HAVE YOU BEEN SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT? : PART FOUR
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
Garden Of Getsemane, Shekinah Glory, Daniel's Encounters,
Jesus In Revelation, Jesus' Transfiguration, Deceptive
Dreams And Visions, Lying Wonders And Strong Delusion, Joy
Of The Lord, Trying The Spirits And Testing Your Church
After making the original version of this article available
to my readers, I received a response from a fellow who is
part of a small charismatic church in the state of Arizona,
U.S.A. To be honest, since I first came in contact with this
man and his church, I have been troubled by some of their
beliefs; and I have not hid this from him. You see, some of
the very things which I have discussed in this series, are
things in which they fervently believe. For example; they
refer to their leader as Apostle; they believe in the second
Pentecost; they believe in the coming of a second Elijah;
and they believe wholeheartedly in being 'slain in the
spirit'. In fact, this man claims that the Holy Spirit has
placed being 'slain in the spirit' in the church. This man
was also kind enough to send me what I believe may be a
lesson which they share with their church members in order
to show them that being 'slain in the spirit' is a
Scriptural practice.
In this short lesson, the man states that the only verse in
the Bible which is generally cited when referring to this
act of being 'slain in the spirit', is the following verse
taken from the Gospel of John. I personally find this verse
rather interesting; and on several occasions have also
wondered what it means. It wasn't until this man sent me his
response that I have finally taken a closer look at it, and
have asked the Lord to give me the proper understanding:
"As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went
backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:6)
If we accept this man's interpretation of the above verse,
it means that the Spirit of God was so heavy upon Jesus,
that it overpowered these men and caused them to fall
backwards to the ground. This man specifically states that
'they all fell backward like dominos'. I should also note
that while the Authorized King James Version of the Bible
states that Jesus replied 'I am he', the word 'he' is in
italics in order to indicate that it was actually added by
the translator for the sake of clarity. This man takes
advantage of this by stating that Jesus really said 'I am',
as in the 'I AM' found in the Book of Exodus. In other
words, it appears that he is using this fact to emphasize
the overpowering presence which forced these men to fall
'backward like dominos'; that is, to be 'slain in the
spirit'. In order to really understand what might be going
on here, I believe that there are two things that we need to
do. First of all, we need to back away from the picture a
bit, and see the whole thing; and second, we need to find
the Greek root words for some of these English words. Here
then is a fuller account of the event:
"Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from
the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with
lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing
all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said
unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of
Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also,
which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the
ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they
said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you
that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their
way: That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of
them which thou gavest me have I lost none. Then Simon Peter
having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant,
and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the
sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not
drink it? Then the band and the captain and officers of the
Jews took Jesus, and bound him," (John 18:3-12)
The very first thing that I wish to call to your attention
is the fact that it seems that these particular men did not
physically know the person they were being sent to arrest.
In other words, while I am convinced that they had heard of
Jesus, and had heard of the wonderful miracles He had done
in the Temple and elsewhere, they apparently did not
personally know what He looked like. This is very easy to
see for two reasons. First of all, we are told that Jesus
asks them who they are seeking. Now, if they already knew
what Jesus looked like, would there even have been any need
for this question? It doesn't seem likely to me. They would
have simply seen Him, recognized Him, grabbed Him, arrested
Him, and that would have been the end of it. In order for
you to see the second reason why I believe that they didn't
know what Jesus looked like, allow me to also share with you
some verses from the Gospel of Matthew:
"And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came,
and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from
the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that
betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall
kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came
to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus
said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him."
(Matthew 26:47-50)
While this account may at first appear to contradict the
first one, I believe that Matthew simply fills in a few
details that John didn't include in his narrative. While
John informs us that Judas Iscariot is with them, he doesn't
specifically mention the traitor's kiss. However, what I
wish to call to your attention once again, is the fact that
these men who were sent by the chief priests and the Elders
did not know what Jesus physically looked like. If they did,
then why did Judas have to give them a sign so that they
would know who to arrest? I think you will agree with me
then, that while they had heard of Jesus, and knew of the
wonderful powers which He possessed, they did not know Him
in person; at least not well enough to recognize Him up
close. Perhaps they had seen Him from afar in the Temple
while they were performing their duties. We really don't
know.
Another interesting question to ask yourself is this: Why
was a heavily armed multitude necessary to arrest one man?
Judas was familiar with Jesus' habits. He knew that the Lord
would be alone in the Garden with the rest of His Apostles.
Could this be an indication that they did indeed know of
Him, and of the powers that He possessed, and thus they were
truly afraid of Him? Let us proceed now to what happens
next. Notice that they are all standing there with Judas,
and nothing unusual is happening. Then, possibly right
before Judas gives Jesus the traitor's kiss, Jesus asks them
whom they are seeking? They reply 'Jesus of Nazareth'; and
then Jesus says 'I am he'. It is at this point that we are
told that 'they went backward, and fell to the ground'. What
is really going on here? Were they suddenly 'slain by the
spirit' as some of these people would have us to believe? I
don't think so.
That phrase 'went backward' is derived from two Greek words.
The first of these is 'aperchomai'. The primary definition
of this word is to go away, to depart, to go away in order
to follow any one, to go after him, to follow his party, to
follow him as a leader. The word 'backward' is derived from
the Greek word 'eis' which means into, unto, to, towards,
for, or among. This immediately tells us that these people
didn't just all of a sudden bend backwards like reeds in the
wind and fall down like dominoes as this man would have us
to believe. The minute Jesus identified Himself, they
physically withdrew themselves. They followed their leader
and backed off away from Jesus; they retreated. As they
retreated, what happened to them? They fell to the ground.
This word 'fell' is derived from the Greek word 'pipto'.
Notice carefully the following definitions:
----- Begin Quote -----
1) to descend from a higher place to a lower
1a) to fall (either from or upon)
1a1) to be thrust down
1b) metaph. to fall under judgment, came under
condemnation
2) to descend from an erect to a prostrate position
2a) to fall down
2a1) to be prostrated, fall prostrate
2a2) of those overcome by terror or astonishment or
grief or under the attack of an evil spirit or
of falling dead suddenly
----- End Quote -----
Notice that this word means to either fall from or upon, to
be thrust down, or to prostrate. The man who wrote to me
seems to believe that this heavily armed multitude who came
to arrest Jesus, just suddenly prostrated on the ground
before Him in adoration. Does that make any sense to you?
They didn't come to worship Him; they came to arrest Him. As
I will prove in a minute, these people were not prostrating
in adoration because of the overpowering presence of God's
Spirit upon Jesus. Notice that the definition also says that
this falling down might be due to terror, astonishment or
grief. Personally, I think that this might be what we are
looking for to explain this incident. In other words, as
soon as Jesus identified Himself, these people suddenly lost
their nerve. They knew of the things of which Jesus was
capable of doing. Remember, they had been deluded by the
Temple priests into believing that Jesus was a devil, and
not the Son of God. He was simply a powerful sorceror in
their eyes:
"But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the
prince of the devils." (Matthew 9:34)
"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow
doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the
devils." (Matthew 12:24)
"The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth
about to kill thee?" (John 7:20)
"Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well
that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?...Then said the
Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham
is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my
saying, he shall never taste of death." (John 8:48, 52)
So here these people were standing right next to this
'devil', and they didn't even know it because they had no
idea what Jesus the Christ looked like. The minute that
Jesus informed them that He was the one they sought, they
quickly followed their leader, as per the Greek word used,
and retreated. It sounds to me like maybe they fell all over
each other on the ground in terror as they retreated, afraid
of what Jesus might do to them. As far as I can tell, there
was no powerful spiritual presence here knocking them down
backwards like dominoes.
It is right after this, that Jesus again asks them 'Whom
seek ye?'; and they again reply 'Jesus of Nazareth'. Now why
did Jesus have to ask them a second time when He already
knew the answer, and they already knew who He was? After
this, the Lord says to them 'I have told you that I am he:
if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way.' I think
the real spirit of what is being said here is 'Well, you
came for me, so why don't you arrest me now? Just take me
and leave these others alone.' In other words, I think He
was telling them, 'Look, I am not going to do anything to
harm you. I am not the big bad devil that you think I am.
Just arrest me and let's get this over with.' They needed
some assurance that this man, whom they had been told was a
powerful sorceror, wasn't going to hurt them. It is right
after this, that Peter cuts off the ear of the servant of
the High Priest, and Jesus heals him with His admonition to
not take up the sword. After this, they arrest and bind the
Lord. I discuss this incident in more detail in some of my
political articles.
If these people were 'slain in the spirit' as some people
would have us to believe, then they certainly made a quick
recovery, don't you think? One minute they are flat on the
ground worshipping the Lord; and the very next they are
ruthless criminals again tying His hands in order to take
Him to the High Priest. Are these people schizophrenic or
what? Doesn't something seem a bit wrong in this picture? To
add to this odd interpretation proposed by the supporters of
the 'slain in the spirit' doctrine, here is another point
which I think you need to consider. If this crowd of people
was suddenly overpowered by the Spirit of God so that they
were prostrated on the ground worshipping Jesus, instead of
arresting Him as they had come to do, doesn't it also seem
strange that Peter would suddenly pull out his sword and cut
off the servant's ear? It just doesn't fit the picture, does
it? Therefore, the word 'prostrate' cannot be the proper
interpretation of this Greek word for this verse. So again,
I believe they may have suddenly retreated in fear for their
lives upon realizing that Jesus was the one whom they
sought.
Of course, I cannot prove any of these things conclusively.
All I can do is provide you with the definitions of the
original Greek words, and show you the inconsistencies which
I personally see which make this idea of being 'slain in the
spirit' utterly false. If you don't wish to accept any of
these possibilities, then I suppose you will just have to
accept that this multitude was indeed 'slain in the spirit'.
It is interesting to note that Matthew, Mark and Luke all
basically describe the same scenario of Judas arriving with
the multitude, Judas kissing Jesus, and then the Lord's
arrest. John is the only one who describes these men falling
down in this way. The fact that these people base their
whole belief primarily upon this one verse should cast doubt
in anyone's mind. As a final point on this group of verses,
what I also find extremely odd is the fact that, according
to what I have read and been told, this act of being 'slain
in the spirit' is supposed to be something which only falls
upon devout believers in the Lord; yet here we see a large
group of ungodly men, believers by no means, experiencing
the very same thing. Does this make any sense to you?
After sharing the above verse, this person then explains
that in order to properly establish any doctrine, there must
be a minimum of two or three verses of Scripture to support
it. As you know, I also follow this technique, and often
encourage you to compare Scripture with Scripture in order
to arrive at a proper understanding of any given matter;
thus I can agree with this man. However, concerning this act
of being 'slain in the spirit', the problem that I see, is
that this person has misinterpreted this verse from the
Gospel of John, so the following verses he presents are not
a confirmation of the event in John's Gospel whatsoever. In
my view, they describe something completely different. To
provide you with a little background, after King Solomon had
completed building the Temple, it was necessary to bring the
Tabernacle, or tent, the Ark of the Covenant and the other
holy objects into the Temple. It is right after the priests
have placed the Ark of the Covenant containing the Tablets
of Moses inside the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place
inside the Temple, that the following event occurs. Please
note that the following two groups of verses are not two
separate events. They are the very same event described by
different writers in the first Book of the Kings, and the
second Book of the Chronicles of the Kings:
"And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the
holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So
that the priests could not stand to minister because of the
cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the
LORD." (1 Kings 8:10-11)
"It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as
one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking
the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the
trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised
the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for
ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the
house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to
minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD
had filled the house of God." (2 Chronicles 5:13-14)
This must have been one truly amazing event! As soon as the
priests had come out of the Holy of Holies, the Cloud of the
Lord's Glory began to fill the Temple. Some people have
referred to this Cloud as the Shekinah Glory, although the
term isn't specifically used in the Bible itself. This was a
very real visible event. Whatever this Cloud was, the people
actually saw it; just as their ancestors had seen it before
during their wandering through the wilderness, and during
the times that the Lord appeared to Moses in the Tabernacle.
I cover all of these related verses in the article 'Under
The Cloud: UFO's And The Bible'. Personally, I tend to think
that this might possibly be the very same bright luminescent
Cloud that is mentioned in the Gospels when Peter, James and
John witness the Lord's Transfiguration. I will discuss that
event in a moment.
As can readily be seen, there are some very big differences
between what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane, and what
occurred here in the Temple. In the former, we have a group
of anti-god men coming to arrest Jesus; and in the latter we
have devout servants of the Lord giving glory and praise to
the Lord after placing the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy
of Holies. While the ungodly men went back and fell to the
ground in what I believe was an act of retreat and terror,
here we are told that these servants of the Lord were unable
to stand because of the presence of the Lord's Cloud of
Glory. Exactly what does this mean? Does it mean that they
were knocked down, or that they were forcibly pushed down to
the ground, or that they suddenly lost consciousness and
fainted? The answer is definitely not; and I can prove it to
you right from the Scriptures.
Unlike those who believe that the priests were 'slain in the
spirit' and fell to the ground like feathers, what really
happened is that they simply walked out of the Temple as the
Cloud continued to fill it. Once the priests had entered the
courtyard where the sacrificial altar was located, the very
next chapter begins with King Solomon giving an exhortation
to the congregration of Israel who are assembled there.
Everyone was perfectly conscious and knew exactly what they
were doing. No one had been 'slain in the spirit'. About a
third of the way through the chapter, kneeled before the
altar, Solomon offers a prayer to the Lord. Once he has
finished, the Lord sends a fire from Heaven to consume the
burnt offering. These devout people are so humbled, and so
awed by the wonderful appearance of this Cloud which has now
filled the Temple, as well as by the fire which has consumed
the altar sacrifice, that we are told that they voluntarily
prostrate themselves on the ground in reverence to the Lord
as they praise His Name. To prove that this is so, instead
of just reading a few verses which can give us a distorted
view of what happened here, let's read a few more of them so
that we can fill in the rest of the picture:
"And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence
of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his
hands: For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five
cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high,
and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he
stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the
congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward
heaven,...Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the
fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering
and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the
house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the
LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S
house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire
came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they
bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the
pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For
he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Then the king
and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD."
(2 Chronicles 6:12-13, 7:1-4)
Notice that in the very first verses we looked at, the
priests were inside the Temple placing the Ark of the
Covenant in the Holy of Holies; right after which the Cloud
of Glory began to appear; and now they are outside in the
courtyard, and are unable to re-enter the Temple due to the
Cloud of Glory. As can easily be seen, no one was 'slain in
the spirit' inside the Temple, or outside in the courtyard.
They were fully conscious of their every act. They listened
attentively while King Solomon gave his exhortation, and
then when he followed it with a sincere prayer to the Lord.
After this, they all followed Solomon's lead and bowed
themselves to the ground as they worshipped the Lord. After
they praised the Lord a bit, they offered their sacrifices
to the Lord. If you still doubt that this is precisely what
happened, then I encourage you to read chapters five through
seven so that you will be convinced of these things for
yourself.
With this event, we have now looked at the key verses which
are used to support the doctrine of being 'slain in the
spirit'. If you accept my explanations, then you too will
agree that being 'slain in the spirit' cannot possibly be
based upon these verses. The very next verses which this man
included in his explanation are found in the eighth chapter
of the Book of Daniel. Like John the Revelator and the
Prophet Ezekiel, Daniel witnessed some rather amazing things
during his lifetime. He was a man truly loved of God; and
thus the Lord blessed him with some of the most powerful
visions and prophecies found in the entire Bible. I discuss
the interpretation of his dreams and visions more in-depth
in some of my Endtime articles. In addition to the verses
found in the eighth chapter, I am also including those from
chapter ten in order to give you a complete picture of some
of Daniel's encounters with these Beings, as well as his
reactions to them:
"And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the
vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there
stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a
man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and
said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he
came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and
fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of
man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as
he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face
toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright...
And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I
rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished
at the vision, but none understood it."
(Daniel 8:15-18, 27)
"Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a
certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with
fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and
his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as
lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to
polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of
a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men
that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking
fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and
there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was
turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the
voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face,
and my face toward the ground. And, behold, an hand touched
me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my
hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved,
understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand
upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken
this word unto me, I stood trembling...And when he had
spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground,
and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of
the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and
spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by
the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have
retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my
lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway
there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath
left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like
the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O
man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be
strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I
was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast
strengthened me." (Daniel 10:5-11, 15-19)
As can be seen, the Prophet Daniel's encounters with these
Celestial Beings were extremely powerful, and very dramatic.
In the first set of verses, the Angelic Messenger is clearly
identified as being Gabriel. If we compare the second set of
verses with similar verses found in the Book of Revelation,
it seems quite possible that Daniel's second encounter may
have been with none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Notice
the similarities between Daniel's description, and that
given by John the Revelator:
"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto
the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his
hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes
were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass,
as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound
of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars:
and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when
I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right
hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and
the last:" (Revelation 1:13-17)
While we may sometimes imagine how great it would be to see
the Lord, or to be visited by one of His Angelic Agents, we
are really fools for even thinking such things. The human
flesh is simply not made to directly interact with beings
from the Spiritual World. Our weak human flesh simply cannot
endure such encounters very well. Perhaps this is one reason
why Paul wrote the following:
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption." (1 Corinthians 15:50)
When a body of human flesh meets a body made of the Spirit,
it is a tremendous clash. Consider carefully the words that
Daniel used to describe his awesome encounters. We are told
that he was afraid and that he fell upon his face; we are
told that he was in a deep sleep on his face toward the
ground; we are told that there remained no strength in him;
we are told that his breath left him, we are told that he
stood trembling; we are told that he became dumb; and we are
even told that when these experiences were over, that he
fainted and was sick certain days.
The question we each need to ask ourselves is why this was
happening? Was it because Daniel was being 'slain in the
spirit'? Was he being knocked down by an invisible force?
No; that isn't what Daniel tells us whatsoever. He says
quite plainly 'I was afraid'. Even though what was happening
to him was truly wonderful, his poor flesh just wasn't able
to cope with it; so he kept fainting. He fell flat on his
face and was unconscious. When it says that he was in a deep
sleep, that is precisely what it means. He fainted and was
unconscious. It is derived from the Hebrew word 'radam'. It
seems that fainting is a mechanism that the Lord has built
into our bodies to protect us from trauma. Poor Daniel could
only look at those wonderful Beings and listen to their
words for a few minutes before his flesh collapsed under him
again. That is why they had to keep helping him up off the
ground. That is why he was told '...fear not: peace be unto
thee, be strong, yea, be strong'. If he was purposely being
'slain in the 'spirit', why would he be told this? Daniel
was trying to be strong, but he just wasn't able to do it on
his own. If you look at the previous verses from the Book of
Revelation, you will see that, as with Daniel, the Angelic
Agent also had to touch John, who fell down as one dead, and
tell him not to be afraid. Clearly, these men were merely
fainting due to the strain on their bodies brought about by
their own fear.
One point I would like to emphasize again, is that while
those who support the 'slain in the spirit' doctrine would
like us to believe that these various incidents are all
closely related, as a closer study of them has now revealed,
this is not the case whatsoever. They are all very different
from each other and involve different elements. The first
was an act of quick retreat out of fear of what Jesus might
do to them; the second was a matter of leaving the Temple as
the Cloud of Glory filled it so that they could not return;
and the third and fourth are cases of fainting due to a
natural fear of things not commonly experienced by mortal
men. As I mentioned earlier, I suspect that the Cloud of
Glory which filled Solomon's Temple, may possibly have been
the very same Cloud which was experienced by Peter, James
and John during the Transiguration of our Lord. While I can
only theorize, I wonder if this might not be a side effect of
the Lord opening up a vortex in the time space continuum
between our physical world, and the world of the Spirit.
As you read the following account, you will notice the exact
same elements found in Daniel's encounter, and in John's
encounter in the Book of Revelation:
"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his
brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as
the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And,
behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking
with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it
is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here
three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one
for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they
fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and
touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
only." (Matthew 17:1-8)
Notice again that the Disciples fell on there face out of
fear of the unknown, and not because they were 'slain in the
spirit'. As with Daniel and John, the Lord had to physically
touch them with His Hand in order to revive them; and then
He says 'Arise, and be not afraid'. In other words, He knows
that they have fainted out of fear, and for no other reason.
In this incident, the word 'fell' is derived from the very
same Greek word, 'pipto', we saw earlier in the incident in
the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a falling due to natural
terror or astonishment. It has absolutely nothing to do with
being overpowered by the Spirit of God so that one is 'slain
in the spirit'. It was simply their body's natural reaction
to protect itself from trauma. In Luke's account of this
same incident, it appears that this occurred late at night
because the Disciples were fast asleep. It is upon waking up
that they see Jesus with Moses and Elijah. Peter is so
shocked by this, that he begins to babble like an idiot.
Notice how John describes it. Their fear only heightens as
they actually enter the Cloud and hear the very Voice of God
the Father. The true nature of this Cloud has always puzzled
me. If it was the Shekinah Glory, we can only wonder why
they weren't 'slain in the spirit' as one would expect
according to this false doctrine:
"But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with
sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the
two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, as they
departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good
for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one
for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing
what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and
overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the
cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This
is my beloved Son: hear him." (Luke 9:32-35)
With all of these examples that I have now given you, I hope
that you can honestly see that this doctrine of being 'slain
in the spirit' is false. While this man provided a few more
Scriptures to support his claims, I feel that they are even
less convincing than the ones that I have already shared
with you. In my view, short of experiencing a powerful
encounter with a spiritual being like that of the Prophet
Daniel, or like that of Peter, James and John, there is no
reason for anyone to be fainting and falling to the floor as
is reported in some of these testimonies I have read. Even
when the Cloud of Glory filled the Temple, which must have
truly been a much more powerful Presence than what some of
these churches are claiming to experience, no one fainted or
fell to the ground as if 'slain by the spirit'. The Presence
in the Temple was real; it was visual; just like the Cloud
seen and entered by Peter, James and John. It wasn't some
invisible force knocking people to the floor. This fact
alone should worry any sincere Christian who sees such
things happening in their church or fellowship. As I stated
earlier, when God's Spirit is present, it lifts up and
inspires us. It doesn't throw us to the floor and then not
allow us to get up as some of these people have reported.
On a related note, there are some people today who actually
believe that they have seen Jesus in dreams or visions. They
will tell you all about their visions and the things that
the Lord has supposedly said to them. Some even claim to
have been lifted up to Heaven like the Apostle John and met
the Lord. Frankly, based upon all of the information we have
now covered, I must seriously question those who make such
claims. I can only wonder if perhaps they haven't really
been visited by the false 'angel of light'; that is, by
Satan himself; or else by one of his spiritual partners in
crime who have tried to impersonate an Angel of the Lord:
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14)
When Daniel, Peter, James, and John saw the real Jesus in
His Spiritual Body, He had white hair, eyes of flame, a face
which shone like the sun, shiny luminescent skin like brass,
a golden girdle around his breast, and His Voice was totally
out of this world! As we have already seen, when they saw
Him this way, their flesh just couldn't cope with it. They
fainted on the spot! Despite these facts, I have read
testimonies of people who say that Jesus has appeared to
them in white with a smile on His Face, sometimes never
speaking a word. They say that they are overcome by a
feeling of love and warmth, and an assurance that all is
well. Based on the Word of God, if you are one who has had
such an experience, don't you think that it is time that you
really question these visions of yours? Are you seeing what
the Bible tells you that you should be seeing? Is your flesh
reacting the same as that of those who have really seen Him?
Remember, as I point out in many of my Endtime articles, and
even in my alien and UFO articles, we are clearly told that
the Endtime will be a time of strong delusion in which Satan
and his demons will be performing many great signs and lying
wonders. Might you possibly be a victim of such things?:
"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...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:" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-11)
"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)
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,"
(Revelation 13:13)
Don't believe that just because you are a Christian that you
can't be deceived, because you most certainly can be. Satan
has been around a lot longer than all of us. He has had a
long time to perfect his tricks. Don't overestimate your own
wisdom, spiritual discernment or strength. There are many
people in the world today who are sincerely deceived, and
they don't even know it. The only way to avoid these things
is by staying close to the Lord, as well as by carefully and
prayerfully studying His Word. If you do this, then you will
not be ignorant of Satan's devices:
"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Don't just trust in the words of a man; whether he is your
priest, pastor, minister or Sunday school teacher. Don't
even trust in me. Trust only in God and in His Word. If you
have doubts about something that I teach, then pray over the
Scriptures I share. If you honestly believe that the Lord
has shown you something different, well then believe it. You
cannot and should not operate according to my faith; you
must operate according to your own. Concerning these current
issues of being 'slain in the spirit', and a second day of
Pentecost, and an Endtime Elijah and other great Apostles
and Prophets, and America's coming greatness, etc., all I
can say is that I have honestly done my best to give you the
straight Word of God. I would again encourage you to read
such articles as 'The Office Of A Prophet' and 'Elijah:
Where Are The True Prophets?'. Lest some of you get the
erroneous impression that I don't believe in the Gifts of
the Spirit, or in the presence of God's Spirit in our lives,
allow me to also encourage you to read the article 'Are The
Gifts Of The Spirit For Today?'. As you will see, yes, I
most certainly do believe in the Gifts of the Spirit, but I
also believe in the following:
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
(1 Corinthians 14:40)
Let me also state for the record, that I also fully believe
in expressing our joy and thankfulness before the Lord, as I
explained earlier. Here are a few more verses on the joy of
the Lord for your personal encouragement:
"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of
thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)
"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they
shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach
you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's
sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold,
your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did
their fathers unto the prophets." (Luke 6:22-23)
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might
remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
(John 15:11)
"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh
from you." (John 16:22)
"And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the
world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves."
(John 17:13)
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy
Ghost." (Acts 13:52)
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
(Romans 14:17)
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of
the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law."
(Galatians 5:22-23)
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory:" (1 Peter 1:7-8)
"But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may
be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:13)
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy," (Jude 1:24)
As I have already said, there is a balance to be found in
the Scriptures; and there is a proper time and place for
everything. My primary message to you is to simply try, or
to test, the spirits and the spiritual influence in your
personal life, and in your congregation as well, and to make
absolutely certain that it is of God, and not a demonic
counterfeit:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)
Simply look at the fruit in your own life, as well as in the
lives of those around you. Do you see God's blessings being
manifested in your life? Do you see God's blessings in your
congregation? Are not only the Gifts of the Spirit present,
but are the Fruits of the Spirit present as well?:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law."
(Galatians 5:22-23)
If your congregation is bearing good positive fruit such as
through lives being changed, and new souls being won to
Christ; and if both the Gifts and the Fruits of the Spirit
are present, then perhaps you are in the right church and
fellowshipping with the right people. Following are a few
additional questions which may assist you in evaluating your
current situation:
1. Does your church's doctrine and pattern highly exalt
and adhere to the Word of God; or is it heavily based upon
the words, traditions and rituals of men with very little
mention of the Scriptures?
2. Are you able to freely approach the elders of your
church or fellowship without fear and talk to them about
different issues which affect your faith?
3. Are your elders willing to openly discuss the church's
doctrine with you; or do they shun you and tell you that
they will talk to you later; or that you are too young in
the faith to understand it?
4. Do your elders have a humble spirit when they share with
you, or do they express a self-righteous condescending
attitude towards you?
5. Are you personally convinced in your heart that your
church has properly explained the Scriptures to you?
6. Does your church encourage you to study the Scriptures
on your own?
7. Do you have a peace in your heart concerning the church
with which you are currently fellowshipping?
8. Would you encourage others to join your church or
fellowship?
These are all important questions that you should seek to
answer for yourself. If you have answered all of them in the
affirmative, then you can be at peace with yourself, with
God, and with your brethren, knowing that you have found a
good church and are in good company. On the other hand, if
any of these things are lacking, or if there is a spirit of
darkness, or of confusion, or of oppression in your church
or fellowship, then I advise you to really pray about your
situation; as you may be in spiritual trouble and not even
realize it. With this final counsel, I am going to bring
this series to a close. I trust that it has been instructive
and a blessing in your life.