Is being slain in the Spirit biblical?

[blessed07]

Daniel 8:17–18 (NIV)
17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me

 

[Brighthouse]

This is a real good question!! Yes it is john 18:4-7 I was brought up Luthern myself, so I never knew of such things ever happening to us in our time!! LOL Not to bore you to tears with a long story!! After I really recieved Jesus in my heart,I went to a meeting place, the man speaking was Kenneth Hagin now deceased.He had a nice sermon and asked if anyone needed prayer to go one up here,I feel led to pray for you,my Pastor said well mark you have 2 bleeding ulcers why not go up there? ok I guess i will,I stood in a line,to get up there,and this man feel down!! I yelled oh dear, is there a doctor in the house, as this man has fallen down!! I was laughted at!! a Lady said do not worry,he fell under the power of the Holy Spirit!! WHAT?? I said I was standing next to him, and I sure did not feel anything!! They laughed!! So ok I steped over the man he was speaking in a language I did not understand, as he was down there? ODD! so later on still another fell!! Now this is before we even got up to the stage!! OK,so I steped over them,I was thinking OH!! I have seen this before on stage, the man touches you, then the guy behind you catches you,you fall back on purpose,then get up and go to your seat!! OK!! well I can do that!! So I got up there, he spoke in English to the 3 people before me,but when he got to me,he spoke in a language I did not understand,he raised his hand, I feel backwards on purpose not feeling anything! As he passed me to the next person!! HE stopped!! He said wait!! that man did not recieve the anointing!! In my mind I thought how in the world does he know this!! Now!! what to do get up and run out of there? or just lay there hopeing he will just continue!! He said wait a minute!! there it is!! when he said this! A Power I never felt in my whole life came on me!! Oh dear!! why I could not move,the best way to descirbe this is a great wave inside ones body starts at the very crown of your head, and waves down to the bottoms of your feet!! This continues for a while! WHY!! I could not move!! lol It was like I was nailed to the floor,inside I thought wow what is this strange power upon me? Finally what seemed like a couple of minutes, the power left me,I moved my hands,yep they work,moved my body, yep ok there, sat up,and knew something I had never thought of in my entire life,has just happened!! For some unknown reason I knew God had touched me and healed me!! We see this on T.V. all the time,but never ever think this could ever happen to you!! As I went back to my seat my pastor started laughing at me,I said Pastor why are you laughing? I told him what happened to me,and finished by saying why I was down for a few minutes.He really started to laugh then! He said mark why you were down there for 45 min!!! To make a very long story short!! I went to the doctor the next day,got him to give me another x ray, and a cross had formed between my two unlcers!! they were gone!! I can tell you!! Jesus is real!! and falling under the Power of him is real as well! From a former non believer to one who has seen the Lord do many mighty works in my day!! I can tell you in all honestly!! Jesus is way!! more real and so is his power then any could ever think of!! Blessing to you.oh the language?? yep I recieved my New prayer language as well that day.I know many do not believe in this,I understand,I judge them not!! But I can tell you,it is real! As so is our Blessed Jesus!! please read the book of Acts as I did,i said Lord if this is for me,then Iwant it,if not!! forget it!! That was my attitude on this,well I got it!! LOL And I bless God for it everyday! I hope you are encourged now! blessing to you.

 

[stephen]

When praying for folks who have a need whatever that need may be. I am aware that God is not restricted to my way of doing things as I pray.

Some may fall to the ground. Some may kneel or roll around the floor. The important thing and the witness for which I look after prayer....is some work of grace. Salvation, Healing, Blessing etc.

I am looking for people who are able to say that they have been blessed, changed, uplifted etc.

You mention 'slaying in the Spirit'. I have heard the term and you give ref. in scripture.

The important thing is that people are changed for the better......in Jesus.

 

[Leanne]

'slain in the spirit' is not biblical that is why it is not found in scripture. The Holy Spirit had not been sent at this point in quoting John's gospel. Jesus of Nazzareth confirmed to those who came to get Him and to Judas the betrayer that HE is the I AM and to this they fell backwards. Christians do not fall backwards.

 

[Brighthouse]

please look at these scripture then! Acts 9:3-4, Acts 26:14 Rev 1:17 You do not have to believe,but they are very scriptural.

 

[Leanne]

All the scriptures you have quoted do not say slain in the spirit and i stand by what i believe unless someone can show me a scripture that says slain in the spirit. This is a term used by the pentecostal movement.

 

[jiggyfly]

All the scriptures you have quoted do not say slain in the spirit and i stand by what i believe unless someone can show me a scripture that says slain in the spirit. This is a term used by the pentecostal movement.

Do you believe in the rapture?

 

[rojoloco]

please look at these scripture then! Acts 9:3-4, Acts 26:14 Rev 1:17 You do not have to believe,but they are very scriptural.

None of these have anything to do with being slain in the spirit. They do all have one common bond though: FEAR!

If you hear a gun shot in a building, do you stand there or do you fall to the floor? I know I would get as low as possible. I wouldn't even have to think about it. It would be a natural reaction as it is for most people.

How do I know it is fear causing it? It is because Revelation 1:17 (a verse you referenced yourself) tells us so. Being "slain in the spirit" is a lie and should be rejected.

 

[Boanerges]

One cannot know the flavor of an apple he has never tasted.

Having known a few born again Jewish believers I have gotten some interesting insights from them. The Jewish people called the glory (manifested presence of God) the Kabod or the weighty presence of God.

2Ch 5:14 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.


Scriptural- yes.
Does it produce good fruit in the lives of those touched- - in my experience, yes.

Are the non Pentecostal types resistant to it along with tongues and etc, etc- typically yes. Different experiences are common in different members of the body.
That is no insult but rather an observation.
Having spent a lot of time in both types of churches I can say they both have their strong points and both their weaknesses.



From the Strong Exhaustive Concoradance of the Bible:
H3519
כּבד כּבוד
kâbôd kâbôd
kaw-bode', kaw-bode'
From H3513; properly weight; but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness: - glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).

 

[Brighthouse]

LOl RoJoloco!! YEA?? What fear was there in John 18:4-6 What fear did these men have when Jesus who they saw!! as they were coming to him,Jesus said I am he!! and what shot was heard?? lol They what?? OH!!! they fell backwards.Perhaps the expression being slain is not the proper language,perhaps the correct term should be they fell backwards because the anointing of the prescence of God. Which if you look is really the same thing. I understand many who do not believe in this,I did not either,till it happened to me as you have read prior,to say I am lieing is close to blasphemy, for what power or anointing can lay a person backwards? fear does not cause one to fall backwards,fear causes one to look for cover! To say the Spirit of the Living God can not cause a man or woman to fall,is not wise, since you are not the Lord!! Luke 1:37 for what?? NOTHING!!will be inpossible with God!! I would be very careful brother!

 

[rojoloco]

One cannot know the flavor of an apple he has never tasted.

Yet one can know an apple exists whether or not he has ever seen one. I have never seen a duck-billed platypus but I know they exist. I have never seen a dragon yet I know they do not exist. I have never seen Jesus yet I know he existed. I have never seen Santa Claus yet I know he does not exist. However, I do know the man the idea came from did exist at one point in time. Experience is not the same as knowledge nor is it an essential part of it.

In this sense, I can know being slain in the spirit is not a Biblical concept. It was born out of an experience and the concept has only grown and mutated from there. It is strictly extrabiblical. The verses used to support it are clearly speaking of fear for that is exactly what it explicitly says. When one thing is explicit and one if implicit, if they seemingly contradict each other, the explicit explanation always wins.

 

[rojoloco]

LOl RoJoloco!! YEA?? What fear was there in John 18:4-6 What fear did these men have when Jesus who they saw!! as they were coming to him,Jesus said I am he!! and what shot was heard?? lol They what?? OH!!! they fell backwards.

Try looking at it again without an agenda.

So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He." And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.

Nowhere does it say they fell backward. It says they drew back and fell down to the ground. What was the reasoning for this? It was because Jesus said, "I am He." At this point, they clearly understood they were standing in the presence of God. Has anybody ever scared you by jumping around a corner? What is your first reaction? You probably flinch or possibly take a step backward while raising your hands to a defensive posture. In much the same way, these men took an immediate step backward and then fell to the ground out of fearful reverence for God.

When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob " Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

We see another example here where Moses hid his face for he was afraid when he realized God was coming from the bush. In verse 3, Moses wanted to look at the bush. In verse 5, he turns away out of fear knowing he is in the presence of God.

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

Here, we see Saul fall to the ground. Why? Because of the flash of light from Heaven. He knew exactly what was happening and, sure enough, God spoke afterward. Saul fell down prostrate out of fear and reverence. Nothing says he fell backward out of being slain the spirit.

at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me." And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

Once again, it was the flash of light that caused them all to fall to the ground. Immediately after falling prostrate out of fear and reverence, God spoke in their midst.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like t<sup class="xref" value="(<a href=&quot;#cen-NASB-30715BH&quot; title=&quot;See cross-reference BH&quot;>BH</a>)"></sup>he sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last

This one is obvious. It describes exactly what he was afraid of and then even gives it away by telling him do not be afraid.
Out of the 5 of those passages, only 1 was brought forth by me. The other 4 are all passages that were used in this thread to support being slain in the spirit. Even the most simple study shows that this is not what is being said in any way, shape, or form. They simply fell prostrate out of fear and reverence. Not one of them speaks of anybody falling backwards.

Perhaps the expression being slain is not the proper language,perhaps the correct term should be they fell backwards because the anointing of the prescence of God. Which if you look is really the same thing.

Perhaps...if they had actually fallen backwards. There is nothing in Scripture that says this. However, we do see quite a few times in Scripture where people fall face down in the prostrate position out of fear and reverence. That is the exact same thing that the people in the above passages did. So no, it is not the same thing.

I understand many who do not believe in this,I did not either,till it happened to me as you have read prior,to say I am lieing is close to blasphemy, for what power or anointing can lay a person backwards? fear does not cause one to fall backwards,fear causes one to look for cover!

Once again, there is nothing in Scripture saying anybody fell backwards. That is extrabiblical teaching born out of experience. I am convinced that whatever happened to you was a learned thing and not the power of God causing you to fall backwards. If it didn't happen anywhere in Scripture, I see no reason to think it would happen to you. If you fell backwards, it's because YOU fell backwards. Plain and simple.

To say the Spirit of the Living God can not cause a man or woman to fall,is not wise, since you are not the Lord!! Luke 1:37 for what?? NOTHING!!will be inpossible with God!! I would be very careful brother!

Is it also unwise to say God would not cause me to fly if I jumped off a cliff? What grounds would I have to claim God would make me do such a thing? On the same basis, you have no ground to say God would cause you to fall backward because there is not one example in Scripture of someone doing this. It's not a matter of whether or not God COULD cause someone to do this but rather, DOES He cause people to do it? Not in any of the books of the Bible did He so I have no reason to purport that He would do it now.

 

[Brighthouse]

IF!! You would have taken the time to read my story, you will see that I did not feel anything,I fell backwards on purpose,what happened next though,was the Anointing and very prescence of God. You hear, but do not precieve, you look but do not understand. Isiaiah 6:9 I will pray that our Loving Father in Heaven will show you what he did me,and so many others,the Anointing of the Living God can fall on anyone,and cause one to fall in the process. blessing to you.

 

[rojoloco]

IF!! You would have taken the time to read my story, you will see that I did not feel anything,I fell backwards on purpose,what happened next though,was the Anointing and very prescence of God. You hear, but do not precieve, you look but do not understand. Isiaiah 6:9 I will pray that our Loving Father in Heaven will show you what he did me,and so many others,the Anointing of the Living God can fall on anyone,and cause one to fall in the process. blessing to you.

Once again, show me a place in Scripture where this happened and I will give your claim some credibility. Until then, I will continue to say that what happened was a learned behavior. Falling backward had nothing to do with anything and there is nothing in Scripture to make any claim otherwise.

 

[Brighthouse]

There are two,none of which involved fear,now the only question is,did they fall forward or backward? Who is to say,it could have been either way. 2 Chronicles 5:14 Ezekiel 3:23 please read and verses before or after to confirm. Also please check out a book written in the 1970s by an ex catholic Priest called overcome by the Spirit by Francis Macnutt,he recalls many who fell bothways as he was given a healing Ministry by the Lord. Hope this helps in your understanding.

 

[rojoloco]

There are two,none of which involved fear,now the only question is,did they fall forward or backward? Who is to say,it could have been either way. 2 Chronicles 5:14 Ezekiel 3:23 please read and verses before or after to confirm. Also please check out a book written in the 1970s by an ex catholic Priest called overcome by the Spirit by Francis Macnutt,he recalls many who fell bothways as he was given a healing Ministry by the Lord. Hope this helps in your understanding.

Actually, Scripture is to say...and Scripture alone.

so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

You are correct when you say it does not explicitly state which direction they fell however, it is easily understood that it was forward. First, why did they fall? Was it some power of the Spirit? Certainly not! It was plainly because of the glory of the Lord filling the temple in a cloud. As with all the prior examples, the glory of the Lord is what caused them to fall down in fearful reverence. Again, falling on one's face was customary as a sign of reverence toward God in that day. It may be lost on us in our present day and age but it was very normal back then. There was a strong fear of being in the glory of the Lord and that is why one would get as low to the Earth as possible in order to humble themselves before God. They would always fall on their faces. An example of this is seen in the next verse you tried using which I will now explain:

So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. The Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet, and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut yourself up in your house.

Not only does it say he fell on his face in reverence to the glory of the Lord that he saw there but it goes on to say that once he was empowered by the Spirit, the Spirit actually made him STAND on his feet. So much for your theory that the Spirit knocks people backward.

 

[Brighthouse]

there was no reverence as they were ministering to the people,the Word says this! wow!! the power of unbelief.even when it is plain to see,you will not. ok

 

[Brighthouse]

also ah in oder for the Spirit to pick you back up on your feet one has to have been knocked down by the Spirit as well. no fear here.

 

[Strypes]

It is my opinion that we should not try to keep God in a box. I have never been "slain in the spirit" but that does not mean that God can not use that to bless those who have been.

God does not have to always have a yellow jacket sting your ear to heal an ear infection like he did for me.. (long story)


My point is that God is awesome and He can use what ever he wants to bless His children. We will be judged by the standard we judge others. I would advise giving lots of grace and mercy and not dogmatic condemnation of other's experiences.

 

[rojoloco]

there was no reverence as they were ministering to the people,the Word says this! wow!! the power of unbelief.even when it is plain to see,you will not. ok

It's plain as day.

so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Why could they not stand? It was because of the cloud which was the glory of the Lord. It was because of this reason that they fell. It was for this reason also that they could not minister. It was not because they were in some "slain" state. It was because they were laying prostrate on their faces before the Lord. Kind of hard to minister in that position. Their ministering ceased because of their reverent fear of the Lord. The reverence was not in ministering to the people. It was in stopping their ministry in order to fall prostrate before the very presence of God.

also ah in oder for the Spirit to pick you back up on your feet one has to have been knocked down by the Spirit as well. no fear here.

If I faint, can somebody not pick me up? Does one have to knock me to the ground first before they can lift me? Certainly not! Your argument is fatally flawed. Not only does it defy even the most basic logic, it also goes against what the Scripture says.

So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. The Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet, and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut yourself up in your house.

We see he fell on his face. Why? Because he was before the glory of the Lord. He fell prostrate out of reverence for God. This exact action is seen all throughout Scripture. We definitely see he fell on his face because he tells us so. He also tells us he fell on his face because of being in that very presence. It doesn't get any more clear that it was out of reverence. Not only that but we see it wasn't the Spirit who made him fall forward. He fell out of reverence and THEN the Spirit entered into him and made him stand. Notice the Spirit was not in him at the time of his falling. It wasn't until after his reverent act that the Spirit then made him stand.

Again, your theories are being blown out left and right. Not to mention, you gave a plethora of verses that supposedly held up your claim. I explained all of them and challenged you to provide me with a single place that actually did support your claim. All of a sudden, you come telling me there are only 2 places. Well, those 2 don't work for your case either.

As I have said over and over again, being slain in the spirit is an extrabiblical act that is fueled by emotion and experience yet has absolutely zero Biblical foundation.