THE DANGER OF BACKSLIDING

Ahead of us I could hear voices and the cries of a soul in torment. We walked up the small hill and looked over. A light filled the area, so I could see clearly. Cries like you have never thought possible were filling the air. They were the cries of a man.

"Listen to Me," said Jesus. "What you are about to hear is true. Take heed you ministers of the gospel, for these are faithful and true sayings. Awake, evangelists, preachers, and teachers of My Word, all of you who are called to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are sinning, repent or you will likewise perish."

We walked up to within fifteen feet of this activity. I saw small dark-clothed figures marching around a boxlike object. Upon closer examination, I saw that the box was a coffin and the figures marching around it were demons. It was a real coffin, and there were twelve demons marching around it. As they marched, they were chanting and laughing. Each one had a sharp spear in his hand, which he kept thrusting into the coffin through small openings that lined the outside.

There was a feeling of great fear in the air, and I trembled at the sight before me. Jesus knew my thoughts, for He said, "Child, there are many souls in torment here, and there are many different types of torment for these souls. There is greater punishment for those who once preached the gospel and went back into sin, or for those who would not obey the call of God for their lives. "

I heard a cry so desperate that it filled my heart with despair. "No hope, no hope!" he called. The hopeless cry came from the coffin. It was an endless wail of regret. "God, how awful!" I said.

"Come," said Jesus, "let's go closer." With that, He walked up to the coffin and looked inside. I followed and also looked in. It appeared that the evil spirits could not see us. A dirty-gray mist filled the inside of the coffin. It was the soul of a man. As I watched, the demons pushed their spears into the soul of the man in the coffin.

I will never forget the suffering of this soul. I cried to Jesus, "Let him out, Lord; let him out." The torment of his soul was such a terrible sight. If only he could get free. I pulled at Jesus' hand and begged Him to let the man out of the coffin.

Jesus said, "My child, peace, be still."
As Jesus spoke, the man saw us. He said, "Lord, Lord, let me out. Have mercy." I looked down and saw a bloody mess. Before my eyes was a soul. Inside the soul was a human heart, and blood spurted from it. The thrusting of the spears were literally piercing his heart.

"I will serve You now, Lord." He begged, "Please let me out." I knew that this man felt every spear that pierced his heart.
"Day and night, he is tormented," the Lord said. "He was put here by Satan, and it is Satan who torments him."

The man cried, "Lord, I will now preach the true gospel. I will tell about sin and hell. But please help me out of here."
Jesus said, "This man was a preacher of the Word of God. There was a time when he served Me with all his heart and led many people to salvation. Some of his converts are still serving Me today. Many years later, the lust of the flesh and the deceitfulness of riches led him astray. He let Satan gain the rule over him. He had a big church, a fine car, a large income. He began to steal from the church offerings. He began to teach lies. He spoke mostly half-lies and half-truths. He would not let Me correct him. I sent My messengers to him to tell him to repent and preach the truth, but he loved the pleasures of this life more than the life of God. He knew not to teach or preach any other doctrine except the truth as revealed in the Bible. But before he died, he said the Holy Ghost baptism was a lie and that those who claimed to have the Holy Ghost were hypocrites. He said you could be a drunkard and get to heaven, even without repentance.

"He said God would not send anyone to hell -that God was too good to do that. He caused many good people to fall from the grace of the Lord. He even said that he did not need Me, for he was like a god. He went so far as to hold seminars to teach this false doctrine. He trampled My Holy Word under his feet. Yet, I continued to love him.

"My child, it is better to have never known Me than to know Me and turn back from serving Me," said the Lord.
"If only he had listened to You, Lord!" I cried. "If only he had cared about his soul and the souls of others. "

"He did not listen to Me. When I called he would not hear Me. He loved the easy life. I called and called him to repentance, but he would not come back to Me. One day he was killed and came immediately here. Now Satan torments him for having once preached My Word and saved souls for My kingdom. This is his torment."

I watched the demons as they continued to march around and around the coffin. The man's heart beat and real blood ran from it. I will never forget his cries of pain and sorrow. Jesus looked at the man in the coffin with great compassion and said, "The blood of many lost souls are upon this man's hands. Many of them are in torment here right now." With sorrowful hearts, Jesus and I walked on. (Mary K. Baxter)

If only men will understand the danger of "wising up" to their own peril. Leaving the elementary principle of the kingdom n claiming advance revelations to their downfall!