Also, Pope John Paul II explained that “the message that was given at Fátima in 1917 contains the whole truth of the Gospel.” All of this means that above all, the message given by such apparitions must conform to the “revelation,” the Holy Scriptures. Does this really prove to be the case?

What conclusions can be drawn from the visions of a fiery hell given to the shepherds in Fátima? The Scriptures clearly show that sinners are not punished in this way when they die. Jesus himself stated that we should be in fear of the One that can destroy both soul and body, thus showing that the soul can die. Other Bible texts clearly teach that there is no consciousness in death and that the hope of living again is based on the Bible promise of a future resurrection.​—Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; John 5:28, 29.

But what if, as was the case at Fátima, the apparition invites mankind to repent and asks believers to pray for the conversion of sinners? Interestingly, a book in favor of apparitions, entitled Fàtima​—Merveille du XX^e siècle (Fátima—​Marvel of the 20th Century), quotes the priest, who was at that time in Fátima, as expressing his doubts about the origin of these messages in spite of their content. He stated: “It could well be demonic trickery.”

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May 13, 1917.

A young shepherd and two shepherdesses were guarding their flocks at Fátima, in central Portugal, where they saw their first apparition of the “Virgin.” During a later apparition, people hurried to the spot in hopes of receiving a sign. They claimed to have seen the sun dancing in the heavens and then fall to earth.

The children also received “secrets.” They had a vision of hell, where they saw sinners suffering horribly in terrible flames. The “Virgin” also asked for Russia to be consecrated to her “immaculate heart.” Later popes fulfilled her wish. A last “secret” is guarded by the highest authorities of the Catholic Church, who refuse to make it known to the public at present.

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Fátima