José Luis de Jesús
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José Luis de Jesús Miranda (born April 22, 1946 in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is the founder and leader of Creciendo en Gracia (Growing In Grace International Ministry, Inc.), based in Miami, Florida. He claims to be both Jesus Christ returned and the Antichrist, and exhibits a "666" tattoo on his forearm.[1] He has referred to himself as "Jesucristo Hombre" which translates to "The Man Christ Jesus".[2][3]
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[edit] Early life
De Jesús grew up in poverty in Puerto Rico. He has claimed that during this period he served stints in prison for petty theft.[4] He became a Pentecostal minister and then a member of the Southern Baptist convention.
[edit] Current movement
In 2007 the Dallas Morning News reported that de Jesús "preaches to followers in some 35 nations, mostly in Latin America, and has 287 radio programs and a 24-hour Spanish-language TV network."[5]
De Jesús' broadcasts are received in over 103 countries every Wednesday and Sunday. His broadcasting includes
- Live transmission every Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET through www.CreciendoenGracia.com
- His own Satellite Channel www.TeleGracia.com which is broadcast in 16 countries by over 600 cable companies
- His own Radio Station: www.NetGracia.com
- 355 education centers in 30 nations
- 225 radio programs
- 600 cable companies that transmit TeleGracia
- 300 TV programs
- More than 80 music artists around the world
- People who volunteer as proselytes
In early 2007 he claimed that he was the Antichrist. He states that the term is appropriate because people are no longer to follow the "Jewish teachings" of Jesus of Nazareth, but rather to follow the Apostle Paul's teachings through De Jesús. According to De Jesús, "Antichrist" means "no longer following Jesus of Nazareth as he lived in the days of his flesh".[1][6]
Most recently, followers have shown their support by getting "666" tattoos on their bodies.[7] "666", de Jesús says, is not a sign of the Devil (he preaches that the Devil was destroyed), but the number of the Antichrist. A gallery of followers tattooed with the number of his name, 666, may be seen on his official website.
De Jesús and his followers celebrate Christmas each year on April 22, as this is the day de Jesús was born and therefore they claim it is the "real" Christmas.[8]
He has publicly announced the day of his "transformation", where he will be made immortal just as happened to the body of Jesus of Nazareth. He has announced that as of April 19, 2011 there are 438 days left.[citation needed]
De Jesús appears in the 2008 documentary Religulous where he was subtly mocked by host Bill Maher.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Arian Campo-Flores (2007-10-11). "He Calls Himself God". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2010-05-23. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/42856. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "'Scarborough Country' for August 25". MSNBC. August 28, 2006. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14555889/. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ "The Man Who Claims To Be Jesus". CBS 4. September 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-02-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20070217095944/http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_254163721.html. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ "Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated". local6.com. May 6, 2007. http://www.local6.com/news/13265407/detail.html. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- ^ "Miami-based 'Antichrist' banned from Guatemala". Dallas Morning News. April 22, 2007. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/042207dnrelantichrist.343573a0.html. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ "Miami Church Brands Members With '666' Tattoos". Fox News Channel. February 24, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254360,00.html. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ^ "CNN.com Video". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/02/15/zarrella.man.jesus.cnn. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Jesus Christ Celebrates his Birthday Yesterday on Bissonnet". Houston Press. April 23, 2009. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/04/miranda_jesus_christ.php.
