The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has shared a lighthearted personal experience in which he once mistakenly believed the rapture had occurred, using the story to emphasise the importance of resolving marital disagreements before bedtime.
Speaking during the May 2026 Holy Ghost Service at Redemption City, the respected cleric used the moment to counsel couples on the need for peace and unity in marriage, stressing that no one knows when the rapture will take place.
He recalled a time during a visit to the United States when he woke up at night and could not find his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye, beside him. At first, he assumed she had simply gone to the toilet, but after checking different parts of the house and not finding her, panic set in.
“I woke up, looked to my side, and my wife wasn’t there. I thought she had gone to the toilet,” he said.
He went on to describe how he checked the ensuite bathroom, another toilet in the living area, and even the sitting room door, only to find nothing.
“I went to the sitting room because there’s another toilet there. The toilet there was empty, so I used it. Then I came back, and my wife was still not in bed. Ah, what is she doing? So I went to the toilet in the bedroom, and she was not there. I went back to the living room, and I checked the door. The door was locked from the inside. Ah.”
At that point, he admitted he became very frightened.
“I sat on the bed, and I was trembling,” the cleric confessed.
“In the cold air-conditioned room, I was sweating. Oh, God, you mean she’s gone, and I’m left behind. Almighty God, what have I done? Why have you left me behind?” he said.
He later explained that the fear only lasted until he realised, through what he described as a reminder from the Holy Spirit, that his wife had not travelled with him on that particular trip.
“Thank God for the Holy Spirit. When all of a sudden I remember on that particular trip, she didn’t come with me,” he said.
Using the story as a lesson, Adeboye urged couples to avoid going to bed with unresolved issues, linking it to biblical teachings about reconciliation and readiness for the end times.
“That is one of the reasons why I don’t go to bed with any unresolved issue between my wife and me,” he explained. “I don’t want God to come and take her away and leave me on the bed.”
He further advised: “The sun must not go down on your wrath,” encouraging couples to settle disputes quickly.
He also shared that his nightly prayer includes a plea for readiness in case of Christ’s return.
“The last prayer I pray every night is: ‘Lord, if you return before tomorrow morning, don’t leave us behind.’”
Adeboye, who has been married since 1967, said his marriage remains peaceful because he prioritises reconciliation, adding that they never sleep with unresolved conflict.
