Somebody Call Jack Chick!
Ninety years ago, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima. The apparition, since called “Our Lady of Fatima,” made three predictions to prove that she was who she claimed to be. One vision was a lake of fire. One vision was of Russia becoming Christian again. The third was never revealed, and has been the subject of much speculation.
Many accuse the Vatican of hiding details about the end of the world. The vision, according this group, revealed exact details about the end of the world. The Vatican has been accused of suppressing the details, hiding it from the general public. Why? To what point and purpose would they hide something like that?
It seems that when people ascribe certain behaviors to a group, especially a large and monolithic entity like the Vatican, they forget that such an organization acts in the best interest of all the people involved. In other words, there is a reason that they do everything that they do. There is no particular reason to hide this final vision, if it indeed was integral to the end times.
All of the Scriptural indicators of the end times are in place. If the Vatican has advanced knowledge that the rest of us don’t have, then now is the time to show it, so that all who call themselves Christians can be better prepared in the Tribulation. Of course, I’m a historicist, so I believe that the Tribulation is going on now as I (along with all the faithful) await the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior.
Of course the Vatican denies that they are hiding anything. The Vatican’s Secretary of State and second-in-command of the Catholic Church, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, explained that they are not hiding anything, and all of the visions have been revealed. The third vision, he explains, predicted the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Not only has the former pope declared this, but it was confirmed by Sister Lucia (the last remaining Fatima visionary) on her deathbed in 2005.
This has all the makings of another anti-Catholic, conspiracy laden, historically false Chick tract.
Guess what the crazy part is? I believe that the Catholic Church is telling the truth. Why? Because to what point and purpose would they lie about something like this? If they really had inside information on the end of the world, it would help all of the faithful. If that is the purpose of the Church, to serve the faithful, then it only makes sense that if they had the information that they should share it.
There is, of course, a Scriptural reason I don’t believe that the vision of Fatima heralds the end of the world. Jesus said that no one knows the hour except the Father alone. Now, if Jesus didn’t know the appointed hour of the end times, why in the world would anyone believe that Mary knows?
Yes, I make fun of Chick tracts. They’re poorly drawn and evidence of a man with a deteriorating grasp on reality. But many of them are really good, they do present the gospel message in a readable and fun way, and they can become excellent witness tools if used properly. In the case of Mary, I couldn’t have said this any better myself, so I’m not going to try! Common sense forces me to disagree with the part of this tract that connects Mary to ancient pagan deities, but neither do I know enough comparative theology to authoritatively dissent with what Mr. Chick reports. I have a general enough grasp on ancient mythology to say with certainty that the deities (and their roles) are accurate as presented. It isn’t a great leap forward to assume that they are the foundation of the Marian dogmas. But I think that by taking Christ out of the limelight using devotions to Mary, as well as declaring the pope “Vicar of Christ” and each priest an “alter Christus” (another Christ) and declaring the sacrifice at Calvary an ongoing sacrifice in the Eucharist that the Roman Catholic system exerts control over the faithful by asking them to place trust in the Church and not in Christ.
I still don’t believe that the Church is suppressing details about this vision, as many authors and Vatican watchers suspect. But I do believe in the message of this Chick tract wholeheartedly: Rome’s gospel doesn’t save. Only Jesus Christ does that, perfectly with each life the Father calls to repentance, with the sacrifice offered once for all upon the cross.
I’m no fan of the Catholic Church, but I don’t believe that they are hiding anything about that either. I don’t believe it because if Jesus didn’t know the appointed time, there is no way Mary would. That Catholics even think that she might saddens me just a little bit.
