If you haven’t been following the news, you may have missed an earth changing press release that warns of the arrival of the Antichrist for whom Christians believe could be an indication of the “end times.” According to Wikipedia, the Antichrist has to do with those who believe that “he, inspired by Satan, will attempt to win supporters with great works, and will silence anyone or makes enemies of any country that refuses their allegiance”. Well, all I have to say about this is it’s about time. What we need in this world today is a total collapse of religion, so that we can just simply scrap it all and start all over again. So, who is this Antichrist and what is he up to?

According to the Miami New Times, José Luis De Jesus Miranda’s gospel had its beginnings from a Bible-based treatment center for drug-addicted street toughs. Working with people who he struggled to help through the teachings of a repressive religious doctrine, he soon lost faith in conventional churches. “I was getting tired of all the legalism and hypocrisy,” he explains. “I kept thinking, Christianity should be something better.”

Then one day he says he awoke to find himself flanked by two men with stern expressions who told him: “The King of Kings is coming to anoint you.” Before he knew it, he was standing in a luminous marble corridor where an apparition slowly merged with him, and he began to hear a man’s voice in his head. The voice said, “you’re dead to sin; sin can’t reign in your life.”

Over time, and after hearing this voice who influenced him to make many decisions regarding his future with this new belief, Miranda was convinced that he was himself the Antichrist and formed his own ministry in the mid 1980s which is called “God’s Government on Earth”. His church is currently headquartered in a Miami, Florida warehouse and claims that his followers who are mainly Hispanic, are all over the world, mainly in 20 countries primarily Central and South America, as well as the United States.

So, what’s his message? According to Newsweek, De Jesus “counts more than 100,000 followers and claims to reach millions more through a 24-hour TV channel, a radio show and several Web sites” and aims to reach many more who are still languishing in other churches. He and his followers believe poverty, war, and disease exist largely because Catholicism and other religions which have corrupted governments and other institutions. The Creciendo en Gracia (Church of Grace) Website describes ministers of other faiths as “evil and perverse men.” And it makes this promise: “We are going to shut the mouths of those dogs!… We are ready to give our lives for this.” He goes on to say, “I will be president of the biggest government that this earth has experienced. I’m going to change the whole world.”

All About Cults writes that his beliefs in a nutshell are:

The devil, hell, and sin are non-existent, Prayer is a waste of time, and The Ten Commandments (moral or ethical guidelines) are irrelevant.

Why does this appeal to so many people? The answer is simple. There are many people who feel that religion has let them down and that religion makes them feel guilty and ashamed. According to the Miami New Times, one believer, 50-year-old Irini Papahui before discovering Creciendo en Gracia in 1999, sought solace from the Catholic Church, but she felt that its teachings only added to her burden and she was already overwhelmed with a demanding business and a teenage daughter she was raising alone. “They made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of God’s love,” she explains. “I was striving and striving and always falling short.” Eventually she found herself plagued by guilt and stomach problems. Then she discovered De Jesus. “He has given me life, true life, and a happiness that never goes away,” she says.

Perhaps there is a reason that this new charismatic man has arrived on the scene. I have many times proclaimed how religion has brought nothing but destruction and devastation to the planet. But religion is so entrenched and dug in to the cultures of the world, that I really have never seen a way for the world to overcome its influence. Maybe this man is here to simply unburden people from religion and have them see that there is a better way and a better world. He has been the only one that I can think of to encourage his followers to protest other churches and religious gatherings that continue to preach the old messages. I don’t agree with some of his tactics which involve mandatory tithing to his church and fanatical allegiance to one man. But hey, if it allows an alternative to religion and all it does is make people happy and prosperous, I’m all for it. It will be interesting to see where all this goes. I’ll be watching him.