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.), a movement that teaches the "doctrine of Grace." It is based in Miami, Florida. He claims to be both Jesus Christ returned and the Antichrist, and exhibits a "666" tattoo on his forearm. He has referred to himself as "Jesucristo Hombre " which translates to "The Man Christ Jesus". Creciendo en Gracia has been described as a cult by cult expert Rick Ross, and Freedom of Mind's Steven Hassan.
Early life
De Jesus grew up in poverty in Puerto Rico. He has said that during this period he served stints in prison for petty theft. He became a Pentecostal minister and then a member of the Southern Baptist convention.
Current movement
In 2007 the Dallas Morning News reported that De Jesus "preaches to followers in some 35 nations, mostly in Latin America, and has 287 radio programs and a 24-hour Spanish-language TV network."
De Jesus has gained attention in Puerto Rico in particular, where his denomination has opened centers in Guaynabo, Arecibo, Yabucoa, Ponce and Hormigueros.
In early 2007 he acknowledged others' claims that he was the Antichrist and explained that the term is true. It applies 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 Jesus. According to De Jesus, "Antichrist" means "no longer following Jesus of Nazareth as he lived in the days of his flesh".
Most recently, followers have shown their support by getting "666" tattoos on their bodies. "666", De Jesus explains, is not a sign of the devil (he preaches that the devil was destroyed), but the number of the Antichrist.
De Jesus and his followers celebrate Christmas each year on April 22, as this is the day De Jesus was born and therefore they claim it is the "real" Christmas.
De Jesus appears in the 2008 documentary Religulous .
- List of people who have claimed to be Jesus
References
- ^ a b c "He Calls Himself God". MSNBC. February 5, 2007 . http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16840066/site/newsweek/ . Retrieved 2007-02-22 .
- ^ "'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 . http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_254163721.html . Retrieved 2007-02-22 .
- ^ ""Creciendo en Gracia"". "Rick A. Ross Institute". 2005 . http://www.rickross.com/groups/creciendo.html . Retrieved 2007-04-25 .
- ^ YouTube - Jesus Christ on the Today Show 08/25/06
- ^ NBC on De Jesus - Cult information from cult expert Steve Hassan
- ^ "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". DMN. 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. February 24, 2007 . http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254360,00.html . Retrieved 2007-03-04 .
- ^
- ^ "Jesus Christ Celebrates His Birthday Yesterday on Bissonnet". ]. April 23, 2009 . http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/04/miranda_jesus_christ.php .
External links
- Growing in Grace
- blog de Jesus Cristo homem
- fotolog de Jesus Cristo homem
- Creciendo en Gracia (Spanish)
- Christian Refutation to his claim of being Christ
- Spanish-language evangelical responses to Creciendo en Gracia
- Jose Luis Jesus Miranda - a Christian perspective
- Religion News Blog news tracker on Miranda and his Creciendo en Gracia movement
- Apologetics Index research resources on Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda
- World Directory of Growing in Grace Educational Centers
- Critic of Miranda
- Primetime special about Miranda
- Growing in Grace on Rick Ross's website
- The Man Who Claims to be Jesus by Ileana Varela ("CBS4 News," September 12, 2006)
- MSNBC Article (Article is split into 2 pages)
- CNN.com "Pastor with 666 tattoo claims to be divine."
- ABC.com "Jesus Might Be Alive and Well in Houston."
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