MOST SPIRITUALLY DECEPTIVE
 
        Of all the delusions calculated to deceive millions and destroy the human soul, the Queen of Delusions and false visions along with Delusion #17 - The King of Delusions, and #18 - UFOs and ETs represents the apex of the enemy's deceptions. None other appears so spiritual, nor claims such altruistic goals when these visions appear.

        Every sense organ of the human body is employed in confirming the visions - sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Miracles happen--and yet, it is all a deception.   Love, peace, abiding by the ten commandment moral code,  repentance, turning away from sin, worship, prayer, recognition of Jesus as our Saviour, prophetic warnings of coming disasters and the end of this world as we know it, the soon coming of Jesus, are repeated truths with which no one can take exception, unless you look closely. The flaws begin to appear, microscopic at first, but growing into the queen of delusions, setting the stage for the last master delusion - the personation of the coming of Jesus possibly in conjunction with UFO's.

        Wrap false visions up in supernatural manifestations and miracles, signs and wonders in the heavens, and this delusion becomes so vast, so overpowering, it has already tricked millions of sincere, honest believers who have seen, heard, and felt the power of its spell. Only the Holy Spirit will be able to reach these poor deceived individuals.   Certainly no human being will be able to convince these people that what they have seen, heard, and read is not from heaven itself. So subtle is this delusion that without the sure warning Word of Scripture telling us otherwise, no one could discern that these manifestations are not from heaven.
How can we know which visions are not from God?   Which are false and which are true?   The same way we test any message:   Isa. 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony:  if they speak not according to THIS WORD [the Bible] it is   because there is no light in them."

        Before examining any modern visions of 19th Century seers, we need to look closely at Matthew 4:1-11, especially verses 8-11.   The same story appears in Luke 4:1-13, especially verses 5-7. This is the narrative of Jesus' three very strong temptations in the wilderness after being without food for forty days. "And the devil [Satan], taking him up to a high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." (Luke 4:5)   This is an amazing thing. The Son of God Himself was given a Satanic vision!   The origin and extent of the vision were governed entirely by Jesus' arch enemy, Satan!

        Thus we make the point that a Satanic vision can come to ANYBODY.   It has nothing to do with how good or how wicked the person is.   Receiving a satanic vision has nothing to do with being saved, unsaved, or entirely ignorant of salvation! A person may have all his senses stimulated by the master deceiver and still be dearly loved by God. In fact the more spiritual you are, the more likely you are to receive a Satanic vision, for Satan has no need to give visions to those who are already confirmed as his allies.

        Jesus instantly knew he was confronting Satan, but we, alas, are not so perceptive. We must test the vision by the Bible, and if ANY PART of the vision is false, we must discard it the same way Jesus did.   Our perfect model answered, "Get thee hence (get out of here), Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:8; Matt 4:10)

        As for testing by Scripture, Jesus answered Satan, saying, "It is written, that man shall not live [have eternal life] by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD of God." (Luke 4:4; Matt 4:4) The test that comes to us is not found in the fact that we have had a vision.
That alone is not a test of discipleship or faith. Nor is our test found in using Scripture to determine if the vision is true or false. Enough light will be given the true seeker after God to know whether this vision is of God or the enemy. This study may take some time, but eventually God will cause truth to be apparent even to the humble and unskilled. It is not a question of training or learning (brains) as much as it is following the light Scripture and the Holy Spirit provide.

        Here is the test for us. After studying Scripture, will we keep the good, the true visions and discard the false? Here is the test - visions often promise reward, peace, life, love, and much or most of the vision is true by Scripture - 98% true and 2% false. Only 2% is opposed to the word of God.   Only a very small amount of the whole is against Scripture, and we are forced into the test- will we reject the vision and its promised reward if only a little disagreement from Scripture is found?

        Your answer should be a resounding YES!   Rest assured that if a small part of the vision is not true, a much larger discrepancy exists, but you just haven't noticed it yet. Throw it out; get away from it, even if tethered to it by very strong emotional ropes.
Mother love, abortion, peace, brotherhood, poverty, riches, fear of disaster, glorious honors in heaven, glorious feelings on earth, healing, privilege to experience God in ways others do not - are all emotional themes, highly charged with feelings too deep to argue or express - yet they can be mixed with satanic doctrines upon which Bible-believing Christians must turn their back.

        This is the real test, the most difficult decision of all: Will you follow the Word of God and send the devil and his delightful dreams away?   Will beguiling emotion or unattractive obedience to a "Thus saith the Lord" win the day?   One choice is popular and easy; the other is usually difficult and divisive.

        With this restatement of our position of non-judgment upon the visionairies who received the visions, let us examine the content of a few visions and see if they match up with Bible instruction.
 
SWEEPING THE WHOLE WORLD

        The worship of Mary has its roots in the original counterfeit religious system which originated right after the flood in the ancient city Babylon, established by Nimrod.   An ancient pagan myth involving the worship of Semeramis,  Nimrod's wife, and mother of the sun God Tammuz,   was christianized by re-naming Semeramis Mary and giving her son Jesus the same characteristics as Tammuz.   When the Church of Rome began to seek to draw pagans into Christianity,   it took many of the symbols and some of its gods and changed their names.

        Thus Mary worship came into existence along with idol worship and veneration of the saints, the burning of candles and prayers for the dead, the concepts of hell and purgatory, penance for sins, and the rosary beads.   All have their origin in paganism.    Likewise, December 25 is not the birthday of Christ but rather the birthday of Tammuz the sun god (See also Delusion #6).  To further attract more pagans to Christianity, the day of worship was also changed from Saturday to Sunday, the day of the sun-god Tammuz which was and is still a pagan holy day.  Most of the traditions of Easter traces its origin back to pagan witchcraft and astrological signs of the zodiac, as does the Easter bunny, eggs (goddess of fertility), and hot cross buns (the cross of Tammuz).

SATAN ON THE LOOSE                 

        For thousands of years Satan has been very painstakingly and carefully guiding mankind to this point in time. Now it is almost time for him to spring the trap to deceive not only Catholics but the whole world, as his last great battle with Christ develops. He knows his end is near and that time is running out. He is truly going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

        This delusion has been around since the first century AD, and seen periodically since then for hundreds of years.   Who would not be duped by the gentle manner, the loving words, the ecstatic feelings accompanying the appearance of the mother of our Lord? Only those who are guarded by Scripture.

        The following material has been gathered from reports, eye-witness accounts, and Marian conventions or peace conferences, which are being held throughout the world.  Most of what we will be sharing, came from a newspaper, The Queen   of Peace, Special Edition II, printed by the Pittsburgh Center For Peace, McKees Procks, PA 15136.

        About the phenomena of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Father Gobbi received the following endorsement on September 18, 1988, while in Lourdes, France.   "In this period of ten years all the secrets which I have revealed to some of my children will come to pass and all the events which have been foretold to you by me will take place.

        "It is no wonder people are curious about the future.   Many of the Virgin Mary's apparitions refer to secrets which are to unfold.   Followers of her messages often say that these secrets contain the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies, prophecies of the saints and the Church lore. As a whole, the list of the mysterious prophecies is quite impressive.   Three days of darkness,   Antichrist, world tribulation, church apostasy, a false pope, a world-wide warning, world-wide miracles, division of the Catholic church, a new world war, the return of Elias and Enoch, a comet, reunification of all Christian faiths and of Christians and Moslems,   chastisements,   and Marian dogma of Our Lady as Co-Mediator, Advocate and Redemptrix, and the Second coming of Jesus Christ."   Consider the experience of the three shepherd children in Portugal back in 1917. The paragraphs are numbered in order to give easy reference to the story.   Our comments are numbered according to the paragraph numbers.
 
        (2) "The stranger began to speak: 'Fear not, I am the Angel of Peace.   Pray with me.'   Kneeling on the ground, he bowed low and recited this prayer three times, with the children repeating it after him: 'O my God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.'

        (3) "In mid-summer, as the children were together, the angel came again and said, 'Pray! prayers and sacrifice continually to the Most High. Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is offended, and as a petition for the sinners. Bring peace to our country in this way...  I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal.   Accept and bear with the pain, persecution and all the suffering the Lord will send you.'"

        That is the early record of the astonishing visions of Fatima, but the story of Fatima does not end there. We will hear more accounts from Fatima later, but now let us test the messages given thus far. Do they concur with Bible teaching?  Are they like Bible precedent for giving messages and prophecies? or do they introduce methods of salvation foreign to Scripture?
 
        (Comment 1) - An angel comes to children.   This is not in disagreement with Scripture, though most of those who received angel visits were adults. The Bible bears record of at least one child - Samuel - being given instruction by the Lord Himself. (1 Sam 3)

        (Comment 2) - The angel asks pardon for those who do not believe.   The angel's kneeling posture is in agreement with Scripture, but the prayer itself is unusual. People ask pardon for others many times in the Bible, but there is no record of an ANGEL asking forgiveness for others.  Even more striking is the absence of any PERSONAL REPENTANCE being taught.   Personal repentance must precede intercession for others, as taught in Jesus' famous prayer given in Matt 9:1-5.

        (Comment 3) - The angel said Prayers and sacrifices will bring peace to the nation and suffering. (This is partly true). The part that is false is the idea that acts of piety, without observable heart change, will somehow bring the nation into favor with God. The nation is unhypocritical only to the extent that individuals are. Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, which means a life of acts acceptable (obedient) to God. Our sacrifices cannot make reparation for other's sins. Each can sacrifice only for himself. Psalms 51:17 tells us that "the sacrifices of God are a broken (repentant) spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."   The result of this life of holiness and sacrifice is TRIBULATION - not peace. (John 15:22; 16:33) This angel's teaching is beginning to deviate from Bible instruction and is a warning.
 
"The angel came again in the fall of that same year, this time bearing a golden chalice in one hand and a Host above it in the other. The amazed children noticed that drops of blood were falling from the Host into the chalice. Presently the angel left both suspended in mid-air and prostrated himself on the ground, saying this beautiful prayer: 'Most Holy Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended.   And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee to conversion of poor sinners.'"
 
        (Comment 4) - An angel offering a bleeding "host" (believed to be the actual body of Christ) and chalice of wine (believed by Roman Catholics to be the actual blood of Jesus) to the Trinity is entirely without Scriptural precedent. Rather than an angel, Scripture shows us Jesus before the throne of God (Heb. 9:24) offering His own blood for remission of our sins. (Heb. 10:19; 12:24; 13:20)  As is "the infinite merits of...the Immaculate Heart of Mary," nowhere in Scripture does Jesus share redemption, mercy, mediation, or reparation with Mary.   On the contrary, Scripture teaches something quite different. Here are four short verses from Psalms, selected from dozens - "Call upon ME in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee..." Ps 50:15 "For in THEE, O LORD, do I hope." Ps 38:15 "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the LORD." Ps 4:5 "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from HIM cometh my salvation.   HE ONLY is my rock and my salvation..." Ps 62:1,2

        (5) "On Sunday, May 13, 1917, slightly more than a year after the angel's first visit, the children were pasturing their flocks as usual. This time they were in a rather barren hollow known as the Cova de Iria, which was about a mile from their homes. It was noon of a clear, sunny day, when suddenly a flash of lightning cut the air, then another. Fearing a storm, the children quickly gathered the sheep to get them home. Then their glances fell upon a small holmoak tree directly in their path.

        A  dazzling light hovered over the topmost branches, when wonder of wonders, what should they behold but the form of a lovely lady standing atop the tree in the light, her feet hidden in a shimmering cloud. She was like the angel, only far more beautiful.   She wore a long white dress, and the mantle over her head and shoulders reaching to her feet, was edged in burnished gold. Her hands were joined before her breast, and from the right hand hung an exquisite rosary of white pearls. As Lucy later described her, 'She was a lady more brilliant than the sun.'

        (6) "After telling the children to not be frightened, the vision said: 'I come from Heaven.   I   want you to come here at this same hour on the 13th day of each month until October. Then I will tell you who I am and what I want.'" She also told them to say the Rosary every day, and to bear all the sufferings God would send them.

        (Comment 5 & 6) - The description is not too different from the Bible accounts of men who meet angels - except they don't stay up in the tree tops.  They come down and walk, eat, and talk, sit with people - Abraham (Gen 18), Gideon (Judges 6:11-122),  Mary (Luke 1:26), angels at the tomb of Jesus (Jn 20:11,12,   etc.   None of the Bible angels EVER wore a rosary.   DID MARY COME FROM HEAVEN AS SHE DECLARED?
 
A LYING SPIRIT
 
        "Thou shalt not surely die" -- The foundation stone upon which Mary taking an active part in salvation is based, centers around this first lie told by the serpent to Eve (Gen. 3:4).   Belief in this Marian apparition and its messages mandates the acceptance of immortality of the soul, which belief goes against all Scripture. The apparition's claim to be Mary, alive and in heaven, is the strongest proof that this is a lying spirit, coming with a great display of power to deceive the whole world before the great day of the Lord closes time.   The question of life after death was discussed thoroughly in Delusion #7. The Bible says, "The soul that sinneth must die," and that "ALL have sinned (even Jesus' mother) and come short of the glory of God."

        To believe in this apparition of Mary and her messages is to believe she IS NOT ASLEEP in the grave waiting the great resurrection of all the faithful, which takes place at the second coming of our Lord. If you believe that when she died she went to heaven you must disbelieve Ecclesiastes 9:5 & 6 which says: "The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a regard; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."
 
        Ellen White, whom we have quoted before, said:   "I saw that the saints must get a thorough understanding of present truth which they will be obliged to maintain from the Scriptures. They must understand the state of the dead, for the spirits of devils will yet appear to them, professing to be beloved friends and relatives, who will declare to them that the Sabbath had been changed, also other unscriptural doctrines. They will do all in their power to excite sympathy, and will work miracles before them to confirm what they declare." Early Writings p. 87

        More than this, this spirit might be SATAN himself coming as an angel of light, but even more deceptively as a chaste women, the very mother of Jesus.   Who would suspect the evil? This apparition is a promised ANTICHRIST in the person of Mary, purporting to come like John the Baptist proclaiming the soon coming of the Lord.

        Not only is Antichrist lying that Mary (who is dead and has remained dead nigh onto 2,000 years) is alive and in heaven, but he is permeating all the messages with the theme of life after death. Spirits of the dead, alive in heaven, hell, or purgatory, are mentioned frequently in these messages. Interestingly, however, this satanic spirit, for his own hellish purposes, rejects one other lie he has foisted upon the eastern religions and the newagers - that of reincarnation. To one group he preaches something different than he does to others. This two-faced nature is seen throughout his kingdom, as he pits one lie against another, one group against another.
Yet another assertion is that Mary was resurrected from the dead and taken to heaven. There being no proof that this did or did not happen leaves the weight of evidence on whether her messages are 100% according to Scripture.   Being they are not, this assertion can be rejected as being the truth.   This apparition appeared on May 13 and on the 13th day of the next 6 months.   The number 13 is a very significant number in witchcraft and pagan rituals. Is this just a coincidence?
 
        (7) "In June, the Lady appeared again. There were about 70 people present, though only the children could see the apparition. She told the youngsters that many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.   She said Francisco and Jacinta would soon leave the world for Heaven.

        Holding out her heart surrounded by thorns which pierced it from all sides, Our Lady told Lucy: 'God wishes you to remain in the world for some time because He wants to use you to establish in the world the devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne.'"

        (Comment 7) - The number of people who see an apparition is no indication of its truth. One person or a million can be deceived. In fact a group is more easily deceived because a mass thinking emerges in which people become less critical, less able to weigh right and wrong.   They rely on EACH OTHER for confirmation rather than upon the Word.

        "Souls go to hell because they have no one to pray and offer sacrifices for them." The messages of this lying spirit are permeated with this theme of life after death, where the spirits of the dead are either in heaven or hell, or purgatory (discussed in Delusion #5).

        Consciousness in hell is not taught in the Bible, despite Jesus' use of the allegory of Lazarus in heaven and the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19-31) to make the point that Scripture ("Moses and the prophets") must be believed or salvation is lost. Jesus was not teaching purgatory but drawing on an old story that everyone knew was just a story.    Scripture teaches that prayers and sacrifices for the dead are useless.

        We are told in Ezekiel 14:14,16,18,20 - four times in one chapter - that the most righteous men in the world can deliver only their own souls.   The same idea is expressed again in Ezekiel 18:24-32:  Every man is judged by his own righteousness (Christ's life in him) or his own sins.

        While we have good cause to suspect (or reject) Mary's appeal, the part about praying for the conversion of sinners is very true. Not only are we to pray for them, but we are to work in Christ's manner (Matt 28:19,20)

        Notice the emotional appeal of a heart surrounded by piercing thorns. Surely the rejection and horrible death of Mary's son is accurately portrayed by these details of the vision, for old Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit into the temple just when Jesus was presented to the priests' for blessing, recognized the consolation of Israel and told Mary as he blessed Jesus, "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also," forecasting the awful pain she must suffer at His crucifixion. (Luke 2:35)

        But does the vision to the children on June 13 point to Jesus as Redemptor?   No, it does not.   The sacrifice and redemptive power of Jesus is overlooked, and the promise of salvation is given to those who are devoted to Mary, not Jesus.
 
        Throughout the Marian visions we are led to another Saviour, Mary, and it is time to read Deuteronomy 13:1-3.   "If there arise among you a person who giveth thee a sign or a wonder...saying let us go after other gods, thou shalt not hearken...for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
 
        Acts 2:21  and Romans 10:13 tells us to call on the name of the Lord (not Mary) and thou shalt be saved. 1 Corinthians 3:13 tells us that Jesus is our foundation, not Mary.   Isaiah 45:22 admonishes us to look unto the Lord to be saved, not Mary. Mary is a god (little "g") who cannot save (Isa. 45:20). And finally, "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, WHO ONLY doeth wondrous things." Ps. 72:18   Appealing, beautiful, wondrous though the vision be, the Word of God has led us to the irrefutable conclusion that this woman is not who she claims to be.

        It is an intricate lie,   woven through emotion and sensory deception by the arch deceiver himself. These are strong conclusions, instantly revolting to those who have believed and adored the visions and Mary.   We beg you to continue to read this paper and consider further the apparition and its comparison to the Word of God. This is only the beginning of the visions and much more evidence will accumulate as we probe for truth.
 
        (8) "During her appearance in July [13], Our Lady, in answer to Lucy's plea, promised that in October she would work a great public miracle so that all might believe and know who she was.

        Again the mother of God told the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to say many times, especially when making a sacrifice, this prayer: 'Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the immaculate heart of Mary.'"
 
        (Comment 8)  -   Offer yourselves a sacrifice for sinners.   Was Jesus an incomplete sacrifice? That is what the vision suggests, furthering that idea by telling the children that their sacrifice is reparation for sin. And they are to do it in love to Jesus. How subtle is this lie! Couched in loving words, it flings the blood and pain of Jesus' sacrifice - His perfect sacrifice back in His face. Nothing we (mankind) can ever do will add one drop of holy blood to Jesus' life and death for us. Yes, we are to love Jesus supremely, we are to pray for sinners, but not with the slightest notion that we are making up for their unrighteousness against Jesus or Mary.
 
        (9) "As she spoke these words, our lady stretched our her hands, and bright rays came forth which seemed to penetrate into the earth. All at once the ground vanished and the children found themselves standing on the brink of a sea of fire.  As they peered into this dreadful place, the terrified youngsters saw huge numbers of devils and damned souls. The devils resembled hideous black animals,   each filling the air with despairing shrieks.   The damned souls were in their human bodies and seemed to be brown in color, tumbling about constantly in the flames and screaming with terror. All were on fire within and without their bodies, and neither devils nor damned souls seemed able to control their movements.  They were tossing about in the flames like fiery coals in a furnace. There was never an instant's peace or freedom from pain.

        (10) "Looking with compassion at the pale and trembling little ones, the vision spoke to them: 'You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save  them, God wishes to establish in the world the devotion to my immaculate heart.   If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.'"
 
        (Comment 9,10) - A vivid picture of purgatory or hell - entirely fictional. To recap our earlier discussion of hell, the Bible says souls rest in the grave, they know nothing, are without pain.   And when destruction finally occurs after the Holy City carries the righteous to safety, the wicked suffer only in proportion to their wickedness. All will be burned to ashes, Satan last, and when they die their punishment ends forever. Their death is sealed by the flames for eternity. When John the Revelator tells us that they will burn "forever and ever", the word in Greek means "as long as it lasts," or until they are burned up completely, certainly not for eternity.
 
        God will not even torture Satan, let alone those Satan has deceived.   Saying God tortures people defames His character and makes him like His arch-enemy, Satan.   A worse lie from the vision declares again that "To save them,   God wishes...devotion to my immaculate heart."   The apostle Paul says, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," not Mary. (Rom 5:1)   And Peter, speaking of Jesus, declared, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
 
THE VISION FORETELLS WORLD WAR II AND COMMUNISM
 
        (11) "'The war [First World War, then raging] is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI.  When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light (January 25, 1938), know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Christ and the Holy Father [pope].

        (12) "'To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my immaculate heart and the communion of reparation on the five first Saturdays. If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecution of the church.   The good will be martyred,   the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed....'
 
        (13) "'But in the end, my immaculate heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world.'" The lady asked that this message be kept secret until she gave permission to reveal it.
 
 
        (Comment 11-13) - In the prophecy regarding WWI, Russia, and the call for people to stop offending God, the vision speaks much truth.   However, the prophecy seems to be fulfilled in a different order than the vision gave.   The vision said WWI would end, the next war would be PREVENTED by Russia's conversion.

        But history looks back on WWI (1914-1917), then (presumably because people remained wicked) WWII (1939-1945).   Communist USSR did not open to Christianity until about 1991,   but how much the communions on the "first five Saturdays" back in 1917 had to do with it is unknown.

        A 46 year period of uneasy peace after WWI was marred by limited wars, and a "cold war" which greatly inhibited missionary travel in many parts of the world.  How much of WWII and religious persecution upon ALL faiths was from God and how much from Satan is also difficult to assess. In the vision, the cause of war is wicked people and God's response to them, which has plenty of Scriptural backing.   God many times raised up a wicked group to kill off another wicked group, then a third group would arise to kill of the first.
 
        Nevertheless, we are left wondering why a message of such importance and comfort would be kept secret. Secrecy is not the reason for messages. They are to be given unfailingly to the people concerned by the prophets and visionaries.  The only exception is Daniel 12:4 and 9. Daniel's vision was to remain sealed up (secret) until the time of the end (now).
The Mary apparition goes on to say that after this painful phase, the period of peace promised to the world at Fatima will come; that by prayer, fasting, penance and conversion we will help bring about this change in the world.

        This is false, for the peace this lying spirit talks about is envisioned here on earth before Jesus comes, as seen in the next paragraph, during the next millennium beginning in the year 2,000. This would mean that life would continue without an end of the world, seven last plagues, no deliverance of the saints, or the saints taken to heaven to live with Jesus for the 1,000 year period, and no final judgment of the wicked at the end of this period, no destruction of the earth purified by fire and recreated for eternity without sin to ever mar the universe again.
 
APPARITIONS CREATED MUCH EXCITMENT:

        "The apparitions rapidly were creating so much excitement that the atheistic civil authorities became alarmed. At the next scheduled appearance of the lady, August 13th, though more than 15,000 people were waiting in the Cova, the atheistic mayor of Ourem, under whose jurisdiction Fatima belonged, had the children kidnapped and placed in jail. In spite of his threats to have them burned alive in boiling oil, the children refused to reveal the secret given to them.

        Fearing violence from the people, the mayor released Lucy and her cousins the next day.  Near the village of Valinhos on August 19th, the lady appeared to the children again. She told them she was greatly displeased by the action of the mayor. As a result,   the miracle promised for October would not be as great as originally planned."
 
        (Comment 14) - A change in plans Mary will not perform a miracle "as great as originally planned."   Mary seems a little vindictive here - something unlike Christ. It also shows she is not all knowing or all wise, or she would not need to change her plans. She trifles with emotions here - bringing disappointment to the faithful but no heart change to sinners.
 
        (15) "More than 30,000 people were present in September, and saw a shower of mysterious white petals fall to within 10 feet of the ground before dissolving into the air. Many also saw the globe of light bearing the lady come to rest atop the tree, and the branches bend as though she was standing on them. Later, they saw the cloud depart into the east, from whence it had come.

70,000 GATHER FOR THE PROMISED MIRACLE:

        (16)  "By now, all Portugal was stirred by the events taking place at Fatima, suddenly the most important spot in the land.   Particularly were the newspapers interested, especially in the statement that a great miracle was to take place.   Many reporters and photographers were on hand to record the events, or to prove that the statements were nothing more than lies.

        (17)  "On the days preceding October 13th, all roads led to Fatima, with people coming from all parts of the land in any form of transportation they could find.   Many walked for miles over the rough fields. It rained all the night of the 12th and the morning of the 13th.   By noon, more than 70,000 had crowded into the Cova.  Standing in the mud up to their ankles, they huddled together under umbrellas, seeking protection from the relentless rain as they prayed their rosaries.

        (18) "Shortly after noon the lady arrived for her final appearance. She told the children: 'I am the lady of the rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins.   They must not offend our Lord anymore, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the rosary. Let them continue saying it every day.'"

        (Comment 15-18)   - Here is another appeal to the senses only - vanishing petals, a light, bending branches, a cloud without spiritual importance. They are manipulations of nature, something that demons (Rev 16:14 and 19:20) can do nearly as well as God. There is no appeal to heart change, obedience, repentance, or Scripture example.

        It may be helpful to note here that Jesus would not do signs and miracles just to make people believe. His miracles always benefited someone.  "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given [you], but the sign of the prophet Jonas," (the three days Jesus lay dead for our sins. [Matt 12:39 and 16:4; Mark 8:12; Luke 11:29,30])   Judas betrayed Christ by a sign, a mocking profession of love. (Matt 26:48)   So beware of signs. They can be a betrayal as often as a confirmation.  You know whether the sign means good or evil if it leads toward obedience to the law of God or AWAY from it.

        Since these Marian signs lead away from the worship of Jesus as the only Redemptor and Saviour, to the veneration of Mary instead, we must reject them as signs of a betrayal! The warning to amend lives, ask pardon for sins, and not offend the Lord anymore is all true, but the admonition to pray the rosary every day is against Scripture.

        The prayer to Mary goes something like this: "Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou amongst women, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.   Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners."   Mary, herself a sinner, is NOT our mediator before God.   "For there is one God,   and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." (1Tim 2:5)   "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1Jn 2:1)

        Mary is dead and will not have consciousness or eternal life until Jesus gives life to all the righteous at the resurrection of the just. Instead, Jesus "is able to save to the uttermost [those] that come to God by HIM, seeing He ever liveth to   make intercession for them." (Heb 7:25)

        We can only conclude that the dear people who pray to Mary or any other person for forgiveness simply do not know how much Jesus loves them and wants to save them, or how much Satan hates them and wants to destroy them.

        As for repeating the rosary Matt 6:7 says: "When ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Only the heathen offer repetitious prayers! What noble believer would want to violate this Scripture by an endless procession along a string of beads to a dead person?   Follow Jesus' example of a model prayer to "Our Father which art in heaven...." (Matt 6:7-15)
 
THE SUN WHIRLS IN THE SKY:

        (18) As the lady was about to leave, she pointed to the sun. Lucy excitedly repeated the gesture, and the people looked into the sky.   The rain had ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun shone forth, but not in its usual brilliance. Instead, it appeared like a silver disc, pale as the moon, at which all could gaze without straining their eyes.

        (19) Suddenly, impelled by some mysterious force, the disc began to whirl in the sky, casting off great shafts of multicolored light. Red, green, blue, yellow, violet, the enormous rays shot across the sky at all angles, lighting up the entire countryside for many miles around, but particularly the upturned faces of those 70,000 spellbound people. After three minutes, the wonder stopped, but was resumed again a second and a third time, three times in all within about 12 minutes. It seemed that the whole world was on fire, with the sun spinning at a greater speed each time.

        (20) "Then a gasp of terror rose from the crowd, for the sun seemed to tear itself from the heavens and come crashing down upon the horrified multitude.   'It's the end of the world!' shrieked one woman. 'Dear God, don't let me die in my sins!' implored another. 'Holy Virgin protect us!' cried a third. All were on their knees in terror, asking pardon for their sins. Just when it seemed that the ball of fire would fall upon and destroy them, the miracle ceased and the sun resumed its normal place in the sky, shining forth as peacefully as ever.  

        (21)  "When the people arose from the ground, cries of astonishment were heard on all sides.   Their clothes, which had been soaking wet and muddy, now were clean and dry.   Many of the sick and crippled had been cured of their affliction."
 
        (Comment 19-21) - In several visions, none more dramatic than this one, the sun is featured, less often the moon and stars. Many people think this solar display, and the lunar ones as well, show that Mary is fulfilling Rev 12:1. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars."    How do we know if this text means Mary?  It doesn't, because descendants of the Scriptural woman "keep the commandment of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Rev 12:17)   The Mary worshipers are unwittingly but constantly breaking the commandments.   And Mary worshipers have no living prophets (which is the testimony of Jesus) (Rev 19:10), as the Scriptural woman does.

         Not only that, but in Revelation a woman always is a symbol for a group of believers (a church), not a person. The woman of Rev 12:1, clothed with the sun, is the Remnant church (12:17) who overcomes every temptation of the dragon (Satan) by obedience to the Word (12:11). This is the church that presents Jesus to the world (12:2) and arouses every evil dragon spirit to war against her and her child (her individual offspring, the Remnant, born again believers).   This Remnant church never tells people to pray to Mary as an intercessor, mediator, or redemptrix. If any person, vision, or miracle teaches people to look to anyone but Christ for forgiveness and redemption, they are part of the dragon's army. And that's what the Marian visions do!
 
THE CHILDREN ENJOY SPECIAL VISIONS:

        (22) "While the miracle of the sun was taking place, the children alone were privileged to witness several remarkable visions in the heaven. As our lady had promised,  St.   Joseph had come with the Holy Family and he had blessed the world.   Then, our lady appeared as the mother of sorrows, accompanied by her divine Son, who also blessed the world. Finally, Lucy had seen the blessed virgin Mary dressed in the brown robes of our Lady of Mount Carmel,   crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, holding a brown Scapular in her hand, with her infant Son upon her knee.  However, in none of these visions had any of the figures spoken to the children."
 
        (Comment 22) - In defense of Mary as the Queen of Heaven and earth,   some point to Jer 44:17-19 where the Queen of Heaven is mentioned three times. This queen, they say, is Mary. They are right, but that is a damning admission. If Mary is the queen mentioned here, then SHE is responsible for all the trouble among God's people. Scripture declares that the people provoked God by offering incense and by pouring out drink offerings to the "Queen of Heaven."   (Jer 44:8,15,17,18,19,21)   Here we see that Mary the Queen of Heaven, far from being a peacemaker, is really the source of God's wrath.    The apostate Israelites did not separate the sun god from the moon god, Astarte, whom they call the Queen of Heaven.
Baal, Chemosh, Moloch, and the king of the host of heaven, were all just different names for the sun-god the Israelite apostates worshiped as Astarte. (See head note under "sun" entry in Cruden's concordance.)   This mixture of sun and moon worship is therefore verified in the many Marian visions that feature miracles of light or sun. They are unavoidably linked because Mary is another name for Astarte, the Queen of Heaven!

        God's response to this outrage is portrayed in the same chapter that describes the Queen of Heaven. "The Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doing,  and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse.

        Without an inhabitant [after the plagues and tribulation] as at this day, because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in His law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day." (Jer 44:22,23)

        Could anything be clearer? God is telling us exactly what will happen to those who continue worshiping the sun and moon.   Destruction will be the total and eternal! Yet the Lord pleads for His people to return to Him for why will ye die?   Lay aside every false vision, every false message, every false apparition and worship God only!   Hereby you will show your love for God and His perfect, eternal sacrifice of Jesus who died for you. Love God, and worship Him only!
 
        (23) "As predicted, Francisco and Jacinta soon died. The little boy from flu in April 1919, and his sister from pleurisy in February 1920."
 
        (Comment 23) - Though it would seem to authenticate the visions, the coming to pass of a prophecy of an early death for two of the children does not prove heavenly origin of the message.   The enemy takes lives through sickness, or he can heal those he made sick.   The greater proof is knowing who the person worships.
 
        (24) "Before she died, little Jacinta revealed some little known statements made by the apparition. Here are some of them:   "'More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.'   "'Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend our Lord very much.' "'Many marriages are not good; they do not please our Lord and are not of God.' "'The blessed mother can no longer restrain the hand of her divine son from striking the world with just punishment for its many crimes.' "'If the government of a country leaves the church in peace and gives liberty to our holy religion, it will be blessed by God.'

        "'Tell everybody that God gives grace through the immaculate heart of Mary.  Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the immaculate heart of Mary.   Ask them to plead for peace from the immaculate heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her.'"
 
        (Comment 24)  -   Much truth is in these statements except Jacinta's understanding of hell is different from Scripture. Nevertheless her words about hell are true, for the word "sheol" or hell in Scripture means "the grave." When a person dies they do go down into hell.   "The blessed mother can no longer restrain the hand of her son...." this is another lie.   It is not dead Mary but the vast love and mercy of God who waits and waits for people to turn to Him in love and obedience.   He is not eager to strike or be vindictive in any way, but He is just and will not wait forever. His patience is soon to end and He has sent special prophets with end time messages for this last generation that urge us to repentance and reformation. (See EGW)
At Fatima, the apparition spoke repeatedly of the 'triumph of her immaculate heart.' What does this term mean and what will it be? Religious experts say that according to the reported messages this reflects the message of the Gospel, and that man is very close to experiencing a much-prophesied victory of good over evil, which the Gospel promises to all the world. These experts must be oblivious to our modern culture which gives every indication of "going to hell in a hand basket."   Mankind is not getting better.   It is becoming more and more degraded as it departs farther and farther from God's commandments.

        The church experts believe this is the victory Jesus Christ promised His apostles, disciples and followers. Victory was won on the cross, which is true, and now is presented to the world through the hands of His mother Mary,   whom Christ gave to all mankind at the foot of the cross on the day of His crucifixion which is a blatant lie.   Thus we see the strange blend of truth and error that creates doctrines of devils rather than the truth of God.

        The apparition says before this victory, the world will be marked by a period of suffering. Many of the messages state that we are in 'the great tribulation' period written about in the Bible that will bring purification to all of mankind (only the elect will be purified). By the time you read this message, we may be in fierce tribulation, but this was not the case in 1917 when these particular visions were given. We cannot deny that the horrors of war are a form of tribulation, but the end time trouble will be much worse than anybody can imagine.

        The messages state that a period of time will be filled with the divine mercy of Jesus Christ. Many souls will be saved and turn back to God. We hope this will be the case but we have yet to see it happen.   The mercy and love of Jesus will transform the world into a new heavenly garden of peace and joy (the New Ager's age of Aquarius beginning in the year 2,000). The messages go on to say that this coming age must begin with each individual and family, and through faith and prayer, become the cornerstone of society. It is a peace founded on fidelity and self-giving and strengthened by sacrifice and love.
 
        This then will be the triumph of the immaculate heart which the apparition said at Fatima would occur in the world, a triumph of love over sin and hate in each person's heart throughout the world. The apparition said that the conversion of Russia will tell the world, like a marker on human history, that the triumph has begun. A decisive moment will occur.
At the event in 1917, the enemy set the tone for all subsequent meetings with the apparition and the message to be given.   This is the base of beliefs upon which the hundreds of appearances today have built upon.   The children innocently related a false plan of salvation, revealed not by the Holy Spirit of our Heavenly Father, but rather by Satan, the father of lies. All the apparitions of Mary today continually reinforce the original theme of the first message pray the rosary, pray to the immaculate heart of Mary, through her to Jesus and the Father.

        Scripture says we have direct access to the Father through Jesus alone, that there is no other name through which we have eternal life.   We do not need a Mary or a priest to intercede for us. Jesus Christ is our intercessor in the most holy place in heaven above. (Heb.7:25,26; Rom 8:26,27,34)   We have a direct communication line to heaven if we desire to keep it open. Jesus said, "No man comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6)

        At Fatima, there were three messages that were given to the children which they were not to tell. Finally in 1927 Lucy, who by this time had become a nun, was given the permission by the apparition to reveal the first two parts, which was the vision of hell and to give devotion to the immaculate heart of Mary. The third was not to be revealed and to this day its contents are not know except to pope John Paul II. There has been much speculation about what is in the message which has been recently revealed. It has to do with some dire warning about a coming disaster.  Pope John Paul II in an interview with a small group of German Catholics in November of 1980, said in regard to the third message: "On the other hand, it should be sufficient for all Christians to know this much: If there is a message in which   it is said   that THE OCEANS WILL FLOOD ENTIRE SECTIONS OF THE EARTH,   THAT FROM   ONE   MOMENT   TO THE OTHER,   MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL PERISH... there is no longer any point in really wanting to publish this secret message... many want to know merely out of curiosity, or because of their taste for sensationalism,   but they forget that 'to know'   implies for them a responsibility."

        He went on to say:   "We must be prepared to undergo trials in the not-too distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ." This statement is true for the trials are already coming to many saints.   God is requiring all to give themselves completely to Christ, to let the Holy Spirit put self to death.   Many times the apparition exhorted people to make reparation for other people.  

        Examples of this are found in Scripture, such as Job praying for His children, Abraham, the prophets, Jesus, etc. But the kind of reparation suggested by the apparition is not Scriptural in any way.   We are instructed to pray intercessory prayers that the Holy Spirit will help the one we are praying for, whether it is for spiritual or physical needs. Our prayers do not save a person, but they do allow God to work more for that person in response to our prayers.
It is no use praying for the dead, because they cannot be changed.   "For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything." (Eccl. 9:5)

        Clearly 1)   Praying the rosary. 2) Wearing the Scapular 3)   Making the communion of reparation of the first Saturday of each month (includes, confession, communion,  rosary,   and spend at least 15 minutes in meditation upon the mysteries of the rosary) is not according to Scripture and is of no use whatsoever for our salvation or the salvation of anyone else.  Always the attention is directed toward Mary and the rosary, rather than coming to the Lord in repentance, and seeking Him to forgive us of our sins.   Jesus commanded us to pray to our Heavenly Father, not to the apparition of Mary.