Pastor E.A Adeboye, General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, has recounted a personal experience he describes as a “rapture scare,” advising couples not to go to bed with unresolved misunderstandings.
The clergyman spoke during the May 2026 Holy Ghost Service in Redemption City, reminding Christians that no one knows when the rapture would occur.
While speaking to members of the church, Adeboye described how he grew terrified during a trip to the United States after waking up in the middle of the night and not seeing his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye, beside him.
According to him, the encounter began with a seemingly normal setting.
“I woke up, looked to my side, and my wife wasn’t there. I thought she had gone to the toilet,” he said.
The pastor described how, after some while, he started to look about the flat but was unable to locate her.
“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.”
He revealed that the worry persisted until he abruptly recalled something crucial.
“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, drawing laughter from the congregation.
Adeboye used the incident to impart a valuable lesson, advising married couples not to let resentment or unsolved conflicts linger overnight.
Referring to the biblical teaching about the rapture, he said:
“That is one of the reasons why I don’t go to bed with any unresolved issue between my wife and me. I don’t want God to come and take her away and leave me on the bed.”
The cleric, who has been married since 1967, continued, “Peace and reconciliation have remained part of his marriage over the years.”
“Under no circumstance will I go to bed without settling with my wife,” he stated.
“The sun must not go down on your wrath.”
He also disclosed the prayer he says before going to bed each night.
“Ask members of my family,” he said. “They will tell you the last prayer I pray every night is: ‘Lord, if you return before tomorrow morning, don’t leave us behind.’”