Church of God News

Artist Depiction of 666

COGwriter

Another group, Growing in Grace International (GGI), is soon to be proven wrong about its misunderstanding of prophecy:

ST. CATHARINES, ONT. — Doris Rosado watches her teenage daughters, Ninette and Kiara Mongrut, get the numbers “666” tattooed on their wrists, beaming with pride. The number typically conjures up biblical symbolism tied to the Antichrist, but this St. Catharines, Ont., family belongs to a obscure Christian sect for which “666” is a positive symbol of their group’s messianic leader…

The group, which they say has branches in five Canadian cities and members in more than 130 countries, believes that on June 30 (or July 1 across the international dateline), their Texas-based leader and his followers will be transformed, said Alex Poessy, the group’s bishop in Canada.

To spread the word, Growing in Grace put up billboards in Toronto this week featuring Mr. de Jesus.

“That day, the body of Jose de Luis de Jesus, who is a human like you and me, his flesh is going to be immortal…. He’s going to be living forever. And that will happen to him, but also his followers.”

But Mr. de Jesus also predicts that the “transformation” will endow him, and his loyal followers, with superpowers, such as the ability to fly and walk through walls, said Axel Cooley, the bishop’s daughter...“The world’s not going to end. What is going to end is the system…. All the governments and the currencies will fall. The new government of the 666 will take over,” she said.

The group’s billboards feature a picture of Mr. de Jesus, with such messages as “666, number of wisdom” or “Countdown to the transformation June 30, 2012.”

(‘The time is finished’: Religious sect erects billboards in Toronto ahead of the ‘transformation.’ National Post, Ontario – May 1, 2012.  http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/05/01/the-time-is-finished-religious-sect-erects-billboards-in-toronto-ahead-of-the-transformation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NP_Top_Stories+(National+Post+-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Googl)

The above group (despite the similar name, it should not to be confused with the former Tkach-WCG that became Grace Communion International) also believes that there is no sin (contrary to many scriptures such as 1 John 3:4, though GGI claims one it that misunderstands {Hebrews 9:26} supports their position) and this is sometimes shown on billboards it has around Canada and elsewhere.

According to the Bible, the representation of 666 is NOT a positive symbol and is not one that any real Christian would want to be marked with:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.   18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.   (Revelation 13:16-18)

2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  (Revelation 16:2)

2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.  (Revelation 15:2)

Members of GGI are also tattooing themselves with 666 as a show of affirmation in their beliefs.  Of course, since the Bible warns not only against 666, also against the tattooing of human flesh in Leviticus 19:28, apparently the group members who do this do not believe that any of this is applicable to them.

The reality is that there is no way that these people will be transformed to walk through walls, etc. as they say they will be.  Nor is it possible for the Great Tribulation to begin in less than 60 days.

Without going into all the details, the 1335 days of Daniel 12 would have already have had to start by now, and it has not.  There would need to be a King of the North and a King of the South by now, and there is not.  There are simply too many events that have to happen, some of which are too late for the Great Tribulation to begin on July 1, 2012.

CGPFKG’s Ronald Weinland, who claims that the Great Tribulation began on December 14, 2008 and that Jesus will return on May 27, 2012, is also wrong.  And James Malm, who has put the probability of the Great Tribulation beginning in 2012 at around 70-80% (depending on the pope’s health), is also wrong, as the Great Tribulation cannot begin in 2012.

Of course, the Great Tribulation will come and the establishment of the “666 government” will happen.  But not before at least 2016 or later (though, of course, the main leaders would be expected to currently be alive).   Sadly, the USA and its Anglo-allies do not want to obey God’s commandments and they will experience the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), and it will likely have other “troubles” before then (cf. Mark 13:5-8).

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 am and is filed under Prophecy, Religious News.

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