Heaven, Purgatory, and hell

Stories of Seeing Heaven, Purgatory, and hell

Two of the Medjugorje visionaries, Vicka and Jakov, were physically taken to Heaven, Purgatory, and hell. The other visionaries were shown a vision of Heaven, Purgatory, and hell. Our Lady told the visionaries that many people do not believe that Heaven, Purgatory, and hell exist and that She desired the visionaries to be witnesses of their existence through their experiences. The following puts together the most detailed description of the visionaries’ experiences using their own words.

In an interview with Vicka, Fr. Janko Bubalo asked Vicka questions about her experiences.

Fr. Bubalo: “You told me, and I read it in one of your notebooks, that on All Soul’s Day, 1981, you, the Seers – and all of you were gathered except Ivan, the Virgin showed you Heaven. It is recorded that Heaven is inexpressibly beautiful, with a multitude of people and angels. And when you asked the Virgin why She showed you Heaven, it is noted in the journal that She said so that you might see what it would be like for those who remain faithful to God. It is also added that Ivanka saw her deceased mother there, and another woman known to her…

“…Let me remind you of this too: just four days later, it is noted in that journal that the Virgin suddenly, as though at once, disappeared, and that hell appeared before you. That was observed by you, Jakov, and Marija. It is recorded that it was awful! Like a sea of flame. Within a large group of people. It is stated that in the midst of all was seen a blonde longhaired woman with horns, and that the devils are leaping toward her from all sides. Something like that…Did the Virgin tell you why She showed you that?

Vicka: “Yes, yes! She told us that She showed it to us so that we might know what it is like for those who go there.”

Fr. Bubalo: “…The Virgin took you and Jakov somewhere to show you Heaven and hell…tell me about it now as fully as possible.

Vicka: “…Fifteen days – I don’t know exactly – after this vision of hell…I and Jakov went to Citluk for something. We returned about three in the afternoon. We stopped at my house a bit, and then continued on to Jakov’s to return him safely to his mother…His mother was out somewhere, and the Virgin appeared to us immediately. She greeted us with ‘Praised be Jesus!’ and said to us that She would take us to Heaven…We became frightened. Jakov began to cry. He said he wouldn’t go since he is his mother’s one and only, and that I should go by myself.

Fr. Bubalo: And the Virgin?

Vicka: She said nothing. We were still kneeling. She took me by the right hand, and Jakov by the left hand and stood between us, with Her face toward us, and we immediately began to lift upward…straight up through the ceiling. The house disappeared, and we were off…It seemed to me that we went upward…¹

Jakov was questioned about his experience with Heaven, Purgatory, and hell in a talk he gave to pilgrims in Medjugorje on October 12, 2007:

“…when Our Lady took us to Heaven, I was very afraid. I was only eleven and when Our Lady told us that She was going to take us with Her, I didn’t want to go with Her. I was afraid I would die. And I said to Our Lady, ‘why don’t you take Vicka only. Her mother has eight children and I am the only child my mother has.’”²

In another interview, Vicka stated:

Vicka: “The Blessed Mother has shown me Heaven, hell, and Purgatory…Many people today do not believe there is a place or state of life after death of the body. They believe that when we die, life is over. The Blessed Mother says no; on the contrary, we are only passengers on earth. She has come to remind us of the eternal truths of the Gospel.

Question: Are Heaven and hell actual places?

Vicka: Yes. I saw them.

Question: How?

Vicka: Two ways – I saw with my eyes… And then I visited these places. Jakov and I were taken there by the Blessed Mother.”³ 

Marija was interviewed by a Friend of Medjugorje on November 6, 1986 about her visions of Heaven, Purgatory, and hell. The following is part of the interview:

Question: “When you saw the vision of Heaven, did you see Purgatory at the same time?

Marija: “I saw all the visions at the same apparition – Heaven, Purgatory, and hell.

Question: “Has Our Lady ever revealed to you if a soul in Purgatory can be lost and go to hell?

Marija: “No, once they are in Purgatory, they can only go to Heaven.

Question: “In your opinion, some people that are constantly going from good to bad, bad to good, good to bad, yet love God, will they go to hell?

Marija: “I don’t know. When a man dies, God gives him special graces and blessings to decide where he should go himself. God gives him a scene, reviewing his whole life, what he has done in his life, and so God gives him graces to decide where he should go, according to his life. He has a free choice.

Question: “Well, say that you deserve hell but you want to go to Heaven. What happens then because didn’t God give you a choice?

Marija: “Yes, but God gives you these special graces to understand fully so you will only answer truthfully.

Question: “So, He gives you so many graces you say, ‘God, I don’t deserve Heaven, I deserve hell or Purgatory.’ – like truth serum?

Marija: “Yes, correct.

Question: “So, God never sends anyone to hell, they decide it themselves?

Marija: “Yes, we are judges to our life.

Question: “So when it is stated, ‘God sends no one to hell, they send themselves,’ it means just that?

Marija: “Yes, correct.

Question: Have you, Marija, ever asked Our Lady if you will go to Heaven, like Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia of Fatima did? They asked Our Lady, ‘Are we to go to Heaven?’ and She told them, ‘Yes.’

Marija: “No, I have never asked Her that!

Question: “Are you scared?

Marija: “I would be happy to be behind the gates in Paradise, if only I could be there.”4

Marija also adds from another interview:

Marija: “We choose Heaven, hell, or Purgatory for ourselves. The Blessed Mother explained to me that at death we are the same person we are in life, though we no longer have the use of our body. It returns to the earth. We receive the light at death to see the plan God has had for us from the beginning. We then understand how we have chosen to comply with His Divine plan. In the light of truth, we know where we belong, where we fit, and we choose Heaven, hell, or Purgatory.”⁵



Description of Heaven

All six of the Medjugorje visionaries have seen Heaven. They all have said that there are no words to describe the beauty of Heaven and if we knew what awaits us in Heaven, there are no difficulties or trials that we experience that won’t be worth eternal life in Heaven. The following description is of Heaven, through the words of the Medjugorje visionaries:

Vicka:

In describing Heaven in an interview with Fr. Livio for Radio Maria, Vicka explained that when they arrived at Heaven, there was a great big wooden door. She said that the door was closed, but when they arrived Our Lady opened it and they entered into Heaven. She said St. Peter was standing at the right of the door. Vicka said, “I immediately understood that it was him. With a key, rather small, with the beard, a little sturdy, with hair.”¹

Fr. Bubalo asked Vicka to describe Heaven. She responded:

“…it can’t be described. That is something beyond description. It is filled with some sort of beautiful light…people…flowers…angels…All is filled with some indescribable joy. Your heart stands still when you look at it.”²

The following is taken from another interview with Vicka:

Question: “Vicka, tell us about Heaven

Vicka: “Heaven is a vast space, and it has a brilliant light which does not leave it. It is a life which we do not know here on earth. We saw people dressed in gray, pink, and yellow robes. They were walking, praying, and singing. Small angels were flying above them. The Blessed Mother showed us how happy these people are.

Question: How could you tell they were happy?

Vicka: “You can see it on their faces. But it is impossible to describe with words the great happiness I saw in Heaven…In Paradise, when the Blessed Mother passed, everybody responded to Her, and She to them. There was a recognition between them…They were standing there communicating with Her, like in a tunnel, only it wasn’t exactly like a tunnel, but a tunnel is the closest comparison. People were praying, they were singing, they were looking…People in Heaven know the absolute fullness of a created being.

Question: “How long were you there?

Vicka: “Maybe twenty minutes.

Question: “…Did the people talk to you?

Vicka: “It was very unusual. They were speaking, but I could not understand them…The people were in small groups. I was with Jakov and the Blessed Mother. We spoke to each other, but there was no communication with anyone else. About the people there, the Blessed Mother only said to us, ‘You see how people who are in Heaven are happy?’”³

Mirjana didn’t physically go to Heaven, but saw Heaven during an apparition. The following is her description of what she saw:

Mirjana: “I saw Heaven as if it were a movie. The first thing I noticed was the faces of the people there; they were radiating a type of inner light which showed how immensely happy they were.

Question: “Is Heaven an actual place?

Mirjana: “Yes. The trees, the meadows, the sky are totally different from anything we know on the earth. And the light is much more brilliant. Heaven is beautiful beyond any possible comparison with anything I know of on the earth.

Question: “Did the people you saw have bodies?

Mirjana: “Yes.

Question: “What ages were they?

Mirjana: “They were different from what we are like now. Perhaps they were all around 30 years of age…They were walking in a beautiful park. They have everything. They need or want nothing. They are totally full…They were dressed in the types of clothing that Jesus wore.”⁴

Mirjana was asked why Our Lady showed her Heaven. Mirjana answered:

“She told me many people on earth today do not believe Heaven exists. She said God has chosen us six visionaries to be instruments of His love and mercy. I have personally seen Heaven. It exists! I’ve seen it! Those who stay faithful to God to the end will see Heaven as a reward for their faithfulness.”⁵

Ivanka shared the following:

Question: “Did you see Heaven, hell, and Purgatory, Ivanka?

Ivanka: “I saw Purgatory and Heaven as a picture. I told the Blessed Mother I did not want to see hell.

Question: “What did Heaven look like?

Ivanka: “It is a place that is very, very beautiful. Most beautiful…Everyone I saw was filled with a happiness I can’t explain – and I can’t forget.

Question: “Do you long for that happiness yourself?

Ivanka: “I know some of that happiness when I am with the Blessed Mother, and when I pray.

Question: “Can you tell us more about Heaven?

Ivanka: “God made us for Heaven. If you pray, you will know that.”⁶

Marija states:

Question: “Were you taken to Heaven or were you shown a vision of Heaven?

Marija: “I had a vision of Heaven, but Jakov and Vicka were actually taken there.

Question: “When you saw the vision, were you in the rectory room? Or where?

Marija: “It was in the house of Jakov…It was like you watch a movie on screen or looking out a window. I saw a vision. I wasn’t actually there like the other visionaries…I have never seen such a picture before; no one can even begin to imagine how it looks…the people were around the flowers. They were all the same age. No one in Heaven is older than the age of Christ. People in Heaven were full of joy and all of them are giving thanks for the gifts given to them of God. Every day they realize how much love God has for them…There was a multitude of people.”⁷

Ivan, when asked about Heaven, stated:
 

“Heaven is worth any cost! Jesus showed us that, with His death on the Cross. His death was not the end. He rose from the dead, glorified to put an end to death forever for God’s children. People in Heaven are happy. They live in the fullness of God.”⁸

Jakov was the other visionary, along with Vicka, that was physically taken up to Heaven. He was only 11-years-old at the time. The following are from a series of interviews:

Question: “Will you tell us about Heaven.

Jakov: “When you get there, then you will see how it is.

Question: “You have said that the reason the Blessed Mother took you there was to show you what it would be like for those who remain faithful to God – would you tell us anymore?

Jakov: “If I thought about it too much – I would die of loneliness.”⁹

Question: “Tell us your understanding of Heaven.

Jakov: “I have been there. It is difficult for me to talk about it.

Question: “Is it difficult to live on earth once you have been in Heaven?

Jakov: “That is an understatement.

Question: “Jakov, you said that if you thought about Heaven too much, you would die of loneliness. How do you handle the memories of Heaven, hell, and Purgatory?

Jakov: “The Blessed Mother asks us to be careful of the problem of the tyranny of memories.

Question: “What does that mean?

Jakov: “She asks us to trust God’s love to make all things well. She asks us to surrender the past to Her maternal care and to remember only in the light of God’s love.”¹⁰

Description of Purgatory

After the Medjugorje visionaries’ experiences with Purgatory, the responsibility of praying for the souls in Purgatory was placed very strongly in their hearts. Our Lady showed them how much the souls in Purgatory suffer and how much they depend upon our prayers. The following is their description of Purgatory.

Vicka was deeply upset by what she experienced in Purgatory. Seeing the sufferings of the souls in Purgatory that were abandoned, who had no one to pray for them, caused her great anguish. Vicka went to Our Lady and asked Her if she could help the poor souls in some way. Our Lady spoke to Vicka about the seriousness of what she was asking. Our Lady told Vicka before she would accept her request, she was to go to her spiritual director and confessor, Fr. Janko Bubalo, and talked to him about it. Fr. Bubalo asked Vicka to pray and fast for three days so that she might have the strength and perseverance to accept whatever suffering or sacrifice she might be given to help the poor suffering souls in Purgatory. After praying and fasting for three days, Fr. Bubalo gave Vicka permission to sacrifice for the suffering souls. Almost immediately after Vicka spoke to Our Lady about this, she was strickened down with a brain tumor, suffering greatly with severe pain, lapsing into deep comas that would last for hours. Vicka accepted this sickness and suffering with great joy, knowing that she was helping the souls in Purgatory that were suffering so greatly and in need of our prayers to get to Heaven. Documentation, multiple medical exams, x-rays, etc. showed unequivocal evidence of an inoperable brain cyst. Nothing could be done. Vicka did not even want to go to the doctors. At one point, doctors wanted her to go to the hospital in Zagreb for further testing and to see if something could be done. Vicka did not want to go and only went when Jakov asked Our Lady if she should go. Our Lady said:

November 15, 1982

“It is necessary to send Vicka to Zagreb.”

This amounted to more testing and more irrefutable evidence of a medical condition that could not be cured, a brain cyst in a part of her brain that would kill her if they tried to remove it.

The suffering she fasted for and asked for was so debilitating that Our Lady eventually told her a date she would be miraculously cured from the miraculous affliction for souls in Purgatory. Our Lady gave the exact date of her healing 6 months before it was to occur.¹ Click here for Vicka’s healing. After reading Vicka’s description of Purgatory, you will understand why she sacrificed and went through immense, terrible suffering for souls in Purgatory. The harshness of her suffering was so severe that Our Lady took away the pain from Her for a 40 day period. This period, however, was a more difficult suffering for Vicka, as she had no apparitions for the entire period. It seems Our Lady knew the severity of how Vicka’s suffering needed a reprieve. But after the forty day period, Vicka missed the apparitions so much, she prayed and yearned to accept the miraculous affliction’s pain back with the apparitions. The following comes from the book Words From Heaven, which describes when Our Lady gave Vicka this choice.
 

Undated

“For several years the visionary, Vicka, had been suffering from an inoperable brain cyst which caused her terrible headaches. During the course of her illness, Our Lady continued to appear to her and once, on her way to the hospital in Zagreb, Our Lady offered her two choices, saying

‘I will give you health with no apparitions or I will give you your cross with apparitions.’

“Because she had been suffering so tremendously she chose health but later regretted it. After forty days of not having apparitions, Our Lady appeared to her and gave her the offer once again. She joyfully took her cross back.”²

Vicka says it is a joy to suffer for these souls in Purgatory.

“Purgatory is an endless space of ashy color. It was quite dark. I could feel people strangling and suffering there. The Blessed Mother told us we should be praying for souls stranded in Purgatory. She said only our prayers and sacrifices can release them from that place…The people there are helpless. They are really suffering. We can be like Jesus a little bit if we just do some voluntary penance for the souls on Purgatory, especially for the ones who are abandoned by their families on earth…I am aware of their suffering. I know some of their torment. I know how desperately they need our prayers. They are so lonely that it is almost sickening to remember those moments I was there. It is really a great joy to do penance for the poor souls because I know how much it helps them…And many of our family members who have died desperately need our prayers. The Blessed Mother says we must pray courageously for them so that they might go to Heaven. They are powerless to help themselves.”³

Mirjana’s description of Purgatory:

“There are several levels in Purgatory. The more you pray on earth, the higher your level in Purgatory will be…The lowest level is the closest to hell, where the suffering is the most intense. The highest level is closest to Heaven, and there the suffering is the least. What level you are on depends on the state of purity of your soul. The lower the level the people are on in Purgatory, the less they are able to pray and the more they suffer. The higher the level a person is in Purgatory, the easier it is for him to pray, the more he enjoys praying and the less he suffers…The Blessed Mother has asked us to pray for the souls in Purgatory. They are helpless to pray for themselves. Through prayer, we on earth can do much to help them. The Blessed Mother told me that when souls leave Purgatory and go to Heaven most go on Christmas Day.”⁴

 

“Many people were there. They were suffering immensely…They were normal people, all kinds. There was much physical suffering…I could see the people shivering, thrashing, and writhing in pain…I saw this place for a short time…The Blessed Mother was with me (during the vision). She explained to me that She wanted me to see Purgatory. She said so many people on earth today do not even know about Purgatory…I could not hear them. I only saw them. The Blessed Mother said so many people who die are quite abandoned by their loved ones. They cannot help themselves in Purgatory. They are totally dependent on the prayers and sacrifices of the generous people on earth who remember them. Our Blessed Mother hopes Her own children will help the souls in Purgatory by prayer and fasting and various penance for the poor souls to make restitution for them…Those who have died no longer have free will as they had on earth. They no longer have a body. It is no longer possible for them to make up for the things that they did when they had their body that hurt and harmed themselves and others. On July 24, 1982, the Blessed Mother said:‘We go to Heaven in full conscious of the separation of the body and soul. It is false to teach people that we are reborn many times and that we pass to different bodies. One is born only once. The body, drawn from the earth, decomposes after death. It never comes back to life again. Man receives a transfigured body. Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to Heaven if he confesses, is truly sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life.’ Our Lady said that the souls in Purgatory can see their loved ones during those moments when we pray for them by name.”⁵

Ivanka was asked why did the Blessed Mother show her Heaven and Purgatory:

Ivanka: “She wants to remind Her children of the results of their choices here on earth.”⁶

Marija, through several interviews, describes Purgatory:

“Purgatory is a large place.. It is foggy. It is ash gray. It is misty. You cannot see people there. It is as if they are immersed in deep clouds. You can feel that the people in the mist are traveling, hitting each other. They can pray for us but not for themselves. They are desperately in need of our prayers. The Blessed Mother asks us to pray for the poor souls in Purgatory, because during their life here, one moment they thought there was no God, then they recognized Him, then they went to Purgatory where they saw there is a God, and now they need our prayers. With our prayers we can send them to Heaven. The biggest suffering that souls in Purgatory have is that they see there is a God, but they did not accept Him here on earth. Now they long so much to come close to God. Now they suffer so intensely, because they recognize how much they have hurt God, how many chances they had on earth, and how many times they disregarded God.”⁷

Ivan speaks very little about his experiences in seeing Heaven, hell, and Purgatory. When asked about Purgatory, he shared the following:

“The Blessed Mother told me that those who go to Purgatory are those who prayed and believed only occasionally – that they were filled with doubt, that they were not certain that God exists. They did not know how to pray while on earth, or if they did know how, they did not pray…Souls in Purgatory suffer. If no one prays for them, they suffer even more.”

Description of hell

Only four of the six visionaries saw hell. Our Lady gave Mirjana and Ivanka the choice whether or not to see hell and they chose against it. Ivan and Marija both saw a vision of hell and all that Ivan will state is that he prefers not to discuss it. Vicka and Jakov were physically taken to hell by Our Lady. The following, through several interviews of the visionaries, is a detailed description of hell.

Vicka: “We saw many people in hell. Many are there already, and many more will go there when they die…The Blessed Mother says that those people who are in hell are there because they chose to go there. They wanted to go to hell…We all know that there are persons on this earth who simply don’t admit that God exists, even though He helps them, gives them life and sun and rain and food. He always tries to nudge them onto the path of holiness. They just say they don’t believe, and they deny Him. They deny Him, even when it is time to die. And they continue to deny Him, after they are dead. It is their choice. It is their will that they go to hell. They choose hell.

Question: “Describe hell as you remember it.

Vicka: “In the center of this place is a great fire, like an ocean of raging flames. We could see people before they went into the fire, and then we could see them coming out of the fire. Before they go into the fire, they look like normal people. The more they are against God’s will, the deeper they enter into the fire, and the deeper they go, the more they rage against Him. When they come out of the fire, they don’t have human shape anymore; they are more like grotesque animals, but unlike anything on earth. It’s as if they were never human beings before…They were horrible. Ugly. Angry. And each was different; no two looked alike…When they came out, they were raging and smashing everything around and hissing and gnashing and screeching.

Question: “Has seeing hell changed how you pray?

Vicka: “”Oh, yes! Now I pray for the conversion of sinners! I know what awaits them if they refuse to convert.”¹

Vicka: “People turn away from God by choices they make. In this way they choose to enter the fire of hell where they burn away all connection to God. That’s why they can never get back to God. It takes God’s mercy to get back to Him. In hell, they no longer have access to God’s mercy…They choose to destroy their beauty and goodness. They choose to be ugly and horrible. People do this all the time. Each choice that is against God, God’s Commandments, God’s Will, singes God’s image in us…They become one with hell even while they have their body. At death they go on as they were when they had a body.”²

The following is what Marija has shared about hell:

Question: “Marija, have you ever seen hell?

Marija: “Yes, it’s a large space with a big sea of fire in the middle. There are many people there. I particularly noticed a beautiful young girl. But when she came near the fire, she was no longer beautiful. She came out of the fire like an animal; she was no longer human. The Blessed Mother told me that God gives us all choices. Everyone responds to these choices. Everyone can choose if he wants to go to hell or not. Anyone who goes to hell chooses hell.

Question: “Marija, how and why does a soul choose hell for himself for all eternity?

Marija: “In the moment of death, God gives us the light to see ourselves as we really are. God gives freedom of choice to everybody during his life on earth. The one who lives in sin on earth can see what he has done and recognize himself as he really is. When he sees himself and his life, the only possible place for him is hell. He chooses hell, because that is what he is. That is where he fits. It is his own wish. God does not make the choice. God condemns no one. We condemn ourselves. Every individual has free choice. God gave us freedom.

Question: “Marija, what about people who grow up spiritually deceived, people who have been told that God does not exist, that there is no God?

Marija: “People, as they grow up, can think. Everyone knows and can recognize what is good and what is bad by the time they grow up. God gives us freedom of choice. We can choose good or bad. Everybody chooses here in this life whether he goes to Heaven or hell.

Question: “How do we choose Heaven or hell or Purgatory for ourselves?

Marija: “At the moment of death, God gives everyone the grace to see his whole life, to see what he has done, to recognize the results of his choices on earth. And each person, when he sees himself in the divine light of reality, chooses for himself where he belongs. Every individual chooses for himself what he personally deserves for all eternity.³

Jakov:

Question: “Jakov, did you see hell?

Jakov: “Yes.

Question: “Can you tell us about it?

Jakov: “Very seldom do I talk about hell…I choose not to think about hell. The self-chosen suffering there is beyond your ability to comprehend.


Question: “Does it cause you pain?


Jakov: “More than you can understand…Because no one needs to go to hell. It is the ultimate waste.


Question: “What can people do to keep from going to hell?

Jakov: “Believe in God, no matter what happens in a lifetime.”⁴