Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, actually appear in a vision during the “miracle of Fatima”?

In 1917, three shepherd children claimed to have been visited by Mary just outside Fatima, Portugal, from May 13th to October 13th. They also claimed that the vision had messages for mankind.

Although the children may have experienced a vision or supernatural event, they were not visited by Mary.

Contrary to the beliefs of mainstream Christianity, when people die, they are dead—period. They do not lie around in heaven or eternally roast in hell. Neither do they bide their time in purgatory or roam the earth as ghosts. These popular ideas are man-made inventions based on the “traditions of men” (Mark 7:6-7, 9).

The Bible teaches that “the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing” (Ec. 9:5). Christ Himself said, “…no man has ascended up to heaven” (John 3:13). Even King David, whom God said was “a man after Mine own heart” (Acts 13:22), did not go to heaven when he died (Acts 2:34). The apostle Paul wrote that since all people have sinned (Rom. 3:23), they have earned the wages of sin—death (Rom. 6:23)—not eternal life in hell, heaven or anywhere else! On the other hand, eternal life is a gift from God. It is not something we already inherently possess.

The Bible teaches that all of God’s faithful and righteous servants—David, Moses, Aaron, Sarah, for example—are dead, “asleep in the grave,” awaiting the resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:12-23, 50-54; I Thes. 4:13-17; Heb. 11:39-40). Mary will be resurrected among them. She is still in the grave and cannot speak in a vision to anyone.

This said, the Bible has long warned of people who are deceived by false miracles, dreams and demonic supernatural events (Jer. 14:13-14; 23:16-17, 21, 25-27, 30-32).

For example, in I Samuel 28:3-20, King Saul believed that he was talking to the dead prophet Samuel in a vision. But in reality, he was talking to a demonic spirit that was impersonating Samuel.

As we fast approach the end of Satan’s rule over the earth (II Cor. 4:4; I John 5:19; Rev. 12:9) and the Return of Jesus Christ, false miracles and visions will increase, deceiving humanity (Matt. 24:24; II Thes. 2:9; Rev. 13:13-15; 16:13-14).

To learn more, you may wish to read the following literature:

• The Truth About Hell

• Is There Life After Death?

• What Is Your Reward in the Next Life?