HAVE YOU BEEN SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT? : PART THREE
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
The Prophecy of Joel, The Promise Of The Comforter, Endtime
Warnings, Final Revelation Of Evil, No Second Pentecost, The
Gospel Is Preached, The Final Harvest, The Changing Tide, A
Lack Of Faith?, A Holy Or Unholy Spirit?, Is It Good Fruit?,
The Lord Liberates And Lifts Up, Godly Conviction Or Satanic
Condemnation?, Lift Up Your Praise To The Lord
As I mentioned in part two of this series, some of the key
verses which are used by these people who talk all about a
revival and a great outpouring of God's Spirit in America
during a second day of Pentecost, are the following, taken
from the Book of the Prophet Joel:
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out
my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon
the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I
will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood,
and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the
terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be
delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom
the LORD shall call." (Joel 2:28-32)
For quite a long time, I have also believed, and perhaps
mistakenly so, that these verses are referring to a final
outpouring of God's Spirit in the Last Days; however, I am
now beginning to wonder if this is truly the case. Is it
possible that just as some people have misinterpreted the
timeframe of the verses in the Book of Malachi, so that they
erroneously believe in an Endtime Elijah, that the above
verses from the Book of Joel have also been misunderstood?
Could it be that the phrase 'the great and the terrible day
of the LORD' is not referring to the Lord's Second Coming,
but rather to His previous coming two thousand years ago? If
we are truly honest with ourselves, we must admit that this
is a distinct possibility. Due to the lack of a complete
record of the events which occurred back then, we honestly
do not know what celestial or Earthly signs the Lord may
have performed. The sun being darkened, and the moon being
turned to blood, could easily have been a solar eclipse and
a lunar eclipse during that age. Additionally, deliverance
did in fact come from Mount Zion and Jerusalem; not only
because Jesus preached in the very Temple, but because it
was also there where He was crucified; and it was from there
that His Apostles began to spread the Gospel message. As to
this deliverance, when Jesus began His Ministry, one of the
first things He did was to quote from the Prophet Isaiah:
"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and,
as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath
day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto
him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened
the book, he found the place where it was written, The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the
Lord." (Luke 4:16-19)
These are not the only things which cast doubt upon this
belief in a second day of Pentecost as is proposed by the
Latter Rain people and quite a few other charismatic groups.
Peter's words found in the Book of Acts also indicate that
the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled on that day when there
was a great outpouring of the Lord's Spirit on all of the
Disciples in Jerusalem; exactly as Jesus had promised a
short time before. As you read the following verses, bear in
mind that Peter had just received the Holy Ghost; thus, he
was speaking by the power and influence of God Himself. He
was not leaning to his own understanding when he said these
things. After His Resurrection, Jesus even opened up the Old
Testament Scriptures to His Disciples; so I don't see how
Peter or anyone else could have been mistaken when he said
that this was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Joel.
Consider now the following verses:
"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his
voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to
my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing
it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which
was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in
the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon
all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I
will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs
in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:14-21)
"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they
went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But
they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is
toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to
tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with
them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to
them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he
vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another,
Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by
the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"
(Luke 24:25-32)
Notice that we are specifically told that Peter stood 'up
with the eleven'. I don't know how you understand these
words, but I understand them to mean that they were all in
unison with Peter. This act of standing up together was a
sign that, doctrinally speaking, they were in agreement with
Peter; that is, they agreed that the words of the Prophet
Joel were being fulfilled that very day. They had no doubt
about this whatsoever. They had all seen Jesus after His
Resurrection. He had opened up the Scriptures to them. They
knew exactly what they were talking about. They weren't
mistaken. They weren't deceived. They hadn't misunderstood
the Scriptures. Acccording to Jesus' own words, which were
in fact a repetition of what is found in the Old Testament,
they were establishing a principle doctrine of our Faith:
"But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or
two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every
word may be established." (Matthew 18:16)
"This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of
two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
(2 Corinthians 13:1)
"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my
gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the
world began," (Romans 16:25)
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his
eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
(1 Peter 5:10)
Despite this clear affirmation by the Founding Fathers of
our Faith, today there are many spiritual leaders who make
the false claim that the words of the Prophet Joel have not
yet been fulfilled; or else they twist them and say that it
is going to happen again. If you are one who believes in
this idea of a second day of Pentecost, or in the coming of
a second Prophet Elijah and other great Apostles and
Prophets, then I ask you to please seriously consider the
following. As we all know, the first Pentecost in Jerusalem
was an extremely important part of God's Plan which greatly
contributed to the spread of, as well as the survival of,
our Christian faith. It was so important, that during the
course of His Ministry, Jesus made mention of the coming
promise of the Comforter, that is, the Holy Ghost, on a
number of occasions. Following are some of the key things He
said about it:
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:16-17)
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you." (John 14:26)
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you
from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify of me:" (John 15:26)
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will
guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come." (John 16:13)
Now let me ask you something. If the Lord had planned for a
second day of Pentecost in the Endtime, just prior to His
Second Coming, doesn't it seem likely that He, and His
Apostles, would have made mention of it somewhere? Doesn't
it seem likely that Jesus would have surely mentioned it in
some of His Endtime sermons? Doesn't it seem likely that
Peter, James, John or Paul would have mentioned it in one of
their Epistles? Despite all of these false claims by these
modern spiritual leaders, no one, not even the Lord Himself,
made mention of such an important event. If not, then we are
forced to ask ourselves, 'Why not?'. To me, the answer is
rather obvious. As I stated earlier, rather than pouring out
His Spirit upon all flesh in some great final American
revival as some of these deluded people would have you to
believe, it seems to me that the Lord might actually be
withdrawing His Spirit from the Earth, as more and more
people turn away from Him in sin and disbelief in these
Latter Days. Isn't this the true pattern we have seen
throughout the Bible? I have clearly supported this view
with many Scriptures.
Unfortunately, that is not the end of the story. Remember a
point I made earlier. When God's Spirit is removed, thus
creating a spiritual vacuum, something else must come in to
take its place. While neither Jesus, nor His Apostles, spoke
of a Latter Day outpouring of the Spirit of God upon all
flesh, or of a wonderful appearance of many Endtime Prophets
and Apostles who will perform mighty miracles, (other than
the two sackcloth witnesses in Jerusalem), the New Testament
abounds with verses which clearly describe an extremely evil
and totally deceptive presence upon the Earth in the Last
Days. Following are some of the key verses which ought to
wake up some of you to the real Gospel Truth, whether you
can receive it and believe it or not:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
(Matthew 7:15-20)
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
(Matthew 24:24)
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;" (1 Timothy 4:1)
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away...But evil men and seducers shall wax
worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
(2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13)
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no
marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also
be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works."
(2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation." (2 Peter 3:3-4)
When the positive influence of God's Spirit is finally and
totally removed from the Earth, whether it be through the
removal of His Church as some people believe, and/or through
the removal of any angelic beings who are currently keeping
the tide of evil in check, what does the Bible tell us will
happen next? The Apostles Paul and John provide us with a
very clear answer. Following are some of the key verses from
some of their writings:
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not
come, except there come a falling away first, and that man
of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when
I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know
what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For
the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then
shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in
them that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
(2 Thessalonians 2:3-12)
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and
he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And
he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,
and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And
he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down
from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth
them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying
to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did
live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed." (Revelation 13:11-15)
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and
out of the mouth of the false prophet." (Revelation 16:13)
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20)
Now that is the real picture of the Endtime described in the
Holy Bible! It isn't this phoney pie-in-the-sky scenario
which is being preached by these false prophets of peace who
talk about a revival and another outpouring of the Spirit.
Why does there even need to be a second Pentecost? Did God's
Spirit just run out, or run low somewhere during the past
two thousand years so that we His children now need a
refill? Hasn't the Holy Spirit been freely available to us
ever since the day of Pentecost almost two thousand years
ago? Isn't this whole idea of a second outpouring of the
Spirit starting to sound unScriptural to you, not to mention
being silly as well? These people who preach these things
are in essence saying that the Holy Spirit is not currently
available to us. They are basically saying that this is why
we need another outpouring of the same. Well, I am sorry to
disagree, but that isn't what Jesus Christ taught by any
means. Quite to the contrary, He said:
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
While God's Holy Spirit had previously been limited to
selected people whom the Lord could trust with it, such as
Moses, Aaron and his successors, King David, the Prophets of
the Old Testament, Mary, Elizabeth, Ana, Simeon and John the
Baptist, following Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross, and the
day of Pentecost, it became freely available to all flesh;
that is, to everyone who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ;
beginning first in Jerusalem, and then spreading out to all
around the world. We see this throughout the Book of Acts.
Consider the following examples. There is no doubt in my
mind that the Spirit was indeed poured out on all flesh
exactly as had been prophesied by Joel:
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." (Acts 2:4)
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
(Acts 2:38)
"And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they
were assembled together; and they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."
(Acts 4:31)
"And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also
the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."
(Acts 5:32)
"Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we
may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves
continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And
the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and
Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas,
and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:" (Acts 6:3-5)
"Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that
Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them
Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for
them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he
was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them,
and they received the Holy Ghost." (Acts 8:14-17)
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and
putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest,
hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be
filled with the Holy Ghost...Then Saul, (who also is called
Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,"
(Acts 9:17, 13:9)
"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on
all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter,
because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of
the Holy Ghost." (Acts 10:44-45)
"And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on
us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord,
how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." (Acts 11:15-16)
"Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the
church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas,
that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and
had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all,
that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of
faith: and much people was added unto the Lord."
(Acts 11:22-24)
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy
Ghost." (Acts 13:52)
"And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;"
(Acts 15:8)
"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied."
(Acts 19:6)
Now, if God truly stopped pouring out His Spirit somewhere
along the way since the day of Pentecost, so that we need a
new outpouring, I would like to ask those of you who believe
in this totally unScriptural doctrine, to tell me exactly
when and where this occurred. Furthermore, since I have now
conclusively shown that the words of the Prophet Joel have
indeed already been fulfilled, and continue to be fulfilled
to this very day, what other verses can you point to in
order to continue supporting this wayward belief of yours?
Because of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of
Pentecost, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached for
the past two thousand years; and it is being preached more
and further today due to the innovations of our modern day.
In fact, if we are as close to the very End as some people
believe, then my guess would be that the time of preaching
is about over, and God's Final Harvest of souls may soon
begin. Why do I say this? Consider the following verses:
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come." (Matthew 24:14)
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud
one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a
golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another
angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap:
for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of
the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in
his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."
(Revelation 14:14-16)
Anyone who pays close attention to the news and to different
evangelical endeavors, can readily tell that the Gospel has
indeed been preached to the entire world, and by many
different means at that. If anything, this world has been
glutted with the Gospel. In fact, the world has been so
filled with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that in our current
day, it appears that the situation is now in reverse. From
the stories and reports I have read, if they are to be
believed, it appears that Christian missionaries are being
persecuted to some degree, and even killed, in more nations
than ever before. As different nations succumb to fanatical
religious elements within their societies, the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is being less and less welcomed in some of
these places. This is particularly true in countries where
Islam is the predominant religion. It is now claimed that
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today;
even in the United States of America; and not Christianity
as one might be led to believe. The tide is truly changing.
As the Light of the Gospel is extinguished, spiritual
darkness will prevail.
This poses a very interesting question. Considering the true
state of Christianity today, and the true state of the world
in general, why is it that some of these charismatic leaders
continue to express belief in this outpouring of the Spirit
of God? While I cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt,
could it possibly have something to do with the fact that
some of these powerful leaders, who have set up themselves
as Apostles and Prophets in some of these churches and
organizations, need a reason to keep their followers under
their control? By promising them some kind of a revival, and
a coming baptism of the Spirit in which their flocks will
also be wonderfully transformed into great Apostles and
Prophets just like their leaders, these people give their
followers a reason to keep believing in them as anointed
shepherds of the Lord, whether they truly are or not. In
other words, the idea is, 'Keep believing in us, because it
is going to happen!'.
As I have already clearly shown, the problem with this is
that it has already happened; and it has continued to happen
for the past two thousand years. God has been pouring out
His Holy Spirit upon His evangelists, missionaries and other
faithful servants for almost twenty centuries now, in order
that they might take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the four
corners of the Earth. This is precisely what Jesus said the
Holy Ghost was for, and this is exactly what has happened:
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
So again, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh,
that is, upon all believing flesh, on the day of Pentecost;
and the Lord has continued to pour it out upon those who
love Him and obey Him ever since. It is by the power of the
Holy Ghost that we have continued to preach the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to this very day. Thus, there is absolutely no
need for a second outpouring of the Spirit. There is no need
for a second day of Pentecost. As I pointed out in part two
of this series, I think that one of the reasons that some of
these people want this to happen, is because they want and
need to see the signs; they need to see something physical;
because they have lost the faith; and they need something to
boost their faith once again. They need physical proof,
physical signs, and feelings in the flesh in order to help
them to keep believing; but as the Apostle Paul wrote three
different times in his Epistles:
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
(Romans 1:17)
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of
God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
(Galatians 3:11)
"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back,
my soul shall have no pleasure in him." (Hebrews 10:38)
Aside from the reasons that I have already mentioned in this
series, as I point out in 'Are The Gifts Of The Spirit For
Today?', if we are not currently seeing many great miracles,
signs and wonders being performed by God's children, it
might not be due so much to the absence of God's Spirit in
our lives, but rather due to our own lack of genuine faith;
for as the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Hebrews:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen...But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6)
If we truly have the faith, then one would think that He
would reward us with the miracles; for as the Lord said, if
we have the faith of even a grain of mustard seed, we could
remove mountains and cast them into the sea. Of course,
metaphorically-speaking, we have already done this, because
many nations, or mountains, have indeed been moved by the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, if we are not
seeing very many genuine miracles, such as instant healing,
then perhaps it is because as the Lord said:
"...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b)
I think it would be absolutely great if all of a sudden the
Lord's children around the world began to perform all kinds
of miracles due to a renewing or a refreshing of the Holy
Spirit in our lives. I think it would be fantastic if I
could walk up to a sick person, or to someone missing an arm
or a leg, and immediately heal them on the spot. Just think
of how many people could be won to the Lord, or how many
people would re-dedicate themselves to the Lord, by such a
wonderful miracle and testimony of the Power of the living
God. If these things are not happening, either it is due to
our own lack of faith, or else because, as I pointed out in
part two, this is simply not what the Lord has in store for
the world right now. Instead of pouring out His Spirit in
great quantities, He is beginning to withdraw it in order to
allow the revelation of the Final Evil. It is this very
possibility that makes this desire for a second day of
Pentecost all the more dangerous. The time may be coming
when there will indeed be a great outpouring of the spirit;
but it won't be the Holy Spirit; it will be a extremely
deceptive unholy spirit with manifestations which will
deceive many!
This brings us to another equally distressing and very
critical question. If some of these leaders are preaching a
false deceptive message, could it be that their so-called
spiritual manifestations are also false? After all, in order
to prove that God is really with them, they would need all
of these 'wonderful' signs in order to convince people of
this fact, regardless of the true source of these different
manifestations. The question we all need to ask ourselves
then is which god are we really talking about here? Which
one is causing all of these odd manifestations to happen? As
I have repeated over and over again in my articles, the acid
test is in the fruit. This is the criteria that Jesus
Himself gave us; and it is the one which we should follow
without a shadow of a doubt if we really want to stay out of
spiritual trouble. For those of you who are convinced of the
Divine Nature of being 'slain in the spirit', or 'falling in
the spirit', allow me to ask you a few questions. When you
have these experiences, what kind of positive remaining
fruit is it bearing in your life and in the lives of others?
Afterall, This is our whole purpose for being here; to love
God and our fellow man; and to bring forth fruit that
remains:
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your
fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you." (John 15:16)
Are these experiences drawing you closer to Jesus? Are they
drawing you closer to His Word? Are they drawing you closer
to other Christians? Do they help you to be a better witness
to others? Are they bearing positive fruit by bringing more
souls to Jesus Christ? How are you feeling inside after
these incidents occur? Exactly what does falling down, or
being pushed or knocked down to the floor do for you that is
in anyway positive? These same questions can also be applied
to any of these other odd experiences and manifestations
that some of you are having. As I have already shown quite
clearly, Biblically-speaking, the act of falling down, or
more specifically, being knocked down, or cast down, or
pushed down, is not a positive experience. It involves some
form of rebellion, and is usually a chastisement from the
Lord; however, there a few rare exceptions where falling
down has been the result of a positive experience. I will be
discussing these in the final part of this series.
On the other hand, as I explain in the article 'The Lord
Will Lift You Up!', when we are close to the Lord and
obedient to His Word, rather than knocking us down to the
ground, and in some cases even being held there by some
unseen force as we see occurring with some of these
charismatics, the Bible very explicitly tells us that He
will lift us up. God's Spirit is not a heavy oppressive or
suppressive force; it is an uplifting liberating force. It
frees us mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and fills us
with joy unspeakable. Allow me to share a few verses from
the aforementioned article:
"Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and
thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath
made me great...He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea,
thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou
hast delivered me from the violent man."
(Psalms 18:35, 48)
"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his
pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
he shall set me up upon a rock...When my father and my
mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."
(Psalms 27:5, 10)
"...I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me."
(Psalms 30:1b)
"I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast
considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in
adversities; And hast not shut me up into the hand of the
enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room. Have mercy
upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed
with grief, yea, my soul and my belly." (Psalms 31:7-9)
"...I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto
me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a
rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song
in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it,
and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." (Psalms 40:1b-3)
"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did
eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. But
thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I
may requite them. By this I know that thou favourest me,
because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me,
thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before
thy face for ever." (Psalms 41:9-12)
"But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song,
and will magnify him with thanksgiving."
(Psalms 69:29-30)
"Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt
in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O
LORD, held me up." (Psalms 94:17-18)
"Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let
me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall
be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes
continually." (Psalms 119:116-117)
So you see, while the Lord will knock us down if we become
too proud and rebellious, He is primarily in the business of
lifting up His children, and not knocking them down, either
spiritually or physically. If we are knocked down, it is
either because of our own pride and personal sins; or else
because of the condemnation and oppression of the enemy. As
I told one of my readers recently, there is a very big
difference between Godly Conviction which points out our
errors to us and then encourages us to do better, and
satanic condemnation which only condemns and criticizes us
and makes us feel like we have done something wrong which
can never be forgiven. The Lord's Spirit will convict us
through His Word and then give us hope, while Satan just
harshly condemns and accuses us, and fills us with despair,
and never offers any positive solution. If you are having
this problem, consider the words of the Apostle Paul:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
So again, the Lord wants to inspire and lift us up in a
spiritual sense, and not knock us to the floor by some
invisible overpowering oppressive presence. In fact, right
now, we His children are currently waiting for the greatest
'lift up' of all time! The Apostle Paul spoke about it in
the following inspiring verses:
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one
another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
This whole idea of being 'slain in the spirit', or 'falling
in the spirit', just does not seem very Scriptural to me
whatsoever. Maybe some of these people are getting inspired,
but are they really getting inspired by God's true Holy
Spirit, or is it merely some fleshly, or even demonic,
spirit? While I am not in the habit of talking too much
about my personal walk with the Lord, I do feel that the
following might be of a help to some of you. Just like many
other Christians, there are times when I also get extremely
inspired by the Spirit. This is particularly true when I am
working on a certain article, and the Lord is giving me all
kinds of great verses and showing me some precious Truths in
His Word. When this happens, do you think that I am all of a
sudden knocked or pushed to the floor by some unseen force?
Do you think that I get all giddy as if I am drunk? Do you
think I start howling like a dog or stomping my feet or
laughing uncontrollably? Definitely not!
My natural reaction, my automatic reaction, is to get up out
of my chair and walk around the room in utter amazement as I
say 'Wow! Thank-you Lord!' a few times. Then I lift up my
hands and praise the Lord a bit in thankfulness for the
wonderful things He has just shown me. Those few minutes of
praise are so refreshing. It is like being lifted up and
transported to some other place. When I open my eyes again,
I think to myself, 'Oh, I am still here'. That is how real
and out-of-this-world it can be at times; but I am sure that
some of you have probably experienced the very same thing. I
don't get knocked down; I get up and lift up my hands in
praise to Him. That is my natural reaction; and not being
pushed down by some unseen force. I am not 'slain', I am
lifted up spiritually. I am edified. I am rejuvenated. I sit
back down with new strength and inspiration to keep working
until the project is done. In short, my praise sessions with
the Lord bear good positive fruit. This lifting up ourselves
in praise is precisely what the Scriptures tell us to do. As
we lift up our hands to Him in praise, He strengthens and
encourages us. Consider all of the following verses:
"Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee,
when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle."
(Psalms 28:2)
"Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my
hands in thy name." (Psalms 63:4)
"Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do
I lift up my soul." (Psalms 86:4)
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD."
(Psalms 134:2)
"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the
high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift
up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say
unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" (Isaiah 40:9)
"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the
heavens." (Lamentations 3:41)
"Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the
wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with
yellow gold." (Psalms 68:13)
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no
might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint
and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they
that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:29-31)
"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees;" (Hebrews 12:12)
This is the kind of praise that the Bible talks about. We
are clearly told that it will strengthen us, encourage us,
and lift us up. Godly praise does not attract a spirit which
knocks us down, or pushes us to the floor as if it is trying
to oppress us. Whatever spiritual force is causing that kind
of reaction and behaviour is simply not of the Lord in my
view, and should be rebuked immediately.
In the final part of this series, we will be taking a look
at some of the specific verses which are used to support the
doctrine of being 'slain in the spirit'. Topics discussed
will include the Garden Of Getsemane, Solomon's Temple and
the Shekinah Glory, the awe-inspiring encounters of the
Prophet Daniel, John's vision of Jesus Christ in the Book of
Revelation, the Mount of Transfiguration, deceptive dreams
and visions, strong delusion and lying wonders during the
Endtime, more on the joy of the Lord, trying the spirits,
and a few questions to test the temperature of your church
or fellowship. I hope that you will join me.
[ Click Me ] Go To Part Four . . .