The following is a Christian parable illustrating a profound truth: if you wish to overcome evil you must behold Him who is good.
"School In Hell"
by Hollie Moody
April 27, 2000
As I was praying (on April 25th, 2000; Tuesday), I began to see in my mind a picture of the LORD. He was sitting on a rock and groups of people of all ages were gathered around Him. They all seemed to be laughing and talking together. I felt joy and peace and happiness as I viewed this scene. At times, the Lord would reach down and bring a child onto His lap. Or, He would reach out and a baby would be placed into His arms. He would then gaze down into the face of the baby and speak softly and tenderly. At other times, someone would draw close to His side, and He would place His arm around them, and draw them closer.
An angel approached the Lord. From the way this angel was dressed, I sensed immediately that this was a warrior angel. The crowd before the Lord parted to allow the angel to draw near. A silence fell over the laughing, joyous crowd as the angel stopped before the Lord and began to speak. I heard the angel's voice, and heard frustration and perplexity in his voice.
"There is work to be done," the angel said to the Lord. "Why do You and the people only sit here idly? These are dangerous times. The people should be doing battle in prayer and in the spirit. Instead, they sit here at Your feet, laughing. They are completely unaware of what is even now transpiring in the courts of hell. Why are You allowing this?"
The Lord gazed with love at the angel before Him.
"Before I answer your questions," the Lord replied, "take this child of Mine and show her what is being planned by the enemy."
Both the angel and the Lord then turned their heads and stared at me.
"This will be too much for her," the angel protested.
"Take her, and show her," the Lord repeated.
I began to back nervously away as the angel approached me.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked the angel.
"To the enemy's camp," the angel replied.
"Go with him," the Lord instructed me.
I felt very nervous and afraid, but allowed the angel to touch me. As soon as the angel touched me, we were in darkness. I felt fear engulf me.
"Fear not," the angel said to me, and instantly, the fear vanished.
The darkness seemed to dissipate, and I discovered that the angel and I were in what appeared to be a great court. A man was sitting on a large throne, and before him were gathered all types of creatures and men.
"Who is that man on the throne?" I asked the angel. "And who are the creatures and men gathered before him?"
"That is the accuser of the brethren and his armies," the angel replied.
I then realized that I was in the presence of Satan.
Satan was speaking, and I heard him say, "This will be our strategy."
He then got up from his throne and went to stand in front of a large map on the wall behind him. As I stared at the map, I became aware that it was a map of the entire world. Satan began to divide the world up into sections. Then, he called out some names. I saw the creatures and the men gathered before Satan part, and very large and strong looking angelic beings approached Satan. I could sense the power of these beings, and sensed the evil and wickedness of that power. A hush had fallen over the crowd.
"Who are these beings?" I whispered to the angel who I was with.
The angel I was with seemed concerned. "They are Satan's princes."
Satan began speaking again, and he was assigning sections of the world to each of these "princes."
"You will need your armies," Satan said to them. "Choose whoever you will. All is at your disposal."
The large beings then began to pick and choose who would be in their particular army. When they were finished, they all turned back to Satan and stared at him.
"Each prince will teach you our strategy to deceive and to destroy and to slay mankind," Satan said. "Go with them."
The prince's and their armies began to exit from the presence of Satan. The angel and I began to follow one of the groups. They went into what appeared to be a school room. The prince went to the front of the room and began to instruct his army on how to deceive, destroy and slay the people in their particular section of the world that had been allocated to them. The angel and I then went to each "classroom." The same plans and strategies were being "taught" in each "classroom."
Suddenly, the "classes" began to leave the rooms. The angel and I followed them. They congregated back in front of Satan.
"Report," Satan said. "How will we deceive, destroy and slay mankind?"
One of the princes came forward and began to outline the plans and strategies.
"The people want signs, wonders and miracles from their religious leaders," the prince said. "We know that our enemy will be--and has begun already--to grant this unto his children. We will slip in with a counterfeit movement, and deceive many. We have taught our armies how to mimic worship, praise, and looking and acting like a true believer. We will give unto our armies the ability to work signs, wonders and even miracles. But while all become focused upon these outward manifestations, others of us will begin behind the scenes to dilute the message of the gospel. We will accomplish this partly through speaking to the people about God's 'true' nature. We will allow the people to create God into what and who they want Him to be."
"Good," Satan said. "Very good."
The prince began to speak once again. "When the people have created their own version of God, then, we will give them OUR god."
The crowd before Satan began to cheer wildly.
"We must depart!" the angel urged me.
Suddenly, we were back before the Lord. He was still in the midst of His children; laughing with them, talking to them, touching them. A silence fell over the group once again as the angel I was with once more approached the Lord. The angel reported to the Lord all we had heard and seen in hell.
"So why are You just sitting here with the people?" the angel asked the Lord. "Send them away to begin to do battle. How will they be able to discern this coming great deception if they aren't even aware that one is coming?"
The Lord became grave. His face as He looked at His children was alight with His great love for them. I noticed tears in His eyes. Then, He turned His head and looked at the angel speaking with Him.
"My children will know the false, by knowing the true," the Lord said. "The longer they spend in My presence, the more they will know My voice when they hear it. A voice of a stranger, they will not follow."
"But the enemy has those who have been taught to speak just as You do," the angel protested. "They sound almost just like You."
"Almost," the Lord replied gently. "Almost they sound like Me. Only My sheep who have lingered long in My presence will know the voice of their true Shepherd. And this is why I spend so much time with My children. I spend as much time with them as they allow Me to. I know very well what the enemy is planning. My plans are plans of love and fellowship."
The angel and the Lord both fell silent as they gazed at the crowd before the Lord.
"Love them well," the angel replied.
"Yes, a battle is coming," the Lord sighed, and I saw tears in His eyes.
"Great wickedness and persecution upon My children; My true children who know My voice. A time of wickedness and persecution such as has never been seen or experienced. Yet in the midst of it all, I will move, I will bless, I will speak, I will love. I will win. There are those of My children who sense much of this. They are the ones who will never stop praying and interceding; not even in times of seeming peace."
"What about me, Lord?" I asked.
The angel and the Lord looked at me. "Pray," the Lord replied. "Tell the prayer warriors to strengthen themselves and their brothers and sisters in the times of peace. I will be pouring out of My Spirit upon all nations and peoples. It will spread to even the most unlikely of places: television, magazines, newspapers, radios, even the Internet. And it will be here that the battle will truly begin, and the deception begin."
The Lord stood up.
"It is time?" the angel asked Him.
"It is time," the Lord replied.
Then, I was no longer with the Lord or the angel, but praying once again.
John 10 is in my mind; especially verse 14: "I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known of mine."
Hollie l. Moody
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