HopeLives365

Mark Finley: Even a casual look at the newspaper today or a glance at the TV news indicates that we're living in very critical times. This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: The End Time Prophecies. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up-to-date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com.

I'd like to take you back to a beautiful spring day in Portugal. The date is May 13th, 1917. Three young people, Portuguese shepherds, are herding their sheep in a remote area: Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. And as they're herding their sheep, everything seems to be quite common, nothing unusual, until a bright light appears in the heavens and they have a purported vision of the Virgin Mary.

According to their story, and particularly in Lucia's memoirs, the Virgin Mary appeared to them a number of times. The Virgin Mary revealed three specific secrets, and those young people were astounded at those secrets. The secrets had to do with hell. They had to do with death. They had to do with war. They had to do with Bible prophecy. Now the question is, was that really the Virgin Mary that appeared to them, or could it have been an evil angel purporting to be Mary?

What does the Bible really teach? First, let's look at the real truth about Mary. we find it here in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1. In Luke chapter 1, the angel comes to Mary, a virgin, and tells her that she is with child. She can't believe it because she's never been with a man. But the angel explains to her in Luke 1, verse 35, the angel answered and said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

The angel reveals to Mary that God has chosen her to bear Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the world. As the angel explains this to Mary, she responds that this is impossible, she's not been with man. And the angel says, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word." The first thing we notice about Mary is that she was righteous. She was committed to God. She was a pure, holy woman.

But is there anything in the Bible at all about Mary ascending to heaven without seeing death? Nothing. The Bible is silent on that. What's the general teaching of the Bible regarding death? Well, in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 5, we read this: "The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything." So according to Scripture, the dead don't know anything. Do the dead praise the Lord? If Mary were up in heaven, she certainly would be praising the Lord.

Psalm 115, verse 17: "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down to silence." So here the Bible is abundantly plain. Death is but a rest, a sleep till the coming of Jesus. The dead know not anything. The dead praise not the Lord. Now if a person dies, can they ever return to earth through some disembodied spirit or some angelic form? Is that possible?

Well, we find the answer to that question in the book of Job. Here is the truth about the Virgin Mary. She was a holy, righteous woman. she died and the Bible makes it very, very plain in Job chapter 7, looking there at verse 9: "As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never," now notice the word never, "he shall never return to his house nor shall his place know him anymore."

So the Bible is very plain. When a person dies, they don't know anything. When a person dies, they don't go up to heaven to praise the Lord. When a person dies, they shall never return to their place. So then, who could it have been that appeared to these children if indeed it was not the Virgin Mary? If the Bible never says she ascended to heaven, if the Bible says that the dead don't know anything, that they're not praising the Lord, if the Bible says they can never return to their house, who could that have been?

Might it have been the devil or one of his angels masquerading as Mary to bring deception? Look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, verse 14. Notice what the Bible says. The Bible provides answers. It provides the real truth about these visions and about end time. 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, verse 14: "No wonder, Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light." So the devil can masquerade. He can take the form of human beings. He can be like a ventriloquist who models their voices. Now why would the devil do that? Let's go back to Fatima, these visions of Mary, purported visions of Mary, and the three secrets of them.

Guest (Male): The first secret was sealed, as was the second and third. Eventually, these secrets were given to the Pope of Rome, who recently has divulged them. Here is the first vision in the first secret. Lucinda experienced this vision on July 4, 1917, and she begins to discuss this in her memoirs, which were later unsealed and read by the Pope. She opened her hands once more, that's Mary, purportedly to be Mary, as she had done two previous months.

I'm quoting from the memoir, quoting from the vision. The rays of light appeared to penetrate the earth and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in the fire, we saw the demons and the souls of the damned. The latter were like the transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke.

Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair which horrified us and made us tremble with fright. It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out as people say they heard me. The demons were distinguished from the souls of the damned by their terrifying, repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. The vision only lasted for a moment, thanks to our good heavenly mother who at the first apparition had promised to take us to heaven. Without that, I think we would have died in terror and fear.

Mark Finley: So what's that first vision? That first vision is a vision of so-called hell. It's burning and these souls are there and they're crying and they're screaming. What does the Bible really teach about hell? Does it teach anything like this first vision? The first thing we notice is the character of God. 1st John chapter 4, verse 8, here's what the Bible says: "For God is love." Can you picture a loving God tormenting people in the fires of hell for millions and millions and millions and trillions of years?

How could we ever say that God was a God of love? Many people have turned away from God because of that. Robert Ingersoll, one of the famous atheists who's written against Christianity, says, "I can never be a Christian because of this hideous doctrine of hell." But yet the Bible is very clear. God is a God of love. What does the Bible teach about the destruction of the wicked? I have said to some friends who have believed that hell is eternal torment that torments people forever and ever and ever, I've said well, the Bible's hell is actually hotter than the hell you believe in. They said what do you mean by that, Pastor Mark?

Well, let me read it for you in Malachi chapter 4. The Bible does teach that sin and sinners will be destroyed. It does teach that the fires of hell will consume the wicked. But notice what it says, Malachi 4, verse 1: "For behold the day is coming," notice hell's not some hot spot in the center of the earth, the day is coming, "burning like an oven. All the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly will be stubble. The day which is coming shall burn them up."

Notice the wicked will be consumed. I can understand how a loving God has desired to save humanity, and he's done everything he could to save humanity. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ. Christ has come, lived in human flesh, lived the life we should have done, faced the temptations of Satan head-on, and died the death that we should have died. Jesus says, "Come unto me, all you that are burdened and heavy-laden and I'll give you rest."

So I can picture this Christ who's done everything he could to save us, who's worked in our hearts to draw us to him, who has arranged circumstances in our life so we would know him, who died to open the doors of heaven that were shut because of sin, who took the condemnation of guilt and shame upon himself. I can understand how that Christ with tears in his eyes must stamp sin out of the universe, must do away with evil and wickedness after he's given every human being a chance. But my mind could never understand the hideous doctrine that he would burn people for hell and somehow we'd be in heaven and we'd hear the screams of hell and see the smoke from hell ascending. That's not the teaching of the Bible.

Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of Scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Psalm 37, verse 20, notice how clear the Bible is on this topic. Psalm 37, and you're looking there at verse 20. See, the devil wants to incite fear. And because of that fear, he desires us to be so fearful of God that we run from God. Psalm 37, verse 20: "But the wicked shall perish," what'll happen to the wicked? They'll perish. "And the enemies of the Lord like the splendor of the meadows shall vanish into smoke. They shall vanish away."

Now the Bible is very plain. The wicked are consumed. The wicked are like ashes. The wicked are burned up. The wicked perish. So we notice from that first secret that this is not God communicating, but this is rather an angel of light, the evil one, trying to instill fear to drive people away from God, where reasonable people say, "If that's what God is like, I don't want anything to do with him." But notice the second secret. The second secret of Vatican has to do with war and the end times. In that second secret purportedly given to these young people that day, the secret has to do with this.

It has to do with final conflict and war. It has to do with the rise of Russia in the Second World War and on. It's an appeal to have the hearts of Russia and all atheistic nations consecrated to the heart, the immaculate heart, of the Virgin Mary. And it says that if that happened, peace would be on earth. And if it didn't, after the Second World War, there would be continued wars, continued bloodshed until all the atheistic powers were converted, and then there would be peace on earth.

Is that the scene the Bible gives? Does the Bible give a scene of all atheistic powers converted? Does the Bible give us a scene of future bloodshed and Russia being involved in that? That's not really what we find in Scripture. What do we find in Scripture? The Bible teaches that right up until the end, there will be wars and rumors of wars. The Bible does not picture the conversion of the world and peace in our society.

In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places." So here's what the Bible predicts about end time. As we come to the crisis at the close, the Bible predicts that there'll be war and rumors of war. The Bible predicts that there'll be bloodshed. We see that happening all around us.

The Bible predicts also that there'll be famines. We see hunger around the world today. The Bible predicts that there'll be pestilences. We have just come out of one of the greatest pestilences in modern times with COVID-19 and the SARS-2 virus. We have seen literally millions of people die. The Bible also makes another quite remarkable prediction about the coming of Christ. We find it in Revelation, the 11th chapter and the 18th verse. Revelation chapter 11, verse 18. This is I think one of the more significant, one of the more startling passages in all the Bible.

Revelation 11:18, Revelation 19: "The nations were angry. Your wrath has come, the time of the dead that they should be judged and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth." Notice what the Bible says. The time of the dead has come that all the world would be judged, that God would give his reward to his servants the prophets. But then the last phrase: "You should destroy them that destroy the earth."

Christ would come at a time when the human race had the capacity to destroy itself. Never before in history has this planet had the capacity to wipe life off the face of earth through thermonuclear warfare. Could it be in the trauma of our time, could it be that we are approaching World War III, could it be that we're approaching a time when nuclear weaponry could be used? The Bible does not predict it will be, but it says Christ will come at a time when the nations are at war, when the nations have the capacity to destroy themselves.

But in contradistinction to this, you find the Fatima prophecies. And that second prophecy is amazing because it's an appeal to the Pope of Rome to consecrate Russia to the immaculate heart of Mary. Let me read to you this remarkable statement in this prophecy. I'm reading now from the memoirs. There's a recommendation for the devotion of the immaculate heart of Mary as a way to save souls, bring peace to the world.

This prophecy, that is the second secret at Fatima, predicted an end to the Great War, World War II, but it predicted a worse war if people didn't cease offending to God. This war would be presaged by a night illuminated by an unknown light as a great sign that chastisement was near. To avert this, Mary would return to ask for the consecration of Russia to the immaculate heart and the consecration of the first Sundays' devotion. If her requests were heeded, Russia would be converted, there would be peace. If not, the errors would continue through the world, there would be war, there would be persecution.

Now, Pope Pius XII in his apostolic letter *Sacro Vergente Anno* of July 7, 1952, consecrated Russia to the Blessed Virgin. He wrote, "Just as a few years ago we consecrated the entire human race to the immaculate heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today we consecrate in a most special manner we entrust all peoples of Russia to his immaculate heart." Presently, the current Pope is also having a special mass to consecrate Russia. Now do not misunderstand. All people of good will everywhere are praying for peace.

All good-will people of everywhere are praying for Russia. They're praying for Ukraine, they're praying for Eastern Europe: Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia. We are to pray for our leaders, pray that the spirit of God comes down upon them. But just as the first secret of Fatima told a biblical falsehood about hell, so the second secret of Fatima tells a biblical falsehood about peace coming to the earth and this earth being entered into a era of peace.

The Bible talks about the fact that peace will never come to this world until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, returns. The Bible says, "Behold he comes with clouds," Revelation 1:7, "and every eye will see him." The Bible says in Psalm 50, verse 4, that he comes and he will not keep silence. The Bible says in 1st Thessalonians 4:16, 17, and 18, it says, "I write these things," Paul says, "that you sorrow not as others who have no hope." It says, "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a voice, with a trumpet, with the voice of God, the trumpet of the archangel.

The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are alive shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." The great hope of mankind is not a peace on earth. The great hope of mankind is the coming of Jesus Christ. The great hope of mankind is the return of Jesus where disease and disaster and death will be no more. The great hope of mankind is the coming of Jesus where there will be no more, no more war, no more want, no more worry.

The appeal of Christ to your heart, the appeal of Christ to my heart is to be ready for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus speaks to you today: "Let not your heart be troubled." There'll be war, there'll be famine, there'll be pestilence, there'll be earthquake, there'll be fire, there'll be flood. But Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again."

World peace will only come when the Prince of Peace comes, when evil is destroyed, when wickedness is rooted out of the universe, when Satan and his evil angels are eradicated forever, when the fires of hell consume this old world and we look forward to a new heavens and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells. Deep within every one of our hearts there is a battle between good and evil. There is a battle between Christ and Satan. Would you like to say, Jesus, I'm opening my heart to you right now. Jesus, wherever I am, all I want is to know you, to love you, to serve you.

Lord, take evil out of my heart so I can live in a universe where there is no evil. Lord, come by your Holy Spirit and change me. And Lord, fill my heart with hope, fill my heart with peace, fill my heart with joy, knowing that the Prince of Peace is soon to come. Would you like to pray with me? Father in heaven, fill our hearts with your peace, fill our hearts with your strength, fill our hearts with your love and help us to know that you're a loving God, that you'll not burn sinners in hell forever, but you will eradicate evil from the universe. Help us to know that your kingdom is coming. It's not that the nations of the earth will be converted and there'll be peace, but it is that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, shall return and one day we can live with him forever. In Christ's name, Amen.

Guest (Female): You've been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: I love what it says in *Great Controversy*, page 517: "Those who follow Christ are safe under his watch. Angels that excel in strength are sent from heaven to protect them." The wicked, listen to this, the wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has stationed around his people. In the battle between good and evil, in this intergalactic conflict between Christ and Satan, in this great controversy between the forces of righteousness and the forces of wickedness, Jesus provides us with divine aid in the angels. In ways the human mind can never understand and human eyes cannot see and human ears cannot hear, angels are among us today to give us guidance in our perplexity, to give us courage in our confusion, to give us hope in our despair, to give us protection in our trials. Rejoice.