Outlawed 'Antichrist' Leader Vows to Attend Guatemala Rally

Guatemala has closed its borders to the "Antichrist," but the Florida-based religious leader has vowed to go ahead with plans to attend a rally here this month, his group's spokeswoman said Thursday.

Nothing can stop Growing in Grace church leader Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, said Axel Poessy, the group's spokeswoman in Guatemala.

"We're not dealing with a regular man," she said. "He's god himself. If he says something is happening, it happens."

Later she added: "Angels will open the door," though she did not say how he planned to get into the country.

De Jesus, whose church is based in Doral, Florida, told followers during his weekly sermon transmitted via Internet late Wednesday that "those who have made plans to see me, don't cancel anything because I'm going to be there."

Guatemalan immigration chief Santos Chuc announced earlier this week that the government had decided to bar De Jesus because of "problems that have occurred in countries where he has been," apparently referring to videos showing his followers attacking Christian symbols and images.

The governments of El Salvador and Honduras also recently declined to let him enter their territory, and Nicaraguan Roman Catholic and evangelical leaders on Monday urged that country to bar him, saying his visit could "create tensions."

His followers here warned that the decision to keep out what they call "a living god" could have grave consequences.

Over the weekend, Guatemala City authorities prohibited a march by his followers, many of whom have tattooed their arms with the numbers '666.' About 100 people gathered for a small meeting despite the ban, and police did not intervene.

The group says it has about a dozen offices and 2,500 followers in Guatemala.

De Jesus has claimed to be Jesus and more recently declared himself the Antichrist, based on his belief that his life and teachings have superseded those of Jesus of Nazareth. Members say the use of "666" does not mean they are Satanists, but reflects their leader's belief that he has replaced Christ's teachings.

The number 666 appears in the Book of Revelation, a portion of the New Testament that details the prophet John's apocalyptic vision of the rise of the Antichrist, the tribulation and Christ's return.