False Prophet Identified

"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." -Matthew 24:23-25

Take a good look at the picture on the right - this is exactly what Jesus warned us about. This is a false prophet. This is a false Christ. Sounds crazy?

Meet Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, a pastor in Miami who claims to be Jesus Christ incarnate. And he has the number 666 tattooed on his arm. Now that's odd. And the scary thing is that a lot of people believe him.

De Jesus preaches that there is no devil and no sin. I don't know what Bible he's preaching from, but the New International Version has a combined 466 specific references to "devil" and "sin," as well as 46 references to "Satan." And that's not including other references to the devil including "serpent," "beast," "evil one," etc. That's a lot of references to something that doesn't exist (did you know that cats are not mentioned in the Bible? yet they exist!).

Satan is the Great Deceiver, and perhaps the biggest lie he perpetrates is that he doesn't exist. Trust me, he does.

But wait, it gets even more twisted. Not only does De Jesus claim to be Christ incarnate, but also the antichrist! How can he be both?

Then there's the matter of the "666" tattooed on his arm. While the number 666 is associated with the devil, De Jesus claims it's all just a misunderstanding. Well, let's see. Revelation 13:18 states: "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast [the devil], for it is man's number. His number is 666." Sorry, there's no mistake about this verse; 666 is associated with Satan. Unfortunately, De Jesus' followers do not have the wisdom to discern that. In fact, De Jesus thinks the antichrist is a great guy.

De Jesus also preaches, "The Antichrist is not the devil; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth." True. The Antichrist is not the devil. 2 John 1:7 says, "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he was not replaced by deceivers. The work of Christ was placed in the hands, feet, mouths, and hearts of his followers. Nor did Jesus leave us in a spiritual vacuum after he left, for he promised us in John 14:26 : "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

De Jesus - I wonder if that's his real name, or one he concocted to ease his deceit? But one thing is sure - he is an antichrist in the true definition. He shmoozes his congregation along the path of evil. They hear what they want to hear. He exploits their ignorance. By telling them there is no devil and no sin, they have no God to fear. In the end, he will only lead them - and himself - to destruction.

How do they allow this to happen to themselves? How do they allow this inherently evil man to control their very souls? Quite simple. They don't know their Bible. And Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda knows this.

If you wish, check out the full story on CNN.

Meanwhile, I close with this passage: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

In other words, get into the Word, my friends. The Bible is your best protection against scheisters like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Joseph Smith, and Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda.

Keep watch, my brethren. Be vigilant.