The Great Sea of Fire

Short Summary: The children of Fatima, during one of their visions, saw a horrifying vision of Hell, which Lucia described as a great sea of fire filled with demons and souls in agony, causing her to cry out in fear.

Details

Location: Fatima, Portugal

Year: 1917

Prayer: My God, I recognize that my sins, when taken to their full conclusion, will result in hell; for it is by turning away from you that I walk this path to destruction. Please accept my heartfelt contrition for setting you aside again and again out of my selfishness and lack of true love. I resolve to follow you more closely, out of a genuine fear of the final consequences of my actions, and out of a desire to be with you for eternity. Amen.

Verse: And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. -Mt 25:40-46

Full Story

The children of Fatima experienced many visions, which have been extensively analyzed over the past century. Little evidence undermines their validity, and much supports their credibility—especially the famous Miracle of the Sun, witnessed by 70,000 people. In one of these apparitions, the children were shown a terrifying vision of Hell. Lucia’s father later recounted that she “gasped in sudden horror, her face white as death.” At the request of the Bishop of Leiria, Lucia described the event in detail: "Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire, which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration. They were raised into the air by flames issuing from within themselves, along with great clouds of smoke, and then fell back down like sparks in a massive fire, without weight or balance. The sight was accompanied by shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people later said they heard me. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent appearance—frightful creatures resembling unknown animals, black and transparent, like burning coals."

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