Apostle John Okoriko, the founder of Solid Rock Kingdom Church in Akwa Ibom State, has advised Nigerian Christians to abandon the tradition of annual religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
Speaking during the church’s monthly interactive service on Sunday at Ukam in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, the revered cleric challenged the long-standing belief that divine presence is tied to a physical location, such as the Holy Land.
Preaching under the theme “Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus – Part 2,” Apostle Okoriko described religious tourism as a misplaced and outdated religious exercise, stating it is often fueled by ignorance rather than genuine spiritual understanding. “God’s presence is not restricted to Jerusalem. It is not limited by geography or culture. It can be experienced anywhere—right here, right now,” he said.
The apostle emphasized that biblical miracles recorded in Israel were temporal manifestations of “heavenly places” relevant to that particular era. According to him, “Those signs were unique to the people of that time. They were not meant to establish a permanent center for spiritual encounters.” He further added, “As we sit here on earth, we are already in heavenly places. You don’t need to travel to the skies or cross borders to access heaven. The earth is God’s footstool—He is everywhere.”
He warned against idolizing Jerusalem as a sacred location, describing the modern city as one plagued by war, bloodshed, and religious strife, far removed from the spiritual ideals many associate with it. “The idea that Jerusalem is still the Holy Land has expired,” Okoriko asserted. “It’s a land now dominated by violence and division. Seeking spiritual relevance there is misguided.”
Highlighting the futility of material souvenirs brought back from pilgrimages, Apostle Okoriko questioned, “Why do people run to Jerusalem to pick up mud, sand, broken stones, and water—items that have absolutely nothing to do with salvation in Christ Jesus?”
He declared that true spirituality and divine communion are not found in symbolic rituals or holy artifacts but in a personal relationship with God through Christ. “Pilgrimage is an exercise in futility because you cannot confine God to a particular place,” he explained. “God is not stationary. He is not located in a temple or a city. He manifests personally to those who seek Him sincerely.”
According to Okoriko, Jesus Christ came to nullify rigid religious structures and rituals, emphasizing spiritual truth over physical symbolism. “When Christ came, He condemned the religious systems of His time. He said, ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words will never pass away.’ That’s where the focus of our faith should be.”
The cleric also challenged the popular notion that heavenly experience is only attainable after death. He insisted that “heavenly places” are not distant destinations, but spiritual realities accessible even amid earthly suffering. “Heaven doesn’t begin when we die. Heavenly places are available to us through faith—sometimes even in our suffering, trials, sicknesses, and the wickedness we face as God’s people.”
He described these spiritual experiences as God’s way of revealing divine insight and information. “Heavenly places are not always about comfort. Sometimes they are about revelation—God letting you know what lies ahead, what your enemies are planning, and how He intends to deliver you.”
Apostle Okoriko concluded that both heaven and hell are not physical destinations but conditions of the soul. He stressed that seeking God through Christ is the only true pathway to spiritual fulfillment—not religious tourism. “Heaven and hell are in our soul. Seeking God in Christ, not in a corrupted physical city, is what brings us closer to truth. The Lord will give us a new Jerusalem, not this current one tainted by human conflict.”