MBOMBELA – One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter, is alive and well right here in the city and he is determined to erect the church that Christ promised to build upon him.

Well, perhaps we should say a man claiming to be St Peter says that God has sent him to the city to claim back his land and rebuild Bethel.

The 57-year-old Soweto-born man, Mr Peter Goieman, living in Mataffin, believes that he died 1 000 years ago and went to heaven, but was born again in 1958 because God had business with him.

“I lived in the era of Jesus Christ and died after writing two books in the Bible, the first and second epistle of Peter, and God said I should come back to fulfill the words Jesus uttered during my walk with Him,” he said referring to a scripture in Matthew 16:18 where Christ said,

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

This is not the first time Goieman has made news in the city.

In 2011 he approached the Department of Health asking for permission to heal HIV/ Aids at Rob Ferreira hospital as he was “directed by God”.

After his offer was turned down by the department because they did not want to put patients’ lives at risk as he did not have qualifications, he went back to Soweto.

Back in Soweto, the calling continued to haunt him and he could not have peace.He then came back and the Spirit of God led him to sit under a mango tree on theBarberton Road next to Tshwane University of Technology.

“While I was sitting in the shade, God told me to face my left side and before I knew it, I was walking up on the mountain where He began to show me Bethel, his city,” Goieman further claims.

He adds that up on the mountain many places that the Bible speaks of were revealed to him by the Spirit of God.

On Monday morning he took journalists on a tour on top of the mountain where he showed them the places which he believes the Spirit of God showed to him – the grave of Deborah, Rebecca (Jacob’s mother) and the rock which Jacob slept on when he had a dream about angels ascending and descending from heaven on a ladder.

He also pointed out a rock which he claims God told him was his altar.

“God will be sitting on that rock when he passes judgement on menin the last day,” he confidently said.

Because of the burning callingto secure the land for God’s people, the visionary went as far as swearing under oath by means of an affidavit stating that God has sent him to build a place where his people will worship him.

He also approached the local municipality about this matter.

“This whole place will be a place of healing, deliverance and people will have an encounter with God on a regular basis,” he told the journalists.

Relating his acquaintance with Jesus, he said it was not easy for him to deny Him on the night he was crucified.

“Saying that I did not know my master was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do, but I do not regret it. I guess it was all part of God’s plan.

It does not matter now. What matters is that I am here and will further fulfil God’s word,” he said adding that all people must know about the place that will soon attract people from all four corners of the world to come and witness miracles in Bethel – The city of God.