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ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine in All Bible Verses
Foreword - The Increasing Number of Marian Apparitions Worldwide
The Apparitions
La Salette, France
Knock, Ireland (1879)
Lourdes, France (1858)
Fatima, Portugal (1917)
Cairo, Egypt (1968 - 1971)
Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (1981)
The Ukraine (1987)
The Effort To Usurp God's Place
Mary The All Important One?
Mary - The Compassionate One?
The Sabbath - Reserved For Mary?
‘Mary’s’ Huge Sense of Self Importance
Crushing The Head of The Serpent
The Immaculate Conception
The Miraculous Medal
Foreword - The Increasing Number of Marian Apparitions Worldwide
(Foreword based on Apparitions of the Virgin Mary: A Protestant Look at a Catholic Phenomenon: by Kenneth R. Samples)
The word "apparition" comes from the late Latin word apparitio which means "appearance" or "presence...
Predominantly associated with the Roman Catholic church, Marian apparitions are supernatural events in which the Virgin Mary is alleged to have appeared to one or more people. Most apparitions feature Mary on her own but there have been infrequent occasions when the witnesses claim to have seen other figures with her, such as a saint or Jesus.
Throughout the middle ages countless numbers of supernatural manifestations were reported to the church. These included everything from physical healings (often connected to ancient relics) to statues and crucifixes some of which were reported to have bled.
Although many of these unusual occurrences have been discredited or rejected in modern times, the most enduring and recognizable apparitions are those of the "Blessed Virgin Mary" (as she is commonly called by Catholics). In fact, although official statistics are not kept, some Catholic theologians have speculated that there have been as many as 21,000 (single or repeat) claimed sightings of Mary throughout history.
Though this figure may be excessive, the Vatican "has acknowledged a 'surprising increase' in recent years in claims of 'pseudo-mysticism, presumed apparitions, visions and messages' associated with Mary."
Although Marian scholar Rene Laurentin has counted over 200 reported apparitions in the last 60 years alone, only 16 have been officially recognized by the Vatican. According to The Catholic Company they are
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico, 1531), Our Lady of Lezajsk (Poland, 1578), Our Lady of Silvua (Lithuania, 1608 - 1612), Our Lady of Laus (France, 1664 -1718), Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal(Paris, France, 1830)
Our Lady of Zion (Rome, 1842), Our Lady of La Salette (France, 1846), Our Lady of Lourdes (France, 1858), Our Lady of Pontmain (France, 1871), Our Lady of Gietrzwald (Poland, 1877), Our Lady of Knock (Ireland, 1879), Our Lady Help of Christians(Czech Republic, 1885),
Our Lady of Fatima (Portugal, 1917), Our Lady of the Golden Heart (Belgium, 1932), Our Lady of Banneux (Belgium, 1933), Our Lady of Kibeho (Rwanda, 1981 -1989)
Adding that "There are actually several apparitions that have not been approved by the Vatican but have been approved by local bishops" [01] that are considered both significant and important.
With shrines dedicated to specific apparitions attracting millions of pilgrims each year, it is clear that these manifestations are not only having a substantial impact on the almost one-billion-member Roman Catholic church, but are also attracting the attention of millions of people throughout the world.
Thus the phenomena demands careful examination in the light of Scripture
La Salette, France (1846)
Our Lady of La Salette is a reported Marian apparition that occurred on September 19, 1846, when an apparition appeared to two children tending sheep in the French Alps near Corps. The children described her as sitting with her face in her hands, dressed in a white gown and a yellow apron, wearing a crown of roses, and a shawl with roses on the border (in some accounts she was also surrounded by a bright light)
|She appeared to be weeping and delivered a message of reconciliation and repentance, adding a warning regarding the neglect of Sunday rest and blasphemy. Fewer and fewer people were attending Mass and the sacraments were neglected. Cursing had overtaken praying; licentiousness, purity; and greed and self-indulgence, piety and sacrifice.
If the situation did not improve , there would be great disasters - the harvest would fail and a great famine would ensue causing people to starve as the Lady could no longer restrain her Son from inflicting punishment. In 'her' words,
"If my people will not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my Son's arm. [02]
Knock, Ireland (1879)
The Story of Knock began on the 21st of August, 1879 when at approximately 8 o'clock in the evening, fifteen people from the village of Knock in Co. Mayo (near Lisbon), witnessed an Apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, a Lamb and cross on an altar at the gable wall of the Parish Church.
The witnesses watched the Apparition in the pouring rain for two hours, reciting the Rosary. Although they themselves were soaked to the skin not a single drop of rain fell on the gable or vision. There were fifteen official witnesses to the apparition, most of whom were from the village of Knock and surrounding areas and ranged in age from just 5 to 74 years old. Each of the witnesses gave testimonies to a Commission of Enquiry in October 1879. The findings of the Commission were that the testimonies were both trustworthy and satisfactory...
One witness - Patrick Hill said
Her hands were raised to the height of the shoulders, as if in prayer, with the palms facing one another, but slanting inwards towards the face; the palms were not turned towards the people, but facing each other as I have described; she appeared to be praying; her eyes were turned as I saw towards heaven.
She wore a brilliant crown on her head, and over the forehead where the crown filled the brow, a beautiful rose; the crown appeared brilliant, and of a golden brightness, of a deeper hue, inclined to a mellow yellow, than the striking whiteness of the robes she wore; the upper parts of the crown appeared to be a series of sparkles, or glittering crosses.
At times she appeared, and all the figures appeared, to move out and again to go backwards; I saw them move; she did not speak; I went up very near; one old woman went up and embraced the Virgin’s feet., and she found nothing in her arms and hands; they receded, she said, from her." [03]
Lourdes, France (1858),
The miracles claimed to have been performed by Mary in Lourdes in southwestern France's Pyrenees mountains are probably why this appearance has better known than most of the others.
Lourdes has become a premier Catholic pilgrimage site. Some 6 million pilgrims come to the shrine each year to pray, to light candles in the grotto, attend Mass, seek healing by bathing in and drinking the waters of the spring, and touch the rock where Bernadette Soubirous (a miller's daughter from Lourdes) said the Virgin appeared.
Interestingly, Bernadette described the lady as wearing a white veil, a blue girdle and with a yellow rose on each foot - a description that apparently was compatible with statues of the Virgin in village churches.
More about this in the section on Psychological Factors
Most reported healings turn out to have purely natural causes. Pope Saint Pius X established the Lourdes Medical Bureau (that is not not under Church supervision) to investigate cases of medical miracles. Since then they have investigated thousands of cases alleged to have occurred at Lourdes but formally declared only about seventy to be miracles that had no scientific explanation. This has not discouraged the every day person for whom Lourdes continues to be an important symbol of faith, healing, hope, and comfort.
Although Bernadette herself had severe chronic asthma and eventually contracted tuberculosis of the lungs and bones, it is said that she never returned to Lourdes to seek healing for herself.
Fatima, Portugal (1917)
Every year on May 13 Catholics around the world celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, commemorating the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.
These apparitions, witnessed by three cousins - Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta who were approximately ten, nine, and seven years old, began on May 13, 1917 and continuing monthly through Oct. 13, 1917. All six took place on the 13th of each month with the exception of August when the three children were detained by civil authorities. This event, steeped in spiritual significance, has become one of the most well-known Marian apparitions drawing millions of pilgrims and believers seeking healing, peace, and divine guidance.
The lady described as 'pretty' said she had come "from Heaven" and instructed them to return to the spot on the thirteenth day of the month for the next six months, they would then be told who the Lady was and what she wanted.
A Description Of Hell
On other occasions they were told to say the rosary and pray especially to be "saved from the fires of hell." In her memoirs Sister Lucy described the vision of hell that "Mary" showed the children at Fatima telling them that many would go to hell because they had no one to pray or make sacrifices for them.
"The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair" who emitted "shrieks and groans of pain and despair "... The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals." [04]
One recently deceased friend of the children was in Heaven but another was in Purgatory "till the end of the world"
All three apparently stuck fast to their story in spite of being interrogated by a local atheist administrator and, in Lucia's case, being beaten by her mother for telling lies.
Link To In Depth Articles On Heaven, Hell And Purgatory At The End Of The Page
The events culminated on October 13, 1917, with the "Miracle of the Sun," witnessed by 70,000 people who assembled at the Cova kneeling, weeping and praying
The Lady appeared, announcing that she was Our Lady of the Rosary and that the war would end that day (in fact it did not end till thirteen months later). Then she disappeared and the famous "miracle of the sun" took place. The rain had ceased, and when Lucia cried out "Look at the sun!" (in which she claimed to see in turn Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St Joseph with the Holy Child, and Our Lord), the crowd stared at the sun which appeared to spin, give out coloured rays, zigzag from east to west, fall towards the earth - making those present fear that it was the end of the world, - and return to its place.
This was not seen by everyone in the crowd, although some people ten kilometres from Fatima saw it. Other reported solar phenomena, both during the period of the apparitions and afterwards, were a sun casting rainbow - coloured light over everything, a "luminous globe," a "night-time star" and a "rain of flowers". [05]
See Solar Phenomena
Cairo, Egypt (1968 - 1971)
As said by the Encyclopedia Britannica, 'the Coptic Orthodox Church recognizes a mass apparition in Cairo (over the Coptic Church of St Mary at Zeitoun) during which Mary is said to have appeared many times on the roof of a church in the city's Zeitoun district between 1968 and 1971, drawing crowds of thousands of people. [06] The witnesses included Christians, Muslims, Jews and non-believers and the Coptic Patriarch's representative,
The Coptic Church recognized the apparitions as true appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as did the Coptic Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic Church, and the then Head of the Evangelical Church and Speaker on behalf of all the Protestant Churches of Egypt. Even the Egyptian Government Director of General Information and Complaints Department submitted a report to his superior stating that it was "an undeniable fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing on the Coptic Orthodox Church at Zeitoun ..." The vision maintained a complete silence ...
The apparition appeared on the domes of the church for up to two hours or more at a time, always at night, but not every night and not at regular times. The Lady appeared in glittering light - so bright that her features could not be clearly seen - which streamed across the church. She was invariably preceded or accompanied by luminous "doves," "strange bird-like creatures made of light," which did not flap their wings but glided. The figure moved across the domes bowing and greeting the enormous crowds, estimated at times to be as many as 250,000 people. Sometimes she blessed them or held out an olive branch.
The Patriarch's representative described her as "very quiet, full of glory." Occasionally she was seen holding the Child, or as part of the Holy Family. All prayed in their own way - Moslems reciting the Koran on their prayer mats, Greeks saying prayers, Copts singing hymns. The "doves" were consistently mentioned by eyewitnesses. Other phenomena were a "shower of diamonds," a glowing red cloud, and billowing clouds of incense. Spectacular and medically authenticated cures took place, although as at the other shrines, these were few in number compared with the multitudes of sick people. [07]
Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (1981)
On the 24th of June 1981 six children saw a light on a hillside on a young woman holding a child who gestured them to come closer. Although they immediately thought her to be Our Lady it frightened them. When she appeared (on the opposite hill) in a flash of light without the child they went up to her and began to pray. One report says they the same great light encircling the woman as if she were "clothed with the sun,"
On the third day the Lady appeared after three flashes of light. One of the girls, clutching a jar of holy water, said to the apparition, "if you are satan, go away," and received the reply, "I am the Blessed Virgin Mary". [08]
By the fifth evening the six young people were joined by a crowd of five thousand.
The vision appeared weekly at about 6 p.m., during the recitation of the rosary, over the past few years. She was dressed in grey with a white veil, but wore a gold-sequinned dress at Easter and at Christmas, when she held the Child. Sometimes the "Gospa" (Croatian for "Lady" or "Our Lady") came to the young people at home, especially if they were ill, praying with them for five minutes to half an hour.
They were shown visions of heaven, hell and purgatory. (In heaven angels flew and people in grey, pink and yellow robes walked about, singing and praying. Purgatory, a place of mist, resounded to the noise of hammering on prison bars. In the fires of hell, men and women emerged unrecognizable as human beings.) ...
The Gospa told the seers that she suffered because of the sinfulness of humanity, and that she and satan were engaged in a great battle for souls. Medjugorje would be the last place where she would appear - all future visions would be false. There would be a great sign on the hillside to convert unbelievers. Ten secrets were given to the young people, believed to be apocalyptic and warning of possible disasters to come.
As the Vatican refuses to reveal Fatima's third secret, so the Franciscans are believed to be playing down the more sensational aspects of the Gospa's revelations...
In 1993, four of the young people were still seeing visions. Cures have been claimed, and various phenomena reported. The sun has rotated, mysterious "fires" and "rainbows" without rain have been seen, a thirty foot high stone cross on the mountainside has spun round and round, and the word "MIR" (Peace) appeared over the mountain in letters of white light, and could be seen by everyone in Medjugorje. [9]
Link To In Depth Articles On Heaven, Hell And Purgatory At The End Of The Page
In the beginning the apparition made her messages known to the visionaries on a daily basis. Between March 1984 and the end of 1985 she did so only weekly, but from January 1987 onwards her messages came monthly. However, the apparition now appears annually to three of the visionaries. [10]
Although after years of investigation in 2019 Pope Francis officially approved Pilgrimages to Medjugorje. It was stressed that this was not a recognition of the events that needed more investigation. Medjugorje's official Vatican status is nihil obstat ie. "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way. Catholics can visit and practice devotion to "Our Lady, Queen of Peace" without being obliged to believe the apparitions are authentic.
Although there are literally hundreds of other appearances for the purposes of this article one more example will suffice.
The Ukraine (1987)
has been visionary territory for centuries, and in 1987 the Virgin was said to have appeared at fifteen different locations. On April 26th, 1987, a thirteen year old peasant girl from Hriushiw saw a light above a derelict chapel. A woman dressed in black, with a child in her arms, appeared in the light, saying that the Ukrainians had been chosen to lead the Russians back to God.
The girl called her sister and mother, who immediately declared that it must be the Bogoroditsa [Slavonic term for the "Mother of God" or "God-bearer" (Theotokos) More about this term HERE
From then on, streams of people flowing into the village increased, until half a million claimed to have seen the Bogoroditsa, whose outline even appeared on television on May 13th, the anniversary of the Fatima appearance. Communist authorities failed to stop the crowds and "Pravda" pronounced it the work of extremists trying to wreck Perestroika. [11]
The Effort To Usurp God's Place
Aside from the fact that it is both unethical and morally wrong for someone to take credit for something he or she did not do, it is also the height of folly (to say nothing of positively dangerous) to attempt to do the same with God who clearly stated
"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to idols." (Isaiah 42:8 NASB)
Nor will he allow another to receive the honor which is due Him. Herod tried and met a terrible fate
On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people repeatedly cried out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:21-23 NASB)
Yet "Mary" has repeatedly attempted to take the glory for herself.
Mary - The All Important One?
Fatima
Over the course of the seven messages given the three children in Fatima the apparition mentioned praying the rosary some nine times, said she was "the lady of the rosary" twice, and mentioned her "Immaculate Heart" about fifteen times.
In one message she stated that
"In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me". (Emphasis Added) [12]
Medjugorje
The site What is Medjugorje? reports "Mary" as saying (Emphasis Added)
"... in a special way I have chosen this parish, one more dear to me than the others, in which I have gladly remained when the Almighty sent me..." [13]
They explain that this statement was made because (All Emphasis Added)
... Medjugorje is the place, the location through which a plan is actively unfolding. The Virgin Mary is being given a period of time to try and birth the world into holiness. As Our Lady bore Jesus in Her womb those nine months in which the Savior came to term, the world is placed in Her hands for a term to ready it for the return of its Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lady preceded Her Son, and She is now preceding His return, preparing the world for the glorious moment.
Because "we have entered into the greatest battle the world has ever known" ... it makes no sense for an antichrist to rise up to dominate the world without God sending something to counter and get us through tribulation.
"she has been sent as to earth as a "precursor for Christ in preparation for Him, just as John the Baptist was sent to prepare for Christ's coming".
"God has sent someone bigger than Moses. God in His mercy has sent the Holy Virgin Mary in this particular time of grace, to Medjugorje, for Her to deliver us through Medjugorje." In other words "Our Lady is coming to give us messages once each month to be the medicine that Christians will need to live holiness under an antichrist system and to spiritually survive through that system"
So, what in the world is Medjugorje? It can only be answered with many answers. Medjugorje is the great struggle over souls. Our Lady is leading the battle. She is coming to crush the head of the serpent. [14]
Not only is she is purported to have said
"I have come to call the world to conversion for the last time. Afterwards, I will not appear any more on this earth...” May 2, 1982: [15]
One way or another all the emphasis was usually on her...
Medjugorje Message, July 12, 1984 - "Dear children! These days Satan wants to frustrate my plans. Pray that his plan not be realized. [16]
Medjugorje Message, June 25, 1985 - "I invite you to call on everyone to pray the Rosary. With the rosary you shall overcome all the adversities which Satan is trying to inflict on the Catholic Church. All you priests, pray the Rosary! Dedicate your time to the Rosary! ” [17]
Medjugorje Message, January 30, 1986 - ... Dear children, do not allow Satan to get control of your hearts, so you would be an image of Satan and not of me. [18]
Medjugorje Message, February 25, 1988 - "Dear children! Today again I am calling you to prayer to complete surrender to God. You know that I love you and am coming here out of love so I could show you the path to peace and salvation for your souls. I want you to obey me and not permit Satan to seduce you... Pray and let the rosary always be in your hand as a sign to Satan that you belong to me. [19]
Mary - The Compassionate One?
One fact that should raise an enormous red flag is that although she did sometimes mention 'her son', Christ is pretty much conspicuous by His absence. The all-compassionate Savior who died a terrible death in order to save us seems to have retreated into the background It is she who weeps for the sinful state of humanity and she who decides who will be
healed.
For example, when at Fatima Lucia told "Mary" that people had begged her to ask many things of her particularly healing, "Mary" replied (All Emphasis Added)
"Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe." [20]
The apparition of La Salette said,
"If my people will not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my Son’s arm. It is so heavy, so pressing that I can no longer restrain it. How long I have suffered for you! If my Son is not to cast you off, I am obliged to entreat Him without ceasing. But you take not the least notice of that. No matter how well you pray in the future, no matter how well you act, you will never be able to make up to me what I have endured for your sake. [21]
At San Damiano, 1961, 'The Eternal Father is tired, very tired.... He has freed the Demon, who is working havoc." At Oliveto Citra, Italy, in 1985, again we hear, "I can no longer hold back the righteous arm of my Son." [22]
These sayings echo the very popular teachings of some of the Latin saints and preachers of the past
"If God is angry with a sinner, Mary takes him under her protection, she withholds the avenging arm of her Son and saves him" (Alphonsus Liguari). "She is the sure refuge of sinners and criminals from the rigour of the wrath and vengeance of Jesus Christ;" she "binds the power of Jesus Christ to prevent the evil He would do to the guilty" (Jean-Jacques Olier). [23]
The Sabbath - Reserved For Mary?
In La Salette she claimed (Emphasis Added) that she had
"given the people six days for work and reserved the seventh for herself but no one would give it to her". [24]
Scripture tells us the reason God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy was because He 'rested' on the seventh day.
Note: the English translation is not altogether accurate. God, being God, does not need to rest because of tiredness or fatigue. The word literally means "to cease" or "stop".
The Sabbath Commandment had NOTHING to do with Mary nor was it repeated in the New Testament.
Huge Sense of Self Importance
The book of Revelation states,
"I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)
Amazingly, on the vigil of Pentecost, "Mary" said in a message at Medugorje (Emphasis Added)
"... you need the Spirit of Truth to be able to convey the messages just the way they are, neither adding anything to them, nor taking anything whatsoever away from them, but just the way I said them.” [25]
Crushing The Head of The Serpent
In his book The Dancing Sun Desmond Seward, a conservative Roman Catholic, was seeking reassurance for his waning belief. Beginning with Medjugorje he visited the seven European shrines where the Virgin had supposedly materialized during the twentieth century. In his book he said,
According to the visionaries, the Virgin (of Medjugorje) has said that the world is passing through a period of unparalleled darkness.... Satan ... is waging a great battle for souls with the Mother of God, who has been sent from the Eternal Father to warn and hearten them, for, as God told the serpent in Genesis, the woman "shall crush thy head."
A similar message was given in what is often known as
The Miraculous Medal ...
In 1830 Catherine Labouré a young Daughter of Charity novice, was led to the Chapel in the middle of the night where she saw an apparition of Mary who gave her the design of a medal and was told to
"Get a medal struck after this model. Those who wear it when it is blessed will receive great graces, especially if they wear it about the neck. Graces will be abundant for those who have confidence.” [26]
The front of the medal shows Mary standing on a globe, her foot crushing the head of a serpent (supposedly in fulfillment of Genesis 3:15). Rays from her hands symbolize the graces she bestows. On the back,
"the "M” stands for Mary, and the interleaving of her initial and the cross shows Mary’s close involvement with Jesus, her involvement in our world, her role as mother of the Church, and her part in our salvation. [27]
Almost immediately after the medal was made miraculous healings, cures, and conversions occurred and people began clamoring for the Medal of the Immaculate Conception (as it was originally called). Everyone wanted the Medal that Mary had brought from Heaven.
See Does Mary's Foot Crush Satan's Head? HERE (Mary Queen of Heaven?)
The Immaculate Conception
In addition to all of the above The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine that claims that the Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the moment of her conception in her mother's womb. It was decreed a dogma by papal bull on December 8, 1854 by Pope Pius IX (1846 to 1878)
See The Immaculate Conception
Not only is this belief about Mary not found in Scripture, but neither is 'Original Sin'
See Original Sin.. Fact Or Fable?
Many Christians today including most Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Catholics unblushingly subscribe to the view that the sin of Adam was transferred to all future generations tainting even the unborn. This makes me wonder how many of those that profess to believe in Original Sin have given any thought to the fact that sin is not a substance with physical properties that can be transmitted from person to person like a virus.
Much to the contrary, sin is a conscious, willful act performed by an individual (in thought, word or deed) that transgresses God's law. Think about it - sin can not even exist unless a sinner has an immoral, unrighteous thought then acts on it. Besides which, if sin can be inherited there is absolutely no reason why virtue, goodness, and righteousness cannot also be passed on.
What and Where is Hell?
The belief that Hell is a place of unending torment has been so strongly held throughout the history of Christianity that few have dared to challenge it. Anyone who dares to question the traditional viewpoint runs the risk of being labeled a cultist. However, the deeper one delves into the subject the less persuasive the argument in favor of the traditional view become.
If eternal punishment in an unending hell is true it means that everyone has eternal life - it is only a matter of where each one will spend it. Note that in Matthew 19:16 the man who approached Jesus asked what he had to do to obtain eternal life, not what he had to do to ensure he spent it in a good place. This makes perfect sense in light of the fact that in innumerable passages the Bible clearly states that eternal life is a result of redemption. Besides which, one has to play word games in order to believe in the traditional view of hell - i.e take the word "death" to mean eternal life in hell, and the word "perish" to mean "never perish".
However, it is totally pointless to embark on a investigation unless one is prepared to set aside one's denominational presuppositions and other biases and rely strictly on what the Word says. This seems to be easier said than done for many, if not most Christians.
Purgatory
The Catholic Church claims that a person can be forgiven of a sin, yet have to suffer to further atone for the "temporal" portion of that sin. This is a doctrine foreign to the Scriptures but taught as "truth" by Rome. Thus the effort had to be made to find something in the Bible that could possibly justify it.
Much to the contrary the Bible teaches: "Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin." (Hebrews 10:18). In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul said, "I prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."
No intermediate stage.
What and Where is Heaven?
Christians who believe they will spend an eternity in "heaven" seem to have little or no idea where this heaven is, what it will look like, or what they will do once they arrive. Either they have vague, half formed ideas about some ethereal place 'out there' or resort to pious phrases that amount to little more than spiritual gobbledy gook. If this is the best we can do then it is little wonder that non Christians are not in the slightest bit interested in our "heaven" and Christians themselves so rarely seem to look forward to the coming of the kingdom of God.
Luckily the Bible isn't at all silent on where "heaven" is and, even more importantly, what it will be like.
End Notes
[01] The Catholic Company. How many approved Marian apparitions are there?
https://www.catholiccompany.com/blogs/get-fed/how-many-approved-marian-apparitions-are-there
[02] What is the story of Our Lady of La Salette? Catholic Straight Answers
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-story-of-our-lady-of-la-salette/
[03] Gretchen Filz. Aug 20, 2016 Then & Now: The Apparition of Our Lady of Knock
https://www.catholiccompany.com/blogs/magazine/apparition-our-lady-knock-ireland-5872
[04] Sister Lucy of Fatima Describes the Vision of Hell. The Fatima Center.
https://fatima.org/sister-lucy-of-fatima-describes-the-vision-of-hell/]
[05] Miriam Lambouras. The Marian Apparitions: Divine Intervention or Delusion? Orthodox Christian Information Center. http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/marian_apparitions.aspx
[06] https://www.britannica.com/question/What-is-the-significance-of-the-Marian-apparition-at-Knock-Ireland.
Accessed 3 October 2026.
[07] Miriam Lambouras. The Marian Apparitions: Divine Intervention or Delusion? Orthodox Christian Information Center. http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/marian_apparitions.aspx
[08] A short history of Our Lady's apparitions in Medjugorje .
https://www.medjugorje.ws/en/messages/docs-short-history/
[09] Miriam Lambouras. The Marian Apparitions: Divine Intervention or Delusion? Orthodox Christian Information Center. http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/marian_apparitions.aspx
[10] Our Lady of Medjugorje Messages - complete list. https://www.medjugorje.ws/en/messages/all
[11] Miriam Lambouras. The Marian Apparitions: Divine Intervention or Delusion? Orthodox Christian Information Center. http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/marian_apparitions.aspx
[12] https://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/messages/fatima_messages.html
[13] What is Medjugorje?. https://medjugorje.com/what-is-medjugorje/
[14] ibid.
[15] ibid.
[16] https://wap.medjugorje.ws/en/messages/88
[17] https://www.medjugorje.org/msg85.htm
[18] https://wap.medjugorje.ws/en/messages/79
[19] https://www.medjugorje.org/msg88.htm
[20] Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. September 13th, 1917.
https://childrenoftheeucharist.org/message-of-fatima/lady-fatima-fifth-apparition/
[21] What is the story of Our Lady of La Salette? 2026 Catholic Straight Answers.
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-story-of-our-lady-of-la-salette/
[22] Miriam Lambouras The Marian Apparitions: Divine Intervention or Delusion?
https://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/marian_apparitions
[23] Fatima, Tradition, and Politics. Orthodox Reflections. https://tinyurl.com/4ah68hd8
[24] What is the story of Our Lady of La Salette? Catholic Straight Answers.
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-story-of-our-lady-of-la-salette/
[25] Father Finelli's Medugorje Page? Messages?1984. https://www.medugorje.com/messages/1984-2/
[26] A Medal that Changed the World. Central Association of the Miraculous Medal
https://miraculousmedal.org/news-from-camm/a-medal-that-changed-the-world/
[27] Design and Meaning of the Miraculous Medal:
https://vinformation.org/en/vincentian-formation-resources/prayers-celebrations-seasonal/design-and-meaning-mm/
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