An African man identifying himself was forced to run for dear life after nearly drowning while attempting to recreate the Biblical miracle of Moses parting the Red Sea.
In the widely shared video circulating on social media, the self-proclaimed pastor is seen dressed in a flowing white robe and holding a stick resembling the staff associated with Moses in the Bible.
Surrounded by followers gathered along the shoreline, he slowly walked towards the sea while appearing to issue inaudible commands.
At one point, the pastor raised his hands toward the water in an apparent attempt to “part” the sea, echoing the famous Biblical account.
By the shore, his followers remained nearby, with one kneeling and loudly reading passages from the Holy Bible as the man faced the waves.
However, the moment quickly took an unexpected turn.
Huge waves suddenly surged toward the pastor, forcing him to retreat in panic as the water crashed around him.
Unable to continue with the dramatic demonstration, he abandoned the attempt and ran from the shoreline.
The clip quickly sparked reactions online, with social media users responding with a mixture of amusement, criticism and disbelief.
One Facebook user joked: “He started like Moses, but almost ended up Pharaoh.”
Cases involving self-proclaimed prophets performing dramatic public acts or making extraordinary religious claims have become increasingly common in parts of Africa, often drawing widespread debate online.
According to the Biblical account in the Book of Exodus, Moses stretched out his staff over the Red Sea at God’s command as the Israelites fled from Pharaoh’s army.
The waters are said to have parted, creating a dry path for the Israelites to cross safely before crashing back down on the pursuing Egyptian forces.