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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. “They wanted to do it,” Ms. Rosado, 45, said at the St. Catharines tattoo parlour where her daughters were inked. “But now it’s more important because we’re counting down… I’m so proud.” For this family, and other members of Growing in Grace International, these tattoos are a way of demonstrating their faith as true believers of Jose de Luis de Jesus — who they fervently believe is the second coming of Jesus Christ — before a day of reckoning they believe will wipe out most of humanity.
Usually, Mr. de Jesus addresses his followers during the tracings. But on April 22, his 66th birthday, he gave his last speech before retreating from public view. In a video posted on YouTube and on their website, cegenglish.com, Mr. de Jesus called for his followers to enter into the final countdown until, he says, their government will come into power. “A government where we will govern everything with a perfect order. This is my last farewell for you. The time is finished… We will see each other soon in Armageddon.” Dr. Lorne Dawson, a University of Waterloo sociologist and religious studies professor who specializes in new religious movements, says that when a religious group sets a deadline, it is a sign that the “movement is starting to run into trouble.”
The tattoo also announces that the apocalyptic beast that John saw was in reality the Man Christ Jesus in his second coming with the seal of man, 666. Because, in the same manner that he came as man in the first manifestation (Jesus of Nazareth), he does it in his second manifestation, to judge all things according to Paul’s gospel (Romans 2:16) and to remove the apostasy that oppresses, impoverishes, and saddens the church. That is how the beast wars against the saints and overcomes its ignorance: by preaching. (Revelation 13:7)
Originally posted by DarkKnight21
Taken to an extreme, this is what happens when people consult their pastor before they consult their Bible. It's tough to have sympathy for these people when they've willingly put themselves back into the Dark Ages.