-
IX. The “apparitions of Mary”.
1. The “apparitions of Mary” – a foundation of faith for many
Catholics.
The alleged apparitions of Mary are for many Catholics an
important foundation of their belief in the authority and teaching
of the Catholic church, since they seem to provide a supernatural
proof of both this authority and the Catholic teachings.
Many of the so called “apparitions” – both of Mary and all other
“saints” – are made up stories and legends, a great part of which
could have originated from someone presenting as a fact something
thatthey saw in their imagination – and someone else believing such
an account. This phenomenon has been present for millennia.
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Do not listen to the words of
the prophets who are prophesying to you.They are leading you into
futility;They speak a vision of their own imagination,Not from the
mouth of the Lord.”Jeremiah 23:16 NASB
1 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man,
prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to
those who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word
of the Lord! 3 Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the foolish prophets
who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing. 4 O
Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins. 5 You have
not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around
the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.
6 They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord
declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yetthey hope for the
fulfillment of their word. 7 Did you not see a false vision and
speak a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it
is not I who have spoken?”’”Ezekiel 13:1-7 NASB
Accounts of this sort gather momentum and spread quickly,
frequently achieving in the eyes of many the status of real events
despite being devoid of any basis.1
It does seem, however, that at least some of the so called
“apparitions of Mary” could have really been supernatural
events.
2. The origin of supernatural events.
2.1. Miracles performed by the power of Satan.
The fact that a certain “apparition” or other miracle was a
supernatural event does not mean that it originated from God. In
the scripture we have numerous examples of miracles wrought by the
power of Satan, for example by Pharaoh’s magicians.
10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as
the Lord had commanded;and Aaron threw his staff down before
Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh
also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the
magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12 For
each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But
Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.Exodus 7:10-12 NASB
20 So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he
lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in
the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the
water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.21 The fish that
were in the Nile
1 We observe the same mechanism in the case of false, unverified
gossip.
1
-
died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not
drink water from the Nile. Andthe blood was through all the land of
Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret
arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to
them, as the Lordhad said.Exodus 7:20-22 NASB
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him,
‘Thus says the Lord, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2
But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole
territory with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will
come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your
bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and
into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4 So the frogs will
come up on you and your people and all your servants.”’” 5 Then the
Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your
staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools, and
make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron stretched out
his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and
covered the land of Egypt. 7 The magicians didthe same with their
secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.2Exodus
8:1-7 NASB
Jesus warns against the coming of false messiahs and false
prophets during the time of the tribulation who “will shown great
signs and wonders”.
21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not
occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would havebeen
saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or
‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false
prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to
mislead, if possible, even the elect.Matthew 24:21-24 NASB (also
Mark 13:19-22)
Paul refers to the same events in 2 Thessalonians.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who
now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then
that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the
breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His
coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the
activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10
and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be
saved.2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 NASB
It is exactly these events that John describes in the book of
Revelation. The time of the tribulation which will precede Christ’s
second coming will be a time of miracles never so far witnessed by
the world. Supernatural events will be taking place as the
Antichrist – the Beast – becomes the world rulerand miracles will
be performed by his false prophet. The Antichrist will seem to have
been mortally wounded, but the wound will be healed which will
cause the whole world to marvel.
1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.Then I saw a
beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads,
and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were
blasphemous names.2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard,
and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the
mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne
and great authority. 3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been
slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was
amazed and followed after the beast;Revelation 13:1-3 NASB
2 We should note that despite the Egyptian sorcerers being able
to turn the water into blood and make the frogs come up to the
land, they were, contrary to Moses, unable to cleanse the water and
remove the frogs. There were other miracles they did not have the
ability to perform (such as bringing forth the gnats – Exodus
8:18).
2
-
His false prophet will on the other hand perform signs and
wonders that will cause almost the whole world to follow the
Antichrist.
1 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he
had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. 12 He exercises
all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes
the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast,
whose fatal wound washealed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he
even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the
presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth
because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the
presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make
an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come
to life. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of
the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and
cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be
killed.Revelation 13:11-15 NASB
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who
performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who
had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his
image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which
burns with brimstone.Revelation 19:20 NASB
Thus both the Old and the New Testament teach us that the fact
that a certain phenomenon is supernatural by no means guarantees
that it comes from God.
The same refers to the miraculous healings which have allegedly
been taking place at various places of cult. In those cases where a
healing that is difficult to explain in medical terms could really
have taken place (and we should bear in mind that if such cases can
be established with certainty at all, their number is scarce
compared to all the cases which are attributed to supernatural
causes), we should by no means assume that we are dealing with a
work of God.
We know that the devil can cause illness (Luke 13:10-17) and so
he is also able to reverse it, if it shouldserve his cause. Let us
imagine a situation where a person is suffering from an illness
caused by demon X. Another person comes who works under the
influence of demon Y. Demons X and Y are cooperating. In order to
deceive a group of people observing these events, on a request made
by demon Y, demon X leaves the person whose illness he caused and
the illness goes away. Those observing see a supernatural removal
of illness and ascribe it to God, but in reality it is a result of
demonic cooperation. Having been deceived they are now ready to
accept false teachings from the person acting under the influence
of demon Y, since a false miracle has established their authority
(I am indebted to Curtis Omo from the Bible Academy ministry –
http://www.bibleacademyonline.com/omo/ – for explaining this
mechanism of a demonic manoeuvre).
2.2. Supernatural phenomena – a test of faithfulness.
Supernatural phenomena – miracles and apparitions – can thus be
of demonic origin and consequently they constitute a test of
faithfulness to God. In the book of Deuteronomy God warns
Israel:
1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and
gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes
true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after
other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you
shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of
dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall
keep His commandments, listen toHis voice, serve Him, and cling to
Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to
death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God
who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the
house of slavery, to seduce you from
3
http://www.bibleacademyonline.com/omo/
-
the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you
shall purge the evil from among you.Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NASB
It was hence possible that a false prophet or a dreamer would
give a sign or wonder which would reallytake place and yet he was
not to be heeded if he should call the people to follow other gods.
God has assigned to Satan his sphere of activity within which he is
allowed to operate and he is using all the means at his disposal –
including supernatural phenomena – to draw humanity away from God.
We, on the other hand, are exercising our free will choice – more
important than any other choice – to follow God or Satan.
A supernatural phenomenon of satanic origin is consequently an
opportunity for us to make a choice. Whether we accept it and its
message or reject it shows if we love God.
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out
if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul.Deuteronomy 13:3 NASB
And if we follow Him by observing His Word.
4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall
keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to
Him.Deuteronomy 13:4 NASB
2.3. The truth of the Word of God – the only criterion of
verification of the source of a supernatural phenomenon.
As Deuteronomy 13:4 clearly states, the criterion for
verification of the source of a given supernatural phenomenon is
the truth of the Word of God. Satan, his demons and some of those
who serve them have the power to perform miracles and the purpose
of these miracles is to “mislead” (Matthew 24:24)and to lead into
error those who do not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Thus
it is faithfulness to God and following His truth – the inspired
Word of God (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160; James 1:18; 2 Timothy 3:16;
2 Peter 1:20-21; cf. Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:15) – that
protects us from following a lie, even if it should be backed up by
a miracle.
Thus the only criterion to verify the divine origin of an
apparition or revelation is its agreement with the Word of God. The
content of a revelation that comes from God cannot contradict His
Word.3 Quitethe contrary – an authentic revelation must be in
harmony with the Bible and confirm its teaching.4
Apparitions and revelations which could really have been
supernatural events but the teaching of which contradicts the Word
of God cannot come from God. They must consequently come from
another source which means that they are of demonic origin. We know
that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers,
disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.2 Corinthians 11:13-14
NASB
Lies and deception have been his main methods from the beginning
of history and they still remain such.
3 For example according to the Muslims Muhammad also received
numerous revelations, but their teaching which has been preserved
in the Quran directly contradicts the Bible. The same God cannot be
the author of revelations and scriptures that contradict each
other.
4 Just as the miracles that Christ performed testified to the
truth of His teaching and His divine nature which was their purpose
(this is also the reason John calls them “signs” – John 2:11, 2:23,
3:2, 4:54, 6:26, etc.).
4
-
2.4. Scripture forbids necromancy.
Finally we should remember that the scripture forbids seeking
contact with the dead.
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son
or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one
who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a
sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is
detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the
Lord your God will drive them out before you.Deuteronomy 18:10-12
NASB
19 When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists
who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God?
Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19
NASB
God who forbids anything to do with necromancy would not choose
the dead as a medium to communicate with us and the same principle
applies to Mary. Jesus Christ, who appeared several times after His
death (Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1:1-8, 9:1-19), is an
exception.5 He, however, contrary to the rest of the human race
including Mary, is firstly the God-man and could haveonly died in
His human nature since as God He is eternal. Secondly, Christ is
the only one who has already risen from the dead and is in His new,
resurrection body in which He has also returned to His divine glory
that He gave up for the time of His earthly ministry (1 Corinthians
15:20-24; John 17:5; see chapter V, point 3, analysis of paragraph
34). Believers will not be resurrected until His second coming (1
Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; see chapter V, point 3,
analysis of paragraph 34).
3. Fatima apparitions.
Over the centuries there have been numerous alleged
“apparitions” of Mary and other Catholic “saints”. However, only
those officially approved by the Catholic church whose content has
been preserved should be used to verify whether Marian apparitions
accord with the scripture or not. Thesecriteria are met by the
Fatima apparitions and they will be analysed.
Fatima apparitions are among the most renowned in the Catholic
Church. The popes, together with the entire Catholic hierarchy,
have been referring to them on numerous occasions in their
teachings and Fatima has become of the main destinations of
pilgrimage for Catholics from around the world.
Fatima apparitions took place between the spring/summer 1916
(including the apparitions of the „angel of Portugal”) and the 13th
of October 1917, when the last apparition occurred. The account of
these apparitions has been related by sister Lucia who was the
witness of the apparitions. The authenticity of this account has
been officially approved by the Catholic church and is available on
the official website of the Fatima apparitions –
https://fatima.org/about/fatima-the-facts/.6 Quoted below are the
utterances of the angel and the woman who appeared to the children.
The messages from the underlined fragments of these have been
compared to the teaching of the Word of God.
3.1. Apparitions of the “angel of Portugal”.
5 We can consider Moses and Elijah who appeared to Jesus at the
mount of transfiguration as unique exceptions as well (Matthew
17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). Transfiguration foreshadowed
Christ’s second coming in glory and the events preceding it when
Moses and Elijah will appear again at the time of the tribulation
(Revelation 11:1-13), for which purpose they have been taken to the
Lord (cf. 2 Kings 2:1-11). Saul asking the woman who was a medium
to conjure up Samuel (1 Samuel 28) was a biblically illegitimate
activity (Leviticus 19:31).
6 Since it is the analysis of the content of the apparitions
that is necessary to establish their origin, the descriptions of
the phenomena which allegedly accompanied the apparitions –
subjective and frequently elevated and exaggerated – have largely
been omitted.
5
https://fatima.org/about/fatima-the-facts/
-
3.1.1. The first apparition of the angel – spring 1916.
In the spring of 1916, three young Portuguese shepherds, Lucy
dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, led their
sheep to graze on a hill called the Cabeço. Rain began to fall, so
the children found a place on the hillside to serve as a shelter.
Even after the rain had passed and the sun had returned, the little
shepherds spent the day at this spot, eating lunch, saying the
Rosary and playing games. Lucy was then only nine years old,
Francisco was eight, and Jacinta was six.
As they were playing, a strong wind suddenly blew, shaking the
trees, and the children saw a figure approaching above the olive
trees. Lucy described the figure as having “the appearance of a
young man of fourteen or fifteen, whiter than snow, which the sun
rendered transparent as if it were of crystal, and of great beauty.
We were surprised and half absorbed. We did not say a word.
While coming closer to us, the Angel said:
Angel: “Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”
And kneeling on the earth, he bent his forehead to the ground.
Prompted by a supernatural movement, we imitated him and repeated
the words which we heard him pronounce:
Angel: “My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee
and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in
Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee and do not love
Thee.”
Having repeated that prayer three times, he got up again and
said to us:
Angel: “Pray in this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are
attentive to the voice of your supplications.”
And he disappeared.
Lucy recalled, “The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us
was so intense that, during a long moment, we barely realized the
fact of our own existence. We remained in the position in which the
Angel had left us, always repeating the same prayer. The presence
of God made itself felt in such an intense and intimate manner,
that we did not dare even to speak any longer among ourselves. The
next day, we still felt our spirit enveloped in this atmosphere
which only disappeared very slowly.”
3.1.1.1. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee,
do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee and do not love Thee.
We receive forgiveness with God only through faith in Christ
(John 3:16, 3:36; Acts 4:12, 10:43, 16:31; Romans 3:21-25, 5:10;
Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9, 4:32; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18; cf. Romans 4:25;
Philippians 3:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 5:11-13; see also the
study of salvation).
God cannot forgive those who do not believe in Him, do not adore
Him, do not Hope in Him and do not love Him. If God could forgive
all those who do not believe in Him and in His Son Jesus Christ as
their Saviour, then it would be meaningless whether one believes or
not, since ultimately all could be saved anyway – some through
their faith and some through someone else pleading for their
salvation. As a result our free will would be deprived of its
meaning, since our decisions – and above all else our choice to
believe in Christ or not – would be immaterial. Consequently,
Christ’s sacrifice for the sins ofhumanity on the cross would
become useless, since accepting this payment through faith would
not benecessary for salvation. The entire plan of God and the
history of salvation would lose their purpose.
6
-
The scripture clearly teaches that unbelievers – those who do
not accept Christ’s sacrifice for their sin through faith – will be
in the lake of fire for eternity.
36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does
not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on
him.”John 3:36 NASB
47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better
for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two
eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and
the fire is not quenched.Mark 9:47-48 NASB
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from
whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found
for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from
the things which were written in the books, according to their
deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death
and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death
and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found
written in thebook of life, he was thrown into the lake of
fire.Revelation 20:11-15 NASB
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and
murderers and immoral personsand sorcerers and idolaters and all
liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death.”Revelation 21:8 NASB
6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction
those who afflict you,7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted
and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven
with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution
to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal
destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of His power,2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 NASB
The prayer of the angel, seemingly pious and charitable, in
reality directly contradicts the teaching of the scripture and
could not have been spoken by an angel faithful to God.
3.1.1.2. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice
of your supplications.
As it has been discussed in depth in chapter VIII, the scripture
teaches that we are to address our prayers to God only. Bringing
our supplications to Mary or any other human being contradicts the
Word of God.
We should note how the angel insidiously mingles the truth with
falsehood. As the addressee of the supplications he puts not just
Mary – which should immediately alarm every true believer as a
serious violation of the teaching of the scripture (even if
Catholics would fail to detect this error since they are in it
themselves) – but Mary together with Jesus. It is much more
probable that falsehood will go unnoticed if it is introduced
together with the truth or contains an element of the truth. Satan
knows itvery well and has been employing this mechanism from the
beginning (in his temptation of Eve or when tempting our Lord, when
he quoted the scripture – Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).
The angel says that it is both “the heart” of Jesus that is
attentive to the voice of the children’s supplications – although
the scripture nowhere teaches that it is the “heart” of Jesus that
hears our prayers, but rather that Jesus Himself as the God-man and
our Lord can be the addressee of our prayers – and the heart of
Mary – which directly contradicts the teaching of the
scripture.
7
-
3.1.2. The second apparition of the angel – summer 1916.
The second apparition of the Angel took place during the summer
of 1916. While the children were playing around their favorite
well, the Angel suddenly appeared.
Angel: “What are you doing?” he asked. “Pray, pray a great deal!
The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you.
Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most
High.”
Lucy asked the Angel how they were to make sacrifices.
Angel: “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to
God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended,
and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, you
will draw peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the
Angel of Portugal.7 Above all, accept and bear with submission the
sufferings which the Lord will send you.”
Lucy comments, “Those words of the Angel engraved themselves in
our spirit, as a light which made us understand Who God is, how
much He loves us and wants to be loved by us, the value of
sacrifice and how pleasing it is to Him, and that out of respect
for it, God converts sinners.”
3.1.2.1. The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy
on you.
The words “The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary” equate the sinless
God-man Jesus Christ with Mary –a sinful human. This is a serious
error and another attempt to give equal status to Jesus and Mary.
The heart of Mary was not “holy” – she was a sinner as all of us
are (chapter IV).
Just as the scripture nowhere teaches that a human being can be
an addressee of our prayers (point 3.1.1.2 above, chapter VIII), so
also it clearly points to God as the only One to whom sinners come
to ask for mercy and from whom they receive it (Nehemiah 9:17;
Psalm 103:8, 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Ephesians 1:7; Titus 3:5;
etc.).
6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The
Lord, the LordGod, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”Exodus 34:6 NASB
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,And abundant in
lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
7 It is noteworthy that the angel describes himself as “the
Angel of Portugal”. We know that the fallen angels are given
geographic areas they supervise, as indicated by Daniel 10:13:
7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were
with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on
them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone
and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my
natural color turned to adeathly pallor, and I retained no
strength.9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon asI
heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face,
with my face to the ground.10 Then behold, a hand touched me and
set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O
Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to
tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And
when he had spoken this word to me,I stood up trembling. 12 Then he
said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that
you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself
before your God, yourwords were heard, and I have come in response
to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was
withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with
the kings of Persia.Daniel 10:13 NASB
8
-
Psalm 86:5 NASB
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.Luke 6:36
NASB
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us,5 even whenwe were dead in our transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved),Ephesians 2:4-5 NASB
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead,1 Peter 1:3 NASB
By stating that the heart of Mary has “designs of mercy on you”
the angel again ascribes to Mary a prerogative which belongs only
to God.
3.1.2.2. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to
the Most High. (…) Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer
it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is
offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners.
Here we again encounter falsehood which clearly shows that the
angel uttering these words (if such a thing ever did happen) did
not come from God.
The most important teaching of the scripture, from Genesis to
Revelation, is that our sins are forgiven on the basis of the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross – the sacrifice foretold in
the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New – and that we are saved
through faith in Him as our Redeemer. On the cross Christ paid for
all the sins committed in the history of humanity and by putting
our faith in Him we accept the payment made for our sins.
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin.1 John 1:7 NASB
That’s why the Word of God teaches us that we are saved “by
grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
“By grace”, because it is a gift of God that He sent His Son to
pay for our sins and did not require this payment from us. It’s a
payment we could never make ourselves, because we are sinners and
all our works are tainted with sin and through it cannot be
accepted as a payment for sin by an absolutely righteous God.
Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and paid the
redemption price by dying on the cross in our stead.
1 Who has believed our message?And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?2 For He grew up before Him like a tender
shoot,And like a root out of parched ground;He has no stately form
or majestyThat we should look upon Him,Nor appearance that we
should be attracted to Him.3 He was despised and forsaken of men,A
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;And like one from whom men
hide their faceHe was despised, and we did not esteem Him.4 Surely
our griefs He Himself bore,And our sorrows He carried;Yet we
ourselves esteemed Him stricken,Smitten of God, and afflicted.
9
-
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,He was
crushed for our iniquities;The chastening for our well-being fell
upon Him,And by His scourging we are healed.6 All of us like sheep
have gone astray,Each of us has turned to his own way;But the Lord
has caused the iniquity of us allTo fall on Him.7 He was oppressed
and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth;Like a lamb that
is led to slaughter,And like a sheep that is silent before its
shearers,So He did not open His mouth.Isaiah 53:1-7 NASB
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been
manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all
those who believe; for there is no distinction;23 for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a
gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood
through faith.Romans 3:21-25a NASB
25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and
was raised because of our justification.Romans 4:25 NASB
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life.Romans 5:10 NASB
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses, according to the riches of His graceEphesians
1:7 NASB
32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.Ephesians 4:32 NASB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all,
the testimony given at the proper time.1 Timothy 2:5-6 NASB
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for
mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we
have done in righteousness, but according to His mercyTitus 3:4-5a
NASB
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His
wounds you were healed.1 Peter 2:24 NASB
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the
unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death
in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;1 Peter 3:18 NASB
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for
ours only, but also for those of the whole world.1 John 2:2
NASB
10
-
“Through faith” – because it is by making the free will choice
to believe in Christ as our Saviour that we accept this payment for
our sins and are justified before God.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.”John 3:16 NASB
36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does
not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on
him.”John 3:36 NASB
40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds
the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself
will raise him up on the last day.”John 6:40 NASB
12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other
name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved.Acts 4:12 NASB
43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name
everyone who believes in Himreceives forgiveness of sins.Acts 10:43
NASB
31 Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.Acts
16:31a
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from
works of the Law.Romans 3:28 NASB
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ,Romans 5:1 NASB
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count thembut rubbish so that
I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a
righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on
the basis of faith,Philippians 3:8-9 NASB
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal
life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.13
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.1 John
5:11-13 NASB
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness.”Romans 4:3 NASB
There is no other path to salvation, because we are all
sinners.
46 “When they sin against You - for there is no man who does not
sin”1 Kings 8:46a NIV
4 “Who can make the clean out of the unclean?No one!”
11
-
Job 14:4 NASB
3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,O Lord, who could
stand?Psalm 130:3 NASB
2 And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,For in Your
sight no man living is righteous.Psalm 143:2 NASB
9 Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart,I am pure from my
sin”?Proverbs 20:9 NASB
20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually
does good and who never sins.Ecclesiastes 7:20 NASB
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,Romans
3:23 NASB
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and
the truth is not in us.1 John 1:8 NASB
And everything we do is tainted with our sin and because of that
cannot be accepted by God whois absolutely holy and righteous.
45 For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt
to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”Leviticus
11:45 NASB
48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.Matthew 5:48 NASB
4 In You our fathers trusted;They trusted and You delivered
them.Psalm 22:4 NASB
9 Exalt the Lord our GodAnd worship at His holy hill,For holy is
the Lord our God.Psalm 99:9 NASB
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a
throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the
temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two
he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two
he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,“Holy, Holy,
Holy, is the Lord of hosts,The whole earth is full of His
glory.”Isaiah 6:1-3 NASB
15 “I am the Lord, your Holy One,The Creator of Israel, your
King.”Isaiah 43:15 NASB
This is why Paul clearly says in Ephesians 2:9 that salvation is
“the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may
boast”.
12
-
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB
Thus the angel’s exhortation to the children to “sacrifice”
themselves and to make of everything they can a sacrifice and offer
it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is
offended, despite sounding pious, is in reality an outright
blasphemy. For it firstly assumes that Christ’s sacrifice is
insufficient and we must add our own works to it. This teaching is
a serious error and directly contradicts the Word of God. Christ is
God incarnate whose perfect sacrifice paid for all sins committed
by all men – from Adam and Eve to the last man who will live on the
earth – and completely satisfied God’s righteousness.
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been
manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all
those who believe; for there is no distinction;23 for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a
gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood
through faith.Romans 3:21-25a NASB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all ,
the testimony given at the proper time.1 Timothy 2:5-6 NASB
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that
you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is
thepropitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for
those of the whole world.1 John 2:1-2 NASB
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 John 4:10
NASB
Secondly, this exhortation paints a false picture that our works
can really atone for our sins and so either they are perfect and
free from any sin, or they are indeed tainted by sin, but God can
accept them as such. Both possibilities are false. Everything that
a sinner does is tainted with sin and an absolutely holy God cannot
accept anything that is less than perfect – this would be against
His holy nature. The angel’s words thus firstly falsely assume that
Christ’s sacrifice is deficient and secondly that human works – all
of which are tainted with sin – can in some way add to this
sacrifice, as if tainted works could somehow add to the perfect
sacrifice of the God-man Jesus Christ. We are saved only by
accepting this sacrifice for our sins by putting our faith in
Christ. The angel hence teaches a false gospel. Exactly what Paul
warned us against.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you
a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be
accursed!Galatians 1:8 NASB
Finally, as it has been discussed in point 3.1.1.1 above, the
angel’s words de facto make our ability to make free will choices
irrelevant, since the conversion of sinners can be secured for them
through someone else’s sacrifices.
It is the gravest error of the Catholic church that it has
perverted the most important and most fundamental teaching of the
scripture about salvation by faith through Jesus Christ which has
cost and is costing billions their eternal condemnation. The
teaching of the Catholic church on salvation directly contradicts
the teaching of the scripture.
13
-
In the “Canons Concerning Justification” established at the
Council of Trent (“The Council of Trent, Session VI”, n.d.) the
Catholic church teaches that the one who according to the scripture
considers himself justified through faith in Christ is
anathema.
If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone,
meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to
obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way
necessarythat he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own
will, let him be anathema.Council of Trent, Canons Concerning
Justification, Canon 9
If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and
also increased before God through good works; but that the said
works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained,
but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be
anathema.Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon
24
If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has
been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and
the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that
there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged
either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the
entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him
be anathema.Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification,
Canon 30
Canons 9 and 24 directly contradict the teaching of the
scripture about salvation by grace through faith. The scripture
clearly teaches that we are saved and justified only through faith
– “not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians
2:9). There is thus no question of any other “cooperation” or of
the justice received being “preserved and also increased before God
through good works”. One of the criminals who was crucified
together with Christ, immediately before his death repented and
believed in Christ who told Him that He would be with Him in
Paradise today – despite him now only being able to put his faith
in Christ and having no possibility of any “cooperation”.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse
at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40
But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Doyou not even fear
God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And
we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we
deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”42 And
he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your
kingdom!”43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you
shall be with Me in Paradise.”Luke 23:39-43 NASB
According to Canon 30, since a further punishment needs to be
discharged on the person who has repented and believed in Christ –
in this life and the next in purgatory (which is an unbiblical
invention of the Catholic church, see point 3.2.1.2 below) –
Christ’s perfect atoning sacrifice is effectively deemed
insufficient.8
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that:
1. We can “merit for ourselves and for others” the graces for
the attainment of eternal life:
Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no
one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification,
at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by
charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces
needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and
charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Eventemporal goods
like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's
wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer.
Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious
actions.Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2010
8 Many other examples could be provided from the Council of
Trent Canons (cf. Canons 12, 14, etc.).
14
-
No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of
conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves
and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as
well as necessary temporal goods.Catechism of the Catholic Church,
§2027
2. We are saved not just through faith in Christ, but also
through “baptism and observance of theCommandments”.
The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are
obligatory for Christians and that the justified man is still bound
to keep them (Cf. DS 1569-1570.); the Second Vatican Council
confirms: “The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from
the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of
preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain
salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the
Commandments” (Lumen gentium, 24).
The scripture clearly teaches that “by the works of the Law” –
of which the Decalogue is a part – “no flesh will be justified”
(Romans 3:20) and that “a man is not justified by the works of 1the
Law but through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 2:16).
20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in
His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.Romans
3:20 NASB
16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed
in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and
not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh
will be justified.Galatians 2:16 NASB
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness.”Romans 4:3 NASB
3. The following are necessary for salvation:
• “Sacrament of Penance” (which is also nowhere to be found in
the scripture):
It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be
reconciled with God and with the Church:Penance has rightly been
called by the holy Fathers “a laborious kind of baptism”. This
sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have
fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation
for those who have not yet been reborn (Council Of Trent, 1551: DS
1672; Cf. St. Gregory Of Nazianzus, Oratio 39,17:PG 36,
356).Catechism of the Catholic Church, §980
• “Sacraments of the New Covenant”:
The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New
Covenant are necessary for salvation ( Cf. Council of Trent, 1547:
DS 1604 ) . “Sacramental grace” is the grace of the Holy Spirit,
given by Christ and proper to each sacrament. The Spirit heals and
transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of
God. The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of
adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature (Cf. 2
Peter 1:4) byuniting them in a living union with the only Son, the
Savior.Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1129
• Observance “of the natural law”.
The authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific
precepts of the natural law , because their observance, demanded by
the Creator, is necessary for salvation. In recalling
theprescriptions of the natural law, the Magisterium of the Church
exercises an essential part of
15
https://biblia.com/books/nasb95/Ga2.2#
-
its prophetic office of proclaiming to men what they truly are
and reminding them of what they should be before God (Dignitatis
humanae, 14).Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2036
The Catholic church first perverted the fundamental teaching of
salvation and then usurped the monopoly for salvation.
“The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his
Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him
and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church,
constituted and organized as a society in the present world,
subsists in (subsistit in) the Catholic Church, which is governed
by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him”
(Lumen gentium, 8, §2).The Second Vatican Council's Decree on
Ecumenism explains: “For it is through Christ's Catholic Church
alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the
fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the
apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we
believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New
Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ
into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any
way to the People of God” (Unitatis redintegratio, 3, §5).Catechism
of the Catholic Church, §816
The second revelation of “the angel of peace”, just as the first
one, shows the guile in the works of Satan. The angel’s message
consolidates false Catholic doctrines which detract away from Jesus
Christ. Firstly, the teaching of salvation through works which is
the most catastrophic Catholic doctrine contradicting the most
important message of the entire scripture and which will cost
billions their salvation. Secondly, putting Mary on a par with
Jesus which amounts to idolatry – the worship ofa creature instead
of the Creator.
Satan knows to which lies people are most susceptible and it is
those lies that He gives them. The lies of the angel given
according to the false Catholic teachings fell on fertile ground
and played a significant role in solidifying these teachings.
3.1.2.3. Those words of the Angel engraved themselves in our
spirit, as a light which made us understand Who God is, how much He
loves us and wants to be loved by us, the value of sacrifice and
how pleasing it is to Him, and that out of respect for it, God
converts sinners.
Another serious error, since in fact God gives to everyone free
will and does not “convert sinners” against their will. Sinners may
choose to repent and believe themselves or they may choose not to.
If they choose not to do that, God will not “convert” them against
their free will. This would be against His justice since it would
amount to God saving and condemning according to His choice and
nullifying man’s free will. A sinner can only repent himself,
making a free will choice to turn to God through Jesus Christ and
if he chooses not to do that, God does not “convert” him against
his will. Lucy’s words make a mockery of God’s call for people to
repent – since according to what she said it is God who converts
them (!).
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”Mark 1:15 NASB
3.1.3. Third apparition of the angel – autumn 1916.
In the autumn of the same year, the children took their sheep to
the same place where the firstapparition took place. There in the
blessed place of the Cabeço, they were reciting the prayer the
Angel had taught them when above them an unknown light appeared.
Lucy relates, “We got up again to see what was happening, and we
saw the Angel again, who had in his left hand a Chalice over which
was suspended a Host, from which some drops of Blood fell into the
Chalice.”
16
-
Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he
prostrated himself down to the earth near the children and repeated
three times this prayer:
Angel: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore
You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the
world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences
by which He, Himself is offended. And I draw upon the infinite
merits of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, that You might convert poor sinners.”
Then, getting up, the Angel took the Chalice and Host. He gave
Lucy the Sacred Host on the tongue. Then while giving the Precious
Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, he said:
Angel: “Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,
horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their
crimes and console your God.”
Then, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the
children three times the same prayer: Most Holy Trinity, etc., and
disappeared.
3.1.3.1. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore
You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the
world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences
by which He, Himself is offended.
Firstly, Jesus is not present in the tabernacles of the world.
Tabernacle, similarly as all others Catholic items and rituals, has
got nothing to do with the teaching of the scripture and nowhere in
the New Testament are there any guidelines to create such articles
of cult. The angel again purposefully cements Catholic errors since
he in this way gives an appearance of legitimacy to a religion
whose most important teaching – of salvation through works – is
false.
We are probably here dealing with the same error as in the first
apparition – that unbelief can be propitiated for (see point
3.1.1.1 and 3.1.2.2 above). Although even believers remain sinners,
it would be rather difficult to attribute “outrages, sacrileges and
indifferences” to genuine followers of Jesus Christ.
3.1.3.2. And I draw upon the infinite merits of the Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that You might
convert poor sinners.
The same error as in previous apparitions – Mary is given an
equal status with Jesus.
The angel’s words also contain the false teaching that Mary’s
heart is “immaculate”. The Catholic church erroneously teaches that
Mary’s conception was “immaculate” (chapter III) and that she was
sinless (chapter IV). All these teachings are false and directly
contradict the Word of God.
The angel also attributes “infinite merits” to Mary – the merits
of Mary were, however, clearly not “infinite”. Mary was a normal
human being who has fulfilled her role assigned to her by God, a
role clearly outlined and obviously finite (see chapter VII, point
2.3.1).
3.2. Apparitions of the woman.
3.2.1. First apparition: 13th of May 1917.
On the thirteenth of May, after Sunday morning Mass, they chose
to lead their sheep to a property of Lucy’s parents called Cova da
Iria. After eating their meal at noon and praying the Rosary, the
children began to play. Suddenly they saw a kind of lightning,
making them believe that a storm was approaching, and they began to
descend the hill to make for home.
17
-
When about halfway down the slope there was another flash of
light, and a Lady appeared above a holm-oak tree. Lucy says that
the Lady was “all dressed in white, more brilliant than the sun,
radiating a light clearer and more intense than a crystal glass
filled with clear water pierced by the most burning rays of the
sun.” The children stopped and found themselves in the light that
emanated from Her.
Lucy describes the apparition in this way:
Woman:9 “Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm.”
Lucy: “Where is Your Grace from?”
Woman: “I am of Heaven.”
Lucy: “What does Your Grace want of me?”
Woman: “I have come to ask you to come here for six months in
succession, on the 13th day, at this same hour. Later on, I will
tell you who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here
yet a seventh time.”
Lucy: “Shall I go to Heaven too?”
Woman: “Yes, you will.”
Lucy: “And Jacinta?”
Woman: “Also.”
Lucy: “And Francisco?”
Woman: “Also, but he will have to say many Rosaries.”
I remembered then to ask about two girls who had died recently.
They were friends of mine and they used to come to my home to learn
weaving with my eldest sister.
Lucy: “Is Maria das Neves already in Heaven?”
Woman: “Yes, she is.”
It seems to me that she was about sixteen years old.
Lucy: “And Amelia?”
Woman: “She will be in Purgatory until the end of the
world.”
It seems to me that she must have been between eighteen and
twenty years old.
Woman: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all
the sufferings He wants to send you, as an act of reparation for
the sins by which He is offended, and for the conversion of
sinners?”
Lucy: “Yes, we are willing.”
9 The Catholic sources relating the Fatima apparitions often use
the unbiblical designation the “Mother of God” (see chapter I).
This title should not, however, be replaced with the name
“Mary”,since the message of the apparitions could not have come
from Mary, as will be shown. The title “woman” will be used.
18
-
Woman: “You are then going to have much to suffer, but the grace
of God will be your comfort.”
It was in pronouncing those last words (the grace of God, etc.)
that Our Lady opened Her hands for the first time, and communicated
to us, as by a reflection which emanated from them, a light so
intense that, penetrating our heart and even to the depths of our
soul, it made us see ourselves in God, Who was this light, more
clearly than we see ourselves in the best mirrors.
Then, moved by an interior impulse which was communicated to us,
we fell on our knees and said repeatedly: ‘O Most Holy Trinity, I
adore Thee. My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Holy
Sacrament.’
The first moments passed, and Our Lady added:
Woman: “Recite the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for
the world and the end of the war.”
Lucy: “Can You tell me whether the war will still last a long
time, or if it will soon end?”
Woman: “I cannot tell you yet, as I have not yet told you what I
want.”
Then She began to rise serenely, going up towards the east until
She disappeared in the immensity of the sky.
3.2.1.1. Also, but he will have to say many Rosaries. (…) Recite
the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world and the
end of the war.
As it has been discussed in depth above (see chapter VIII, point
3.2), the rosary is an unbiblical prayer. The scripture points to
God alone as the One to whom our prayers are to be addressed.
The woman’s admonition is the first of many examples of her
seeking her own glory. We here encounter a situation where the
woman tells the children to pray to herself10 – “Recite the rosary
– theprayer to myself – to obtain peace for the world and the end
of the war”. It is obvious that the true Mary – a humble and
faithful believer – would never point to herself in such a way,
directly contradicting the clear teaching of the scripture that a
prayers can only be offered to God.
3.2.1.2. She will be in Purgatory until the end of the
world.
Another falsehood showing that the apparition does not come from
God. The purgatory is a false Catholic doctrine devoid of any
biblical basis which directly contradicts the teaching of the Word
of God on salvation.
As discussed above (3.1.2.2), the sacrifice of Christ on the
cross is the perfect redemptive payment for all the sins committed
in the history of humanity which has completely satisfied God’s
righteousness. The teaching according to which we must go through
additional “temporal punishment” firstly amounts to stating that
Christ’s sacrifice is insufficient and secondly that we are able to
redeem our sin ourselves – and so directly contradicts the
scripture (see 3.1.2.2 above).
As for the punishment for sin, the scripture teaches that it is
not some period of painful penitentiary temporal punishment in the
“purgatory”, but death.11
10 Or for her intercession, however the Catholic church wishes
to label this idolatrous practice which contradicts the Word of God
either way.
11 The teaching of the purgatory contains another paradox – if a
man can pay for a part of his sins, then why can he not pay for all
of them? And if he can pay for all of them, then why did God send
Christ?
19
-
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23 NASB
It is important, however, that we correctly understand what type
of death is being represented here. Physical death is a consequence
of sin (Genesis 2:16-17) and is an inevitable end for every human
being, but it does not provide the payment for sin12 – otherwise
every sinner could expect eternity withGod after their physical
death and de facto all the evil he has done would be without
consequence. It isthus not physical death that is meant here, but
the death which involves separation from God (cf. Isaiah 59:2).
That’s why the lake of fire where unbelievers will spend eternity
without God (with whomthey wanted to have nothing to do during
their earthy life) is called the second death.
14b This is the second death, the lake of fire.Revelation 20:14
NASB
God is absolutely holy and cannot allow anyone who has any sin
in them to exist together with Him. From His absolute holiness, on
the other hand, stems His perfect standard of righteousness that
demands that every sin be punished in an absolute way – through
eternal death. The consequence of sin is thus eternal death –
eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
Christ bore this punishment for us on the cross during the three
hours of darkness. In a way we cannotnow fully comprehend He was as
the God-man separated from God the Father in order to be able to
accept the punishment for every sin committed in the history of the
human race13 – the punishment ofspiritual death and separation from
God in which He was immersed in the fire of the righteous wrath of
the absolutely holy God who hates sin (Unger, 2002).14
Only Christ could have accomplished this redemption and we are
not able to accomplish it ourselves –for a human being the
punishment for sin is eternal death from which there is no return,
because we cannot remove the tainting inherent within us. To remove
the tainting means to remove us – to condemn us forever, as
annihilation is no punishment at all. Thus in order to pay for all
the sins a sacrifice was needed which would equate to a sum of
every single one of these punishments of eternal death due every
sinner – a sacrifice was needed that no human being or any other
creature could have provided. A sacrifice was needed provided by
God Himself. It was thus necessary that God would become a man and
pay this punishment for us. This is what Christ has accomplished
for us.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His
glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace
and truth.John 1:14 NASB
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through
His poverty might become rich.2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind regard one anotheras more important than
yourselves; 4 do not look out for your own interests, but for the
interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was
also in Christ Jesus, 6 who,
12 Had they not sinned, Adam and Eve would have lived in the
garden of Eden forever.13 According to Hebrew 9:14 God the Holy
Spirit also had a role in Christ’s sacrifice:
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?Hebrews 9:14
NASB
14 Although we do not know how this separation occurred, it
could have had a form in some way related to the lake of fire which
is the eternal punishment for people. Christ before His
incarnationappeared to Moses in the burning bush which was burning
but was not consumed which is a foreshadowing of His sacrifice on
the cross (Exodus 3).
20
-
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard being
equal to God as something to rapaciously hold on to, 7 but emptied
Himself by taking the form of a slave and being born in the
likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, 8 He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.Philippians 2:3-8
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the
flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,Romans
8:3 NASB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all,
the testimony given at the proper time.1 Timothy 2:5-6 NASB
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His
wounds you were healed.1 Peter 2:24 NASB
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for
ours only, but also for those of the whole world.1 John 2:2
NASB
As it is the case with other erroneous doctrines of the Catholic
church, Catholic theologians seek support for the teaching of the
purgatory in passages which have nothing to do with it. The
scripture nowhere mentions the purgatory, however, and also in this
case the basis for the doctrine comes from an uninspired source –
the apocryphal Book of Maccabees.
43 after this he took a collection from them individually,
amounting to nearly two thousand drachmas, and sent it to Jerusalem
to have a sacrifice for sin offered, an action altogether fine and
noble, prompted by his belief in the resurrection. 44 For had he
not expected the fallen torise again, it would have been
superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead, 45 whereas if he had
in view the splendid recompense reserved for those who make a pious
end, the thought was holy and devout. Hence, he had this expiatory
sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from
their sin.2 Maccabees 12:43-45 NJB
According to the Catholic church the second part of verse 45 –
“Hence, he had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead, so
that they might be released from their sin” – assumes the
possibility of sins being forgiven after death. It is, however,
irrelevant since the Book of Maccabees is firstly uninspired, and
secondly it only provides a historical account of events and the
above passage only presents a falseconviction of Judas Maccabeus.
No book inspired by the Holy Spirit gives any basis to this false
teaching.
There are many passages in the scripture which describe the
eschatological events in detail and the purgatory is not mentioned
even once – and rightly so since it would fly in the face of the
entire biblical teaching on the redemption of sins, salvation and
judgment. The testimony of the scripture is clear: during our life
we have the time to make a decision to believe in Christ and in
this way become saved, or to reject Him – and then comes the
judgment. We do not have a possibility to influence our eternal
future after our death.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after
this comes judgment,Hebrews 9:27 NASB
The existence of the purgatory would also contradict the most
fundamental teaching that we are savedby grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. In Him we have the redemption of our every sin and if
we put our faith in Him, we are justified in God’s eyes (Acts
10:43; Romans 3:24, 5:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21;
Ephesians 1:7). There is no middle road that would require an
invention such as the purgatory – we either believe in Christ and
we have the redemption of our sins in His perfect sacrifice
21
-
or we do not believe in Christ, we remain unjustified in God’s
eyes (John 3:36) and we condemn ourselves to eternity in the lake
of fire.
3.2.1.3. Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all
the sufferings He wants to send you, as an act of reparation for
the sins by which He is offended, and for the conversion of
sinners?
The woman here utters words which are similar to the words of
the angel from the second apparition (point 3.1.2.2) where he
called to offer sacrifices to God “as an act of reparation for the
sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the
conversion of sinners”. As it has been discussed in point 3.1.2.2,
we cannot pay for our sin ourselves and both the angel and the
women are confirming the children in the false Catholic teaching
which directly contradicts the scripture.
3.2.2. Second apparition: 13th of June 1917.
Lucy gives an account of the second apparition of Our Lady in
her Fourth Memoir:
…we saw Our Lady, on the holm-oak, just as in the month of
May.
Lucy: “What does Your Grace want of me?”
Woman: “I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to
pray the Rosary every day, and to learn how to read. Later I will
tell you what I want.”
I asked for the cure of a sick person.
Woman: “If he is converted, he will be cured within the
year.”
Lucy: “I would like to ask You to take us to Heaven.”
Woman: “Yes , I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon , but you,
Lucy, are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use
of you in order to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish
in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces
this devotion, I promise salvation; those souls will be cherished
by God, as flowers placed by Me toadorn His throne.”
Lucy: “Am I to stay here alone?”
Woman: “No, My daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Do not
lose heart, I will never forsake you! My Immaculate Heart will be
your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”
It was at the moment when She pronounced those last words that
She opened Her hands and communicated to us, for the second time,
the reflection of that immense light. In it we saw ourselves as
submerged in God. Jacinta and Francisco appeared to be in the part
of that light which elevated itself to Heaven, and I in the part
which spread itself on the earth.
In the palm of the right hand of Our Lady there was a Heart,
surrounded by thorns which seemed to pierce it. We understood that
it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by thesins of
humanity, which demanded reparation.
3.2.2.1. I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to
pray the Rosary every day, and to learn how to read.
As it has been discussed above (chapter VIII, point 3.2), the
rosary is an unbiblical prayer.
22
-
3.2.2.2. Lucy: I would like to ask You to take us to
Heaven.Woman: Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon
The woman here ascribes to herself the role of someone who takes
the deceased to heaven. The scripture teaches, however, that it is
the task of the angels and gives no basis to think that this role
is fulfilled by the deceased human beings.
22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to
Abraham’s bosom;Luke 16:22a NASB
3.2.2.3. Jesus wishes to make use of you in order to make Me
known and loved. He wishes to establish in the world devotion to My
Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise
salvation;
We have here another example of words which clearly show that
the apparitions we are studying did not come from God. The woman
mentions the name of Jesus, but the purpose for which He allegedly
wishes to make use of Lucy is to make the woman known and loved
(!). She also states that He wishes to establish a devotion to her
“immaculate heart”. The woman is seeking her own glory and
adoration.
The One whom we are to strive to know, whom we are to love and
worship is God alone and this is the most fundamental message of
the entire Word of God.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your might.Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38
This is the great and foremost commandment.Matthew 22:37-38 NASB
(also Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27)
The scripture not only nowhere teaches us to “embrace a
devotion” towards a human being (however this would take place
since in the entire Bible there is no trace of what the Catholic
church labels as “devotion” and their entire liturgy is a human
invention), but on numerous occasions warns against worshiping
anything or anyone except God Himself, since this violates the very
first commandment and is outright idolatry (Deuteronomy 6:14; 2
Kings 17:35; Jeremiah 25:6, 35:15, etc.). The glory only belongs to
God (Galatians 1:4-5; Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 16:25-27; 1 Peter
4:11) and it is only He who is to be the object of our adoration
(Psalm 99:5, 100:4, 107:31-32, etc.).
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3 “You shall have no other gods
before Me.4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any
likeness of what is in heaven above or on theearth beneath or in
the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve
them; forI, the Lord your God, am a jealous God”Exodus 20:2-5a
NASB
10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You
shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”Matthew 4:10
NASB
3 O magnify the Lord with me,And let us exalt His name
together.Psalm 34:3 NASB
23
-
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,But to Your name give
gloryBecause of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.Psalm
115:1 NASB
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;You are my God, I
extol You.29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;For His
lovingkindness is everlasting.Psalm 118:28-29 NASB
Twice in the book of Revelation John fell down before an angel
to worship him and twice the angel warned him not to do that and
pointed to God as the one to whom worship is due.
10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me,
“Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren
who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”Revelation 19:10 NASB
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I
heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who
showed me these things. 9 But he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am
a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of
those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”Revelation
22:8-9 NASB
Thus an angel – who is a creature far stronger than a human
being – does not allow John to worship him and tells him to worship
God – and are we supposed to think that a messenger of God would
have“devotions” established for Mary?
Apostles – whose status in the church was far greater than
Mary’s – also warned not to give them worship since it would be
idolatry.
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet
and worshiped him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I
too am just a man.”Acts 10:25-26 NASB
8 At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet,
lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9 This man was
listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on
him and had seen that he had faith to be [a]made well, 10 said with
a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and
began to walk. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they
raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods
have become like men and have come down to us.” 12 And they began
calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief
speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the
city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer
sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and
Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the
crowd, crying out15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these
things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the
gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a
living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all
that is in them.Acts 14:8-15 NASB
It is obvious that the true Mary whom we know from the scripture
would have never said the words that the woman says in the
apparition.
Satan’s guile, however, can be seen in that according to the
woman’s words it is Jesus who wants to make use of Lucy in order to
make the woman “known and loved” and it is He who “wishes to
establish in the world devotion” to her “immaculate heart”.
24
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+14%3A8-15&version=NASB#fen-NASB-27424a
-
Jesus wishes to make use of you in order to make Me known and
loved. He wishes to establishin the world devotion to My Immaculate
Heart.
This is an obvious lie. During His entire ministry Jesus did not
even once point to Mary as the one who was to be known and loved
and to whom devotion was to be established. Quite the contrary – in
Luke 11:27-28 we have Him correct a woman whose attention had been
misdirected towards the person of Mary instead of the Word of
God.
27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the
crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that
bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 ButHe said, “On
the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and
observe it.”Luke 11:27-28 NASB
It is worth noting how the Catholic translations of this verse
twist Jesus’ response so that it does not sound too harsh towards
Mary, as He not only does not honour her in His words, but in a
direct manner moves the misplaced attention of the woman away from
Mary and towards what really matters.
27 It happened that as he was speaking, a woman in the crowd
raised her voice and said, “Blessed the womb that bore you and the
breasts that fed you!”28 But he replied, “More blessed still are
those who hear the word of God and keep it!”Luke 11:27-28 New
Jerusalem Bible
27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain
woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is
the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. 28 But
he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and
keep it.Luke 11:27-28 Douay-Rheims Bible
27 When he spoke thus, a woman in the multitude said to him
aloud, Blessed is the womb that bore thee, the breast which thou
hast sucked. 28 And he answered, Shall we not say, Blessed are
those who hear the word of God, and keep it?Luke 11:27-28 Knox
Bible
The Greek word μενο ν ῦ (menoun) is used either to emphasise the
approval of what has just been said or to correct it (BDAG). The
context clearly indicates that Jesus uses this word in its second
meaning – to correct the wrong reasoning of the woman and to point
to the true source of blessing – hearing and observing the Word of
God rather than kinship. It should consequently be translated
“rather”, “onthe contrary”. The Catholic translations – “more
blessed still” (New Jerusalem Bible), “yea rather” (Douay-Rheims
Bible) or the totally elusive “Shall we not say” (Knox Bible) do
not render the Greek faithfully and stem from attempting to defend
the status of Mary in Roman Catholicism – a status elevated way
beyond what the Word of God would allow. Μενο νῦ γε (menounge) the
same Greek word with an added particle γέ (ge) at the end (this is
an enclictic particle which is appended to the word or words it
refers to and serves to “focus the attention upon a single idea,
and place it, as it were, in the limelight”; it can be translated
“at least”, “even”, “indeed”; BDAG) is used for example in Romans
9:20:
20 On the contrary (μενο νγε – ῦ menounge), who are you, O man,
who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the
molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?Romans 9:20
NASB
A true revelation or apparition should direct us towards God in
Jesus Christ and not directly contrarily– away from Christ and
towards Mary. As it has been mentioned above numerous times, it is
God whom we are to love above all else and the only Way to Him is
Christ alone, our Lord and Saviour.
As it has been discussed above (point 3.1.3.2), Mary’s heart is
not “Immaculate”.
Finally another fundamental lie is the promise of salvation
which the woman gives to those who embrace the “devotion” to her
“immaculate heart”. The way in which we achieve salvation has been
discussed in depth in point 3.1.2.2 – by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. Promising salvation in
25
-
return for a work – and a work whereby worship is given to man
and not to God – clearly shows the falsehood we are dealing with
here and the origin of the apparitions.
3.2.3. Third apparition: 13th of July 1917.
The apparition then began in the usual way, with a flash of
something like lightning and the appearance of Our Lady atop the
holm-oak. Lucy relates the apparition in her memoirs:
Lucy: “What does Your Grace want of me?”
Woman: “I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to
continue reciting the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the
Rosary, in order to obtain peace in the world and the end of the
war, because only She can help you.”
Lucy: “I should like to ask You to tell us who You are, and to
work a miracle so that everyone will believe that Your Grace is
appearing to us.”
Woman: “Continue to come here every month. In October, I will
say who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle so that
all might see and believe.”
Here I made some requests which I do not remember. What I do
remember, is that Our Lady said it was necessary to say the Rosary
in order to obtain these graces throughout the year. Our Lady
continued:
Woman: “Sacrifice yourselves for si nners, and say often to
Jesus, especially whenever you make a sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for
love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for
the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary . ”
As Our Lady spoke these last words, She opened Her hands once
more, as She had done during the two previous months. The rays of
light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of
fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form,
like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze,
floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the
flames that issued from within themselves together with great
clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge
fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of
pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.
(It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, aspeople
say they heard me). The demons could be distinguished by their
terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals,
black and transparent like burning coals.That vision lasted only a
moment, thanks to our good Mother of Heaven, Who, at the first
apparition, had promised to bring us to Heaven. Without that, I
think we would have died of terror and fear.
Terrified and as if to plead for succor, we looked up at Our
Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly:
Woman: “You have seen h ell where the souls of poor sinners go.
To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My
Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be
saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if
people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out
during the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an
unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God
that He is about to punish the world for its crimes by means of
war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy
Father.”
“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of
Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on
the First Saturdays. If My requests are heeded, Russia will be
converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her
errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the
Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much
to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, My
26
-
Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate
Russia to Me, and she will beconverted, and a period of peace will
be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will
always be preserved, etc. Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco,
yes, you may tell him.”
“When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus,
forgive us, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to
Heaven, especially those who are most in need.”
After this, there was a moment of silence, and then I asked:
Lucy: “Is there anything more that You want of me?”
Woman: “No, I do not want anything more of you today.”
Then, as before, Our Lady began to ascend towards the east,
until She finally disappeared.
3.2.3.1. I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to
continue reciting the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the
Rosary, in order to obtain peace in the world and the end of the
war, because only She can help you.
As discussed above, the rosary is an unbiblical prayer (chapter
VIII, point 3.2).
We have here another statement, however, in which the woman
usurps a prerogative of God to herself.In the words above the woman
not only creates a false picture of herself as having the divine
power to influence the his