Our current generation has been animated by programs, reports, and alleged evidence concerning extraterrestrials, UFOs, angels, and apparitions. Wherever we look, alien and angel themes surround us. For example, angels and ETs are among the most popular topics of discussion on the internet. Countless webpages have extraterrestrial or angelic themes. Recent polls reveal that 72% of Americans believe in extraterrestrial life. 48% believe in UFOs, and 15% believe they have seen a UFO. In a similar poll, Time Magazine found that most of us, 69%, believe in angels. Time, Life, and People have all recently featured angels on their covers. In 1999, the immensely popular show Touched by an Angel topped the ratings for the first time ever. Millions tune in weekly, hoping to be touched by angels. There is an explosion of interest in the heavenly host. Books on angels are flourishing. all over, angels are in style. There's even been an angel on Broadway. Hollywood has captured our imagination with movies like Michael, Angels in the Outfield, and City of Angels. While the entertainment industry has fostered our angelic influence with specials like NBC's Angels, Our fascination with extraterrestrial life may even be greater. The number of TV shows, documentaries, and major movies released on this subject is staggering. The NBC documentary, Confirmation, which aired twice in 1999, is but one example of the many shows dealing with alien life watched by millions. Films like the wildly popular X-Files often delve into the mystery behind ETs and UFOs. Certainly, Hollywood has capitalized on the world's insatiable appetite for alien life. Films like ET, Independence Day, Close Encounters, Contact, Star Wars, and Star Trek have regularly led ticket sales. Hollywood fantasy is one thing. However, a growing number of individuals claim they have had real-life encounters with alien beings. A variety of alleged evidence supporting their existence has been presented, including testimony from several astronauts, photos, radar detection, and even eerie sounds captured by mission control. This is Apollo Control. Still no explanation. Any weird noises emanating from the hull? Apollo 11, this is Apollo 11. Whether these entities are real, whether they are angels, aliens, or deceivers is the subject of much debate. One thing we can state with certainty, the phenomenon is growing. These phenomena are certainly popular with our current generation, and a growing number consider them more than just mere entertainment, yet their messages and agenda are suspect. However, there is a separate phenomenon that is so deeply covered by the media that it reveals a supernatural and benevolent agenda. Moreover, this phenomenon has more faithful followers than angels and A.T.s combined. The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary draw millions from every corner of the globe. Around the world, reports of supernatural events are drawing millions to apparition sites where the Virgin Mary is said to be appearing. Thousands of visionaries from every conceivable background describe a beautiful young woman glowing in radiant splendor. It just paralyzed me. It was so impressive. She emanated an incredible light. It was as if I had entered into another world. There was such silence. She appears as a living, breathing, three-dimensional lady enveloped in exquisite light. Seers, when describing her, admit that the Queen of Heaven transcends human description. Millions flock to apparition sites, hoping to encounter the Blessed Virgin Mary. Consider that 15 to 20 million Marian followers visit a single shrine in Guadalupe, Mexico every single year. The shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. who appeared in 1531 to seer Juan Diego. Many of the pilgrims claim miracles are still occurring in Guadalupe today, the result of Mary's continued presence. In war-torn Bosnia, an estimated 30 million pilgrims have visited Magigori since the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary began in 1981. Besides the six visionaries who regularly receive messages from the Virgin, thousands of pilgrims claim to see signs and wonders, experience healing, and hear the voice of Mary at Medjugorje. In Conyers, Georgia, seer Nancy Fowler has received up to 100,000 visitors to her farm on a single day. The pilgrims come from all over, many traveling great distances to hear the Virgin's most recent message. Many followers believe the Blessed Mother is present. Currently she's appearing all over the world, hundreds of times. There are many visionaries. Nancy is one of the many. and the time is running out and our lady said that she is stopping it everywhere. And for all those who believe, they may now have the proof they need to convince others. Two scientists from Columbia came to the farm yesterday to study Fowler, and they say she is definitely seeing something when she goes into her trances. It has a brain activity that looks and seems to be like her mouth, but she is awake and fully responsive. Conyers, Georgia is not unique. Apparitions from almost every state in America are being reported. From New York to California, visitations from a supernatural lady identifying herself as Mary, the mother of Jesus, have been documented. Nor is this phenomenon unique to America. She is appearing everywhere. In 1997, Newsweek ran a cover story on Mary's growing popularity. The article states, in many ways, the 20th century has belonged to Mary. From almost every continent, visionaries have reported more than 400 apparitions of the Virgin, more than in the previous three centuries combined. Taken together, these visions point to what the Marian movement believes is a millennial age of Mary. In Lourdes, France, the site of the apparition of Mary that proclaimed herself the Immaculate Conception, five and one half million pilgrims descend upon the Virgin's Shrine annually. Pilgrims come to adore Mary and drink from the miraculous spring. Many reported healings have been documented. The devotion to the Blessed Mother at Lourdes and around the world is remarkable. Poland's Marian Shrine, Our Lady of Jasna Gora, draws an estimated five million pilgrims a year. Known as the Black Madonna of Poland, she is considered the Queen of Poland by Pope John Paul and the faithful. Father Simon Stefanowicz explains Mary's importance to the people of Poland and her abiding presence at Yasnagora. Certainly the Marian movement has international scope. In Knock, Ireland, a single apparition site has drawn millions who come to pray and visit the apparition gable. This Marian shrine has been honored by four popes this century, including Pope John Paul II, who went on pilgrimage to Knock in 1979, and Mother Teresa, who visited the apparition site in 1993. Researchers and experts acknowledge that apparitions are occurring worldwide. Over the past several years, as I've traveled to many different countries around the world, I've made some observations that apparitions of Mary are a period or have appeared almost everywhere. One of the observations that I've made is that when apparitions are being made, there are supernatural phenomena that are associated with them, including healings, signs and wonders, and as people call them, miracles. There is no question whatsoever in my mind that these things are credible, that they are happening. I think that millions of people are claiming that they are seeing visions of Mary. I think it's interesting that in the last 150 years as the devotion to Mary has increased in the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary, and more prayer is being directed to Mary. I'm not surprised that these oppositions are appearing. The following of Mary today is becoming worldwide. I believe that it is going not only to become greater in America, but already in South America and Central America because that's where I've been so many times. It's huge. As a matter of fact, if you don't believe in Mary, you know, you're like a cast off the oppositions of Virgin Mary are supernatural. There's no doubt. Beginning in Medjugorje, it's spreading all around the Croatia and people are devoted to Mary because it is a supernatural power. Unlike other alleged paranormal activities, evidence indicates that the apparitions of the Virgin Mary are of a supernatural origin and that her motives are pure. Her frequent messages to pray, turn to God, and work toward peace indicate a benevolent agenda. Also, the good fruits attributed to her appearances cannot be overstated. Many individuals claim that they have drawn closer to God since their encounter with the Virgin. Others testify to the many signs and wonders as evidence that God has sent Mary in these last days. The chance for people to see that there is a miracle here and try to get them to believe in something that a lot of people might not believe in just hearing about it. They say God works in mysterious ways. I saw the Virgin, she came out of the couch, you know, and I saw her, I saw her, you know, I had to see her. I saw the Virgin Mary wearing a crown of gold. Mary had turned her silver into gold. This was all silver. The beads and crucifixes, everything was gold. I touched my rosary to the cross hanging outside the home and it actually turned from silver to gold. And the silent young man himself produces one picture after another of the Mother Mary along with statuettes all with liquid coming from the eyes. What do you believe is on that cotton wool? Mary is fierce. She is a Mary. I mean, physically, what do you believe it is? She is a Mary. This oil is flowing. It cannot be said that oil. Look at it. It's flowing. It's coming from nowhere, from the eyes. Go take a picture of your eyes. You called it oil. Yeah, it's oil. It's oil in the meaning that it's anointing the face. In addition to supernatural signs, Numerous bonafide healings have been recorded. David Parks was healed of terminal cancer while on pilgrimage to Magigori. When I went out to Magigori, I was virtually bankrupt. I went out with just a few weeks to live. I had a serious illness for 12 years. I had 10 major surgeries. And after the last surgery, I was told I had weeks to live. I went out and that's where I found my brother. That's where I found Chitane. I received a great physical healing but most important of all a spiritual healing. And my whole life has been transformed because of the messages of Our Lady because she only asked to do is pray, pray and pray. All signs point to monumental activity in the supernatural realm. Does the Bible anticipate these end time events? What role will the apparitions of Mary play in the days ahead? I believe Mary will usher in global peace and unity. She is the key. She has said that her immaculate heart will triumph and it will and I believe it's very soon. But she did say that in the end her immaculate heart will triumph and there will be a time of peace and so it's definitely if we follow our lady's request that's playing the rosary every day for the world to be consecrated to her immaculate heart I was asked to do the apparitions of the first five Saturdays, and Our Lady said that in the end, enough of your heart will triumph, and there will be peace in a time of goodness and peace in the world. Mary Mary's apparitions are appearing more, much more frequently today than they did in the past. Because from what we see through this theological lens, this approaching the eschatological times, the end times, very nearly now the evil is so intense that in history whenever it seems like it reached an impossible place for us then God steps in and he steps in with Mary as the commander in chief of all the forces that she's known to lead you see how these people love her in this Marian conference? These events are truly remarkable Millions of devout believers all over the world follow and obey the apparitions of Mary. However, the Bible tells us to test all spirits, even those that come in the name of Christ. As Christians, we believe the Bible is God's inspired message to mankind. Let's divert for a moment and examine some of the evidence which demonstrates that the Bible is truly God's Word and our only source of discerning spiritual truth. I believe that the Bible is God's inspired word because of the fulfillment of prophecy. In the Old Testament there are more than 300 predictions concerning the Messiah and his first coming that Jesus fulfilled when he came to earth. Well, there are many prophecies that we can look at. The Bible says that he would be born of a virgin. We know that that took place. The Bible says that he would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. That took place. Daniel chapter 9 says that he, the Messiah, would have to be born before the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by Titus and the Roman army until Jesus fulfilling those prophecies. Psalm 22 graphically portrays the cruel death, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In fact, Psalm 22, which graphically details the crucifixion was written 1,000 years before crucifixion was a method of punishment by the Romans. The Old Testament is replete with prophecies anticipating the Messiah. For instance, Isaiah 61 prophesied that Messiah would preach good tidings to the poor and liberty to the captives. While Deuteronomy 18.18 declared that Messiah would be a prophet. Zechariah wrote of Messiah these words, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey. And the prophet Isaiah wrote this concerning Messiah. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him. and by his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. In addition, the Holy Spirit predicted the crucifixion one thousand years before it was invented. They pierced my hands and my feet. As well, God spoke through Zechariah, and I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication. Then they will look on me whom they pierced. What are the chance factors that Jesus could have fulfilled these 300 predictions? One of the predictions is that Bethlehem would be his birthplace. Now what chances are there for an individual to be born in Bethlehem? Well, you take the average population of the earth from the time of Micah's prophecy, and you compare it with the average population of Bethlehem, and you find that only 1 in 280,000 people were born in Bethlehem. The minute you say Bethlehem would be his birthplace, you've eliminated the vast majority of people from claiming to be the Messiah. It is said that he would be betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver. It said the silver would then be thrown down in the temple in the house of the Lord, and it would be used to buy a potter's wheel. Jesus fulfilled everything in the Old Testament prophecy. a mere bachelor's degree in math. I know a little bit about probability. And you couldn't have by chance. Furthermore, there are things that you just couldn't manipulate either. For example, it was prophesied he would be born in Bethlehem. How do you get yourself born in Bethlehem? It was prophesied that he would rise from the dead. How do you rise from the dead? There is prophesied Daniel 9, the very day that he would ride into Jerusalem on that donkey. You have to be born at the right time in history. How can you manipulate a crowd, a crowd of people that ran the road down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem and hailed him as the Messiah? How are you going to do that? Every detail of his betrayal, the price of the transaction. where it took place, who finally ends up with the money, and on and on it goes, incredible details, all laid out in advance. And no one can dispute that because the Old Testament was translated into Greek three centuries before Christ was born, the so-called Septuagint Version. We have four copies of those. Amazingly, Jesus fulfilled all the Messianic prophecies exactly. though they were written hundreds of years before his birth. The probability of fulfilling just eight of these prophecies has been calculated to be one chance in 10 to the 28th power. Certainly, Jesus is the Messiah, God the Son, the Savior of the world. When Luke wrote to his friend Theophilus the book known as the Acts of the Apostles He said that Jesus showed himself alive after his passion of death by many infallible proofs. With Jesus, there were many eyewitnesses of his resurrection. In fact, Paul tells us that there was over 500 at one time. The capstone of Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. The evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is overwhelming. First, the New Testament reports that hundreds of eyewitnesses saw Jesus after he rose. If I told you that John of Caribbee was killed in Bealy Plaza by a bow and arrow, could I ever sell you that story? Of course not. Why? Because among us are eyewitnesses. to that event. And when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, among his audience were hundreds of people, because there were 500 people who witnessed the Lord's return. So he didn't have the burden of trying to create that out there. The people that he was writing to were aware of it. Second, the Roman and Jewish authorities were never able to produce Christ's body, though they sealed and guarded the tomb. There are two major responses to the resurrection. The first is Rome, which is, when you read in the Gospels, is quite muted, bearing in mind that there was a strong military power in Palestine at the time, and they could have had the disciples stolen the body, they could have got the might of Rome to produce that body, but they didn't. It suggests to me that the resurrection was genuine. If the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not occur, it would have been very easy to get through. Point to the body. The body of Jesus Christ was not found. Third, the apostles, who were cowards during Jesus' trials and crucifixion, became bold witnesses of his resurrection after they met the risen Lord, even to their dying breath. With regard to the disciples, Their initial response is one of fear, intimidation of the Jews, but after the resurrection they have a great boldness. So again that suggests to me that something happened that changed their lives, that they were willing even to die as a result of the gospel they preach regarding the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Suddenly you find in a few weeks time that these men are going forth into all the world to proclaim a risen Christ. It is quite evident that the change of heart that they experienced was because they had truly seen the risen Christ. There is no other logical explanation for it. And these men, all but one of them lost their lives proclaiming Christ, Him crucified and Him risen from the dead. Only one of them reached a ripe old age and not a John. So it is quite clear that the evidence of history in the lives of these men confirms the resurrected Christ. Furthermore, Jesus' death and resurrection changed the course of history and rewrote time. From B.C., meaning before Christ, to A.D., or Anno Domini, meaning the year of our Lord. Anyone rejecting Christ's resurrection or the Bible as the inspired word of God is rejecting a fact proven more absolutely than any other fact in the world. He said that the Bible is like an anvil, that the hammers of men have been pounding against it for centuries. The hammers have long worn out, but the anvil still stands. And so the Bible does work. People have attacked it for years, it still stands, and the attackers have long fallen. Truly the Bible is God's word to mankind. 2 Timothy 3.16 states that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine and for instruction. In John chapter 1 we are told that Jesus himself is the word of God. And Psalm 138 declares that God has even magnified his word above his name. It is with the word of God that we will test these messages from heaven. Those familiar with the word of God know that apparitions occurred during biblical times. Trances and apparitions are biblical. If we look in the Bible we see examples say for example in Acts 10 where Peter is fasted and in prayer and he falls into a trance and in this trance an angel appears to him And as a result of that he brings the gospel to the Gentiles via Cornelius. And today there is significant evidence that apparitions are manifesting. For example, the video, Marian Apparitions of the 20th Century, documents visionaries during actual encounters with an apparition. However, the Bible records that not all apparitions originate from God. The only way to test experiences that are biblically related is to test them biblically. Because if we embrace experiences that are extra-biblical, there is no question we're going to be deceived. For instance, while entities that claim to be angels or ETs may actually be appearing, their messages often contradict the Bible. Human beings will never evolve into gods, but that of course was the lie that the devil sold in the Garden of Eden. He said ye shall be as gods. It was a lie then, and it's a lie today. Similarly, the following is a typical message from an alleged angel. All roads lead to God. All beliefs, all truths of life lead to God. There is no one way to God. No one truth. In contrast, the Bible declares, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. While these so-called angel and ET entities appear to be deceivers, the operations of Mary are different. For example, she repeatedly proclaims biblical themes. Here is an example from Our Lady of Medjugorje. Dear children, today I am calling you to pray with the heart. Throughout this season of grace, I wish each of you to be united to Jesus. But without unceasing prayer, you will not be able to experience the beauty and greatness of the grace which God is offering you. Larry Lewis is one of a growing number of individuals who converted because he believes the apparitions are biblical. I was a Protestant minister for over 30 years in different areas of ministry and I was very content, happy, and thrilled about it actually. And then pastoring the United Methodist Church, in the middle of that, of my pastorate there, we were kind of blindsided by the Blessed Mother. She kind of came out of nowhere and really began to turn our whole lives around. And you take magic oil for example, everything that Mary says is right out of the scriptures. So what she is doing is affirming that which we know to be true and encouraging us in the process as we look forward in a sense to our coming passion or the time at least in our life when things might be tough and so forth. Turn back our eyes to Jesus and follow him. Archimandrite Stephen Barham, a popular speaker at Marian conferences, attended Assemblies of God before becoming a priest. We live for certain times. Number one, the positive times, conversions, life changes. And I think that Medjugorje, when some of the bishops ask the Holy Father when they may be obliterated about Medjugorje, He pulled his chair back and said, conversions, conversions, everywhere, Medjugorje conversions, and that's good. He said, I pray they get into Medjugorje. He didn't mean it, it's the content. The content is the same basic structure as the gospel. You can't be converted, fast, pray, pray for the renewal of the church, go back to the covenant. All of those things authenticate that we're dealing with something real. For these reasons and others, the Roman Catholic Church has approved several apparitions. In addition, Pope John Paul has been called the Marian Pope. He credits Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life, and he has twice consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, done in response to the apparitions request made at Fatima. Furthermore, the Pope wrote these startling words in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope. After my election as Pope, as I became more involved in the problems of the Universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction. On this universal level, if victory comes, it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because he wants the Church's victories now and in the future to be linked to her. The Pope's Marian devotion is truly exceptional. Paul would, of course, call him the Pope John Paul II, the Marian Pope, because he was going to all the Marian shrines in the world in the first few years. In fact, he picked them out. When he came to Ireland here, and when he came to Knock, he said he had reached the goal of Kilkenny, Ireland. that couldn't slander and try. I would call Pope John Paul, without any question, that he's the Marian Pope. He's widely known throughout the whole world as Mary's Pope. Even more important than the Pope's convictions, the numerous miracles or the apparent good fruit, is the fact that the apparition has at times encouraged the reading of God's Word. Despite the evidence that the apparitions are benevolent, a number of Christians are concerned that this phenomenon may be a grand deception. The scriptures warn us very clearly that Satan is a master deceiver. And that Satan actually can appear as an angel of light. And we know that the word of God is light. so Satan can actually manifest himself in the form of the truth or appear to be true and yet be deceptive Satan we are told is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour or as Paul writes he is the one who schemes or plans to deceive the whole world he is the God of this world who blinds the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the glorious gospel. He has a master plan to deceive. I believe that they must test every experience by the word of God. I think that is clear in the case of Peter who had a marvelous experience the transfiguration of Christ And yet, in his own pursuit, he wrote, we have a more sure word of prophecy. And he was referring to the word of God. That is the standard by which we must judge our things, not our own personal experience. Because experiences are most unreliable. To critically test these manifestations, we will examine those messages that have received full church approval. or those messages which carry the incremata of the local Catholic Bishop. And Medjugorje, though not formally approved, it has been openly affirmed by numerous Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope himself. The following represent common messages from the Apparition of Mary. Dear children, Today I invite you to ask yourself why I am with you this long. I am the mediatrix between you and God. Do not let yourself be seized by fear or discouragement. Have great confidence in the powerful work of intercession and mediation of your Heavenly Mother. Many apparitions give the message that Mary is the mediator or intercessor for mankind that is contrary to the scriptures in the book of Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 the Bible says that Jesus Christ ever lives to make intercession for the saints and in the book of 1st Timothy and in the book of Hebrews the Bible declares that there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus For someone to be the mediator between God and man, he had to be sinless. And Jesus Christ, indeed, is fully God and fully man. Dear children, I am the mother of good counsels, mediator, who is trying to persuade you to listen to the call. My message is of faith, love, and hope. More than anything, it brings reconciliation between people and nations. It is the only thing that can save this country from war and eternal death. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and he is the bridge builder between God and men. And if you try to go to the right or the left, you'll never get there. It's only through Jesus Christ's faith. The Bible states clearly, There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Not only does the apparition claim to be our mediator and intercessor, but she also claims to be our advocate with God. The world is degenerating, so much so that it was necessary for the Father and the Son to send me into the world among all the people. in order to be their advocate and to save them. We are told in 1 John 2 that of any man's sin we have an advocate that is the Father Jesus Christ and the righteous. Christ alone was righteous and therefore he on the basis of his righteousness is able to intercede to advocate for sinners. And so these rules belong exclusively to Christ and cannot in any shape or form be ascribed to Mary. Jesus Christ is our advocate. He never suggested that anybody come to him through Mary. Never on this earth. And not now. Never ever, as this says stated. And furthermore, it denigrates Jesus Christ. Why can't I go right to Him? He's my Savior. He's the one who loves me. And He said that we would go to the Father through Him. Then where does Mary come in? Not in the Bible. In addition to these claims, The apparition actually says she is here to save the world. I call upon you to open yourself completely to me so that through each of you I may be enabled to convert and save the world. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved. My daughter, in this time I am the ark for all your brethren. I am the ark of peace. I am the ark of salvation. The ark where my children must enter if they wish to live in the kingdom of God. I think it's most important in Matthew chapter 1 when the angel appears to Joseph to announce the impending birth. He tells us first of all about Mary. she shall bear a son that is to be her word to bear a son and then he says to joseph and this is what he had to do one shall call his name jesus for he shall save his people from their sins so it merely was to bear the son Joseph was to name him, but Christ is the Savior. He will save people from their sins. And of course, Peter confirms in his first epistle that we were not redeemed with collectible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as it belonged to that spot in the vipers. There was only one Savior of man, Christ said himself. The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Mary acknowledges that she's a sinner and she needs a Savior and here we see by the scripture that she actually is pleading for Jesus to become her own Savior. In Luke chapter 1 verse 46 it says, Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit is rejoiced in God my Savior. What a beautiful statement from Mary. Simple, humble Mary. The Apostle Peter proclaimed that Jesus has become the chief cornerstone, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. And throughout the Bible, God proclaims, you shall know no God but me. for there is no savior besides me. Furthermore, the apparition ascribes to herself many additional characteristics that only God possesses. For example, she claims to be ever-present. You will never be alone. My immaculate heart will be your refuge and a way which will lead you to God. At every moment, you must be just as I would have you be At every moment you must do just what I would have you to do. Do not be afraid. I will always be near you. Do not be grieved. I am with all of you, even though you do not see me. I am mother of all of you sinners. An amazing thing about the apparitions, she is claiming to be at the same place at the same time all over the world. That is claiming to have attributes of deity. Only God has the attribute of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. They are ascribing God-like qualities to Mary, who was a humble servant of the Lord, obedient to the Lord. She was a wonderful example to believers that she is certainly not the omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent Mary of Roman Catholicism. Of course, Jesus, who is God Almighty, promised his followers, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The apparition has even proclaimed herself co-redemptrix. I stand here as the co-redemptrix and advocate. Everything should be concentrated on that. Repeat this after me. The new dogma will be the dogma of the co-redemptrix. Until I am acknowledged there where the Most Holy Trinity has willed me to be, I will not be able to exercise my power fully in the maternal work of co-redemption and of the universal mediation of graces. The whole idea that Mary is to be a co-redemptrix of Jesus Christ, of course, is contrary to Biblical understanding. It's one thing to be a little heterodox, it's one thing to be at the periphery, it's quite another to go in direct opposition to the central truth of the Bible. We're not talking about details, we don't have nominations, exaggerations, or views about some of what we'll call peripheral issues. We're talking here about going head to head to the central theme of the gospel and when I say gospel I mean that theme that God has laid out from Genesis chapter 3 to the end and that's why these assertions, these claims are anti-biblical, not just non-biblical, anti-biblical and are dangerous. We read in Revelation concerning Jesus, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood. And throughout the Bible, God reiterates that He alone is the Redeemer. As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel. In addition to these anti-biblical assertions, the apparition of Mary claims to suffer and even atone for sins. I love you even when you are far away from me and my son. I ask you not to allow my heart to shed tears of blood because of the souls who are being lost to sin. For a long time I have suffered for you. If I do not want my son to abandon you, I am forced to pray to him myself without ceasing. You pay no heed. However much you would do, you could never recompense the pain I have taken for you. I boldly assert that his suffering became my suffering because his heart was mine. And just as Adam and Eve sold the world for an apple, so in a certain sense my son and I redeemed the world with one heart. Now in many of the apparitions of people at the end of the day of Mary she claims to suffer and atone with Jesus and that is not biblical because the Bible declares that Christ has suffered for our sins in fact when he died he said it is finished he has paid our sins and our suffering completely on the cross Peter writes for Christ also suffered once for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. And the book of Hebrews states that Jesus, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. There is no longer an offering for sin. I've often heard when we have people and prophets teaching that Mary was suffering for sin, that by saying that they fail to understand what it means to suffer for sin. To suffer for sin is to suffer vicariously as a substitute and it means to take punishment inflicted upon you by God and the word of God makes it plain for instance in Isaiah 53 that He is wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was led upon Him this is referring prophetically to Christ the last verse of Romans 4 says that He, Christ was delivered for our offenses Peter says that he, that is Christ, wore our sins in his own body upon the tree. And the suffering for sin had to involve death, because the wages of sin is death. So therefore Mary in no sense suffered for us. This comparison could go on and on, as the apparition ascribes to Mary nearly every attribute found only in Christ. For instance, the Bible says that all have sinned except Jesus, yet the apparition claims to be sinless. While Jesus is the new Adam, the apparition claims to be the new Eve. Jesus ascended bodily, yet the apparition claims that Mary was assumed bodily. Jesus alone destroyed the works of the devil, yet the apparition claims that Mary will crush the serpent. The Bible calls Jesus the Morning Star, while the Apparition refers to Mary as the Morning Star. Despite the Apparition's claims, God is jealous for his glory. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, nor my praise to carved images. We have examined only church-approved messages and those from Magiguy, yet even these clearly contradict the Bible. Certainly the humble maidservant of the Lord would never draw attention to herself, nor would the Blessed Virgin Mary ever contradict the Word of God. If this is not the Mary of Nazareth, then how do we explain these events? Who or what is behind these manifestations? Some of the apparitions' messages are shamelessly unbiblical. I am she who is related to the Divine Trinity. I am the Virgin of Revelation. Yet God declares, I am the first and I am the last. Besides me, there is no God. My children, I am the door of heaven and the help on earth. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord referred to the broad road which would lead to destruction, and many there would be who would find that road. But then he talked about the narrow road, namely himself, and few there would be who would find him. So it is the narrow road, there is only one path to God. Jesus said, I am the door, by me a family man enter, and he shall pursue it. There is only one way to heaven, and that is through Christ and Him crucified. There are many other problems. For instance, the apparition even commands her followers to venerate her statues. As mother, I want to tell you that I am here with you, represented by the statue you have here. Each of my statues is a sign of a presence of mine and reminds you of your Heavenly Mother. Therefore, it must be honored and put in places of greater veneration. You should look with love at every image of your Heavenly Mother. Contrast this with the Lord's command given in Deuteronomy. Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female. The apparition has also requested shrines be erected in her honor around the globe. I ardently desire a temple built for me here, where I can show and offer all my love, compassion, help and protection, for I am your merciful mother. Most of the apparitions ask for a shrine to be built, and shrines are built for thousands all over the world, and people come and kneel before Mary. I've seen them walking on their knees, bloody knees at Fatima and so forth. And they're doing this out of penance and trying to curry Mary's favor. You don't have to do that. Furthermore, we don't need Mary's favor. We need Christ's redemption, His grace and mercy that comes to us by grace. That's how it works. Otherwise it wouldn't be grace. So you can't earn it. Never ever did anyone in the Bible bow down before Mary. Even when Mary was there at the birth of Jesus. It says they worshipped Him. They didn't bow down to Mary or to Joseph. When these apparitions are pointing to Mary and asking the people to give her great reverence and to honor her with shrines or with these other things, it flies in the face of the scripture of which Jesus said the Holy Spirit will lead us to the worship of Jesus in Him alone. It is very apparent to me that the Mary of the Bible is not the Mary of the apparitions that are taking place in the world today. Because the apparition Mary draws attention to herself. And the Mary of the Bible clearly pointed people to Jesus Christ, her Son. If the apparitions are not Mary, who then is appearing? Ironically, the apparition gives us the answer. I am Mary, the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Angels. Mary is definitely the Queen of Heaven. She's the mother of God. She's our mother. There's no other woman in this whole world compared to the perfect mother. The apparitions often come in the name or the term the Queen of Heaven and this is interesting to me in light of the scriptures because in the Old Testament Jeremiah talked about very clearly the Queen of Heaven as an abomination before God. Repeatedly in the book of Jeremiah, God himself identifies the Queen of Heaven as a pagan goddess and rebukes his people for following her. My people Israel make cakes for the Queen of Heaven and they pour out drink offerings to other gods that they may provoke me to anger. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, behold my anger and my fury will be poured out on this place. When I hear the title Queen of Heaven it reminds me of a prophecy from the book of Jeremiah when the Jehovah God rebukes people when they offer sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and he was against his will and he was mad and he was a jealous guy he was jealous of God and he was a glory he won't give to anyone The only title to Queen of Heaven in the Bible is a female deity that was condemned by God in the Old Testament in Jeremiah chapter 7 and Jeremiah chapter 44 and I find their title given to the Mary of the Bible as being extremely offensive. Furthermore, the Queen of Heaven often appears with a baby, presumably Jesus. Dear children, Here is my son in my arms. I would like to ask you to be a light for all in the year to come. I would like to call you again to live my messaging. Supposing these apparitions, Mary appears holding a living baby Jesus, again I would say these are all deception of the enemy. Because Jesus, as we know, was crucified as a man. He's not going to come back as a baby. Like the Bible declares, He'll come back as a man to judge this world. So again, that would give evidence, if people are seeking the truth, that these visions or apparitions are not of God. Peter writes, Jesus Christ has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him. If Jesus is in his glorified body, reigning from heaven, then the Queen of Heaven must be presenting a false Christ. The Queen of Heaven has been around for millennia, seducing and deceiving God's people. Is it possible that she is the entity that is impersonating Mary? Does the Bible indicate that she will be active during Earth's final days? Do the scriptures warn us of a wicked woman, lady, and queen who will deceive the nations? The Bible is very clear regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is the message which sets us free. That Jesus Christ loved us so much But He Himself came to this earth and died for us as a sacrifice for our sins. We couldn't do it. He did it. And because of His sacrifice and because of who He is and what He's done and when we recognize who we are and what we've done and ask Him to forgive us for our sins, the Bible says that we can enter into a relationship with him the creator of the universe and that relationship will last for eternity Jesus is the creator he is the redeemer there is only one redeemer and his name is Jesus Christ you must choose rather to follow Jesus and Him alone or to risk following a deceptive spirit. Jesus loves you and offers eternal life freely for those who will turn to Him by faith. However, the Lord will not force you to follow Him. The choice is yours. Our prayer is that you will test these events with the Word of God and trust in the Jesus of the Bible. His way is the truth and the only road to everlasting life. My name is Patrick Owen and may the Lord guard you and bless you with His grace and truth.