José Luis de Jesús

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José Luis de Jesús Miranda (b. 1946) is the leader of International Ministry Growing in Grace, Inc. a new religious movement criticized as a cult by cult expert Rick Ross, Daniel Alvarez, professor of religion at Florida International University, and others. Miranda says that he is "Jesus in the flesh" while simultaneously referring to himself as the Antichrist.[1][2][3]

De Jesús believes that his life and teachings supersede those of Jesus of Nazareth, a point which he emphasizes by referring to himself as the Antichrist and by exhibiting a "666" tattoo on his forearm.[4]

Early life

De Jesús grew up in poverty in Puerto Rico. He said that during this period he served stints in prison for petty theft. He was forced to enter a long term residential drug treatment program in New York City. A former heroin addict who claims to have been delivered by the power of God, de Jesús declares to have converted to Christianity while in prison. Immediately following his conversion he became a self-taught student of the Bible. In a recent program on ABC, he told of the experience that led him to become this controversial "messiah": while praying one day, two angels appeared to him and endowed him with the calling of being the second coming of Christ.

Originally declaring himself to be simply a pastor spreading a new doctrine, but always understanding the growth of the ministry (hence the name) and of its members, in 1999, the church declared him as "the Other" who would pave the way for the second coming of Christ. In 2004, the church declared that de Jesus was God himself who had returned in human form just like the Bible said he would. He explains that in [[1973], the resurrected Christ integrated himself within him. He says that he doesn't know why he was chosen. In early 2007, he acknowledged the Antichrist accusations and explained that the term is true and applies because we are no longer supposed to follow Jesus of Nazareth, his mission having concluded with his death on the cross. According to de Jesús, "Antichrist" means "no longer following Christ". Controversy surrounded these declarations due to the lack of education the world currently has in terms of biblical knowledge.[4][5] Most recently, followers have shown their support by getting "666" tattoos on their bodies. Contrary to speculations, de Jesús has not asked or obligated followers to do so. "666", de Jesús explains, is not a sign of the [[devil] (he preaches that the devil was destroyed), but the number of the Antichrist. The Antichrist, he says, is a term he accepts because "we are no longer supposed to follow Jesus of Nazareth, therefore we are antichrists."

De Jesús started International Ministry Growing in Grace, Inc. in the mid-1980s and claims that the ministry has a presence in twenty countries. De Jesús claims to have thirty teaching centers in the United States, including locations in Hartford, Connecticut, and Miami, Florida.

Notes on de Jesús' TV segment

De Jesús has gained attention in Puerto Rico in particular, where his denomination has opened centers in Guaynabo, Arecibo, Yabucoa, Ponce and Hormigueros. He has drawn some public comments from television personalities and has been featured on Puerto Rican media. On November 17, 2006, Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero announced that de Jesús planned a visit to Puerto Rico on December 17th of that year. Said visit took the island by storm. Invited to preach his message on live television, de Jesús arrived in a private jet which caused a huge media frenzy. Univision's Que Suerte show allowed thirty minutes without commercial interruptions to "the Man Christ Jesus" (as de Jesús is called by his followers), causing even more controversy because such uninterrupted airtime has never been allowed to anyone in the history of Puerto Rican television. Much to critics' surprise the show generated the highest ratings of any TV show in the month of December, even surpassing the ratings of the live broadcast of the Latin Grammys in November by a substantial amount of viewers.

De Jesús most recently appeared on K-Eye 42 (CBS affiliate in south Florida) as reported by Ileana Varela on February 22, 2007 and also on a special ABC News Primetime report on March 6, 2007 at 9:00 pm EST.

References

  1. ^ "'Scarborough Country' for August 25". MSNBC. August 28 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "The Man Who Claims To Be Jesus". CBS 4. September 12 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "The Man Who Claims To Be Jesus". CBS 4. September 12 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b "He Calls Himself God". MSNBC. February 5 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Miami Church Brands Members With '666' Tattoos". FOX News. February 24 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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