Bishop (Dr.) Tony Anthony, the General Overseer of Radiant Army Deliverance Ministry International, Ogba, Lagos, expresses gratitude to God as the powerful prophetic church celebrates Sunday November 30, 2025, her 20th anniversary with declaration of Excess Wealth as theme of the celebration. The widely traveled prophet shares with Christian Benefits the big strides of the church in two decades. Excerpts
How do you feel about Radiant Army Deliverance Ministry clocking 20 years?
It’s been awesome because there are many people that started as we did. Some have passed. Some have left ministry. That we are still alive and in ministry with awesome testimonies these two decades is a sign that the hand of God is upon us.
What are you most grateful to God for the church’s celebration of two decades of existence?
As I earlier said I’m grateful to God that the ministry is still on; even when I left the church for three years on missionary engagements to the United States of America (USA). For a pastor to leave his ministry for three years can be suicidal because many of the church members could have left the church before his return. While I was away for three years in the U.S our members continued because they are rooted in the word. They believed God was still here even in my absence. So, I’m grateful to God that the fruits remain till now.
Radiant Army Deliverance Ministry is very popular today. Behind the glory are stories about its humble beginning. Tell us about the humble beginning of the ministry.
Actually starting this ministry two decades ago was not easy. I grew up serving the Lord living with missionaries. I’m a Catholic by birth. I was supposed to be a Catholic priest. I had four months left to be consecrated a priest when I lost my dad. My parents trusted God for a child for about ten years. They had dedicated me to the Lord before I was born. When my dad passed, I had to leave Catholic because, before he passed he told me I should not allow what killed him to kill me, and gave me a prayer request. None in my family ever clocked 40 before they died until I broke the yoke when I clocked 40. I clocked 50 this year 2025. I had to fight what was killing them so that I would not die like them. And the only way was to leave the Catholic seminary. Aside that, being a Catholic priest means I wouldn’t have married and had children and my family lineage will be closed forever. That was how I decided to join the Pentecostal way of ministry, and this is how far the Lord has brought us in 20 years.
What’s the specific mandate of Radiant Army Deliverance Ministry?
God gave me the ministry of raising a new generational champion to which nothing shall be impossible. That’s why when you come to my ministry you will see people who were hitherto struggling with life fulfilling their purpose. I ensure they fulfill purpose in all spheres of life. That vision has been working for me because I’m focused on it. I don’t allow things to distract me by looking for the mighty. I started the ministry not collecting tithes and offering from the people. I ministered to the people and allowed them leave without giving offering from them. Several fellow ministers insulted me for running ministry without collecting tithes and offering. Today, we have changed the pattern after acquiring the spiritual knowledge and understanding of tithes and offering. Also, until recently mosst times waited in church all day after every serving counseling and praying for people. Everyone wants to see the prophet personally for counseling or prayer. Sometimes, I would be in church from 9am counseling and praying for people till 10pm such that I often denied mama; my beautiful wife and lovely children enough time and attention. We have changed that pattern too. We now give people tags and strictly on appointment to see the prophet, so that can have time to rest and for my wife and children at home.
What are some of the giftdvthat God endowed you for the ministry?
The gift that’s making us run smoothly is the prophetic gifting with very deep insights. I’m not just a prophet. I’m a revelational man. We give precise concise prophecies. There are now charlatans messing up the prophetic ministry. The prophetic ministry comes with criticism and envy. Aside the prophetic gifting, God also gifted me with the Rhema; the Word. I’m a sound teacher of the Word of God.
How do you combine both your prophetic and teaching ministries effectively?
I’m a teaching prophet. It’s God’s grace. There are times I make up my mind to prophesy but end up teaching the word. I draw strength from the word. I don’t struggle with the prophetic. It comes and I flow in that dimension. Some people have the gift of the prophetic and it’s a normal gift. The Bible says the gift of God is without repentance. There are preachers living a very dirty lifestyle and still prophesy. If I mistakenly fall into sin, it grieves me. As human each time I fall into sin I have to quickly go back to God to amend and reconcile before the gift will come back. I draw my gift from God’s righteousness not just because it’s a gift.
Please, share with us some of your church’s special programmes where God impacts lives, backing it with some testimonies
All our church programmes are special because God wrought wonderful miracles with awesome testimonies in all our programmes. The testimonies are numerous. There’s one particular programme that a certain young man attended with a tumor in his stomach. I was seeing death all over him. He wasn’t breathing well. I saw him as someone who is already gone. I told the family that brought him that they should carry him away that he is gone. But the man said, prophet, I watched you on MITV. Just pray for me and I will be healed. Tears started rolling down my eyes. I went close to him and prayed that God’s will be done; not a prayer that he should recover. When he returned home, he threw up, vomited and the tummy went down. He had carried the bloated tummy for a year and four months. They rushed him back to church after making the videos of his divine miracle of healing after attending our programme. I went to the altar and started shedding tears. The man is now sowing seeds into my life. My travelling to France was through that man. Personally, I didn’t believe in the prayer I prayed for him. I just prayed just to know that I prayed, and God took the glory. Nine dead have been raised back to life in our programmes but because of what’s happening on the social media, we stopped showcasing the testimonies of wonderful miracles God is performing in all our programmes. There are things you will show that some people would come after you and say that it’s fake. One of the dead that came back to life was a Muslim. I went visiting someone in a compound and sawa corpse being carried out for burial. I told the bereaved I’m a pastor. God is leading me to pray for the deceased. To my surprise, the Alfa leading the burial rites did not push me away. As I prayed for the deceased lady she sneezed back to life. She was confirmed dead eight hours before my prayer. Even if I develop amnesia, I can never forget this particular testimony. Right there, the people gave me offering. The imams knelt down before me and I prayed for them.
To what will you attribute the fast growth of Radiant Army Deliverance Ministry where it was barely 10 years?
I started the ministry like a blind person. I was trained by missionaries. Then, we weren’t having Sunday service. It was just Thursdays and Saturdays fellowship meetings. Then, I didn’t have enough knowledge of what ministry is all about. The crowd started gathering, and for two years of my ministry, I didn’t take offering or tithes because I wasn’t trained in that way. It was during this period I travelled to Malaysia and obtained a diploma in ministry. I also did some certificate courses at Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI). I did further courses at United Pentecostal Universiry, Ojodu. That was when I started teaching people about giving. I had met great people when I started; where people brought money and I’d tell them that the Lord said I shouldn’t collect. After then, people started giving. That’s where the speed came. Some people stole from me. We got a piece of land and had a crisis on it. At a point the church was locked by some people for shouting fire and we were all over the newspapers. Some of our members were arrested. We bought another landed property without properly checking the documents. A particular family came to claim owernership of the land. I spent over N50million in 15 years ago on that land dispute. When we relocated to our present site, we wanted to build good structures, but the terrain wasn’t good. It kept sinking. It’s supposed to be two stories, we did an underground.
Have you at anytime considered quitting during these last 20 years?
Several times and even till now. Ministry is not easy, especially when you do not have many kingdom partners. When you don’t have enough resources, the anointing can turn to annoyance. It’s sweet when you are not frustrated. Last year, I travelled and vowed not to come back again, and the Lord told me to come back. Those days I needed to travel to the U.S so that I could obtain the American green card. So, wanting to quit the ministry due to diverse challenges and ministry pressure or demands, has always been there.
So what has been holding you back from quitting the ministry these 20 years?
It’s God’s grace and mercy. I cannot manipulate prophecies so that you will know I’m a prophet. I don’t need the validation of people because God already knows. In times of internal challenges, the voice will come and remind me of the covenant I have with God. When I hear that voice, I change my mind. I’ve had a situation I raised 15 pastors and in one day, they ganged up and left the church. I was the one that paid their rents, placed them on constant allowances. I travelled and came back to meet an empty place. That alone made me to almost quit, but for the grace and mercy of God. I was away from the church for some time recently. On my return we had to stop our mid-week service. That’s why our Sunday service now closes late. At times we stay till 7pm or 8pm on Sunday, and nobody would go. This started affecting my health, having to stand all through without taking food or water. I thank that God we have now strategized.
Share with us about your international breakthrough into United States
I travel a lot to several other countries but the major place I go frequently is United States because I’m now an American citizen. This has been helpful to a very certain level. Our American ministry (branch) is not like our Nigerian ministry. Most people in America don’t see me physically. They join our meetings online or through the social media. Most of them are Africans. Most time I’m here in Nigeria they join us online. We are planning a massive crusade next year 2026 by the grace of God. We are giving that plan a very serious attention.
If Christ tarries for the next 5 years, the ministry will clock silver jubilee. What are your expectations?
I have always prayed for growth. Whatever God plants grows. The Bible says as the river started growing, it supplied water to four lands, which includes the Havila. If God is not there, it cannot grow. The important thing is that are you fulfilled in the work God gave you. There are some very sick churches. Every man of God that is empty, knows that he’s empty. When it’s God, you don’t struggle.
