraculous one, or one filled with miracles.
Ash has embraced the ash and dust has married dust.
The highly influential cleric popularly known as TB Joshua was buried in Lagos on Friday, July 9, in the same church where he earned fame, and where he brought fame, healing and prosperity onto many of his followers.
Even as his remains have been laid to rest, his neighbours in Ikotun, Lagos, are part of those he positively affected.
The reason is that the huge patronage his church enjoyed has had a great impact on the socio-economy of the area.
No wonder, they are deeply mourning him and pondering the gap his death has created.
True to the name of his church – the Synagogue of All Nations – the church is globally renowned, with TB Joshua attracting thousands of foreigners to the temple.
Many would, indeed, agree that the man, who passed on at the age of 58, was a one-man tourism because he pulled assorted crowds the way many of his contemporaries could not do.
In terms of spiritual inclination, his strength revolved around healing and prophecy.
With the power of miraculous healing he was credited with – well, a lot of his critics would not believe it was real – he was able to bring succour to the lives of many folks.
Within the about 25 years he was in the limelight, his church was where to be for many who needed healing of all kinds.
Many of such visited him after all options had failed – including treatment in good hospitals.
Many yet went there because they could not afford healing in orthodox places, or where the necessary treatment was unavailable.
Many yet visited Joshua when their ailments appeared mysterious.
So enormous was the cause for the cleric that it got to a time that having the opportunity to meet him amounted to a miracle on its own.
Yet, he did his best, healing the old and the young, male and female, residents and foreigners in his characteristics hand and body-driving style.
This writer hopes to be able to, one day, write about a personal experience he had with him in this context.
Yet, the pastor was larger than a healer. He was also a prophet though some of his prophecies failed woefully.
It is, however, very interesting that a lot of people have also attested to the fact that he was a philanthropist.
This is instructive in a clime where many religious leaders are regarded as exploiters.
As TB Joshua thus bids the world good night, one cannot but patiently wait to see what becomes of the church and all his other legacies.
His widow, Evelyn, appears good to do her best to take charge; many are not sure if she has the the kind of anointing that TB Joshua wielded, the type that drove many people to the church: the anointing of miraculous healing.
This, of course, is left for God to decide.
Or perhaps she will flourish with her own different anointing, as the saying goes in Christendom.
TB, Good night. May God accept your soul.
