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Then, twenty-five years later, I found others were asking the same questions that I did when I first observed a person being "Slain by the Spirit". The booklet was reprinted at that time. Now again, the church is concerned with those who seem to put emotion to the forefront and the Bible on the back burner. It is again time to get back to the Bible.
If there is one thing about which I am convinced, it is that we must go to the Word of God -- our sole rule for faith and practice -- and discover the examples and search for the promises. This I have done, and the result is in your hands.
Even though I have given my conclusions, I hope that you will simply use this study as an aid as you "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15).
In some Christian fellowships and meetings there is seen an experience where believers, as they are being prayed for or are engaging in prayer, fall upon the floor, usually upon their back. This experience has been termed as being "slain by the spirit", "slain in the spirit", or "falling down under the power". To many people this is considered a manifestation of the Spirit of God and indicative of the great blessing or anointing upon the service or the speaker. Some ministers use their power of showmanship to fully display this experience.
Some explain that this "manifestation of the Spirit" merely means that "God is in the place and we are aware of His presence". Others refer us to the history of great revivals, where such happenings are recorded, as proof of their authenticity. Still others tell us that such experiences are not uncommon in scripture.
Another reason often given for the acceptance of the experience is that since it is supernatural it must be of God. Surely earnest Christians must have read the record of the Egyptian magicians in Exodus 7:11. What they did was both supernatural and recorded in scripture (hence "scriptural"), but was it from God?
It is vital that we re-examine the scriptural record and let the Word of God speak for itself. We would do well to remember that we must not interpret God's Word in the light of our experiences. We must let the Word alone indicate what experiences are available to the born-again believer, how to receive them, and what to do with them after we have them. We must also keep in mind the great principles of truth the whole Word reveals as the mind of God.
In this study, I have brought together those records I have found in the Word of God that indicate an experience of falling down. For the sake of clarity, I have presented them in three groups: Falling in fear, Falling in a trance, and Falling in worship.
"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" (Daniel 8:17,18).
Let us note that when the angel Gabriel came near to Daniel, it is recorded that Daniel was afraid. When fear became master for the moment, Daniel fell on his face (not his back). The angel Gabriel spoke to him, and then lifted him to his feet. If this was supposed to be a great spiritual experience, why didn"t the angel leave him on the ground? Only when Daniel was on his feet did the angel consider him in a fit state to receive the complete message from God as given in verses 19-26.
"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 8:27). The words "fainted, and" are not in the text and should be omitted. "And I Daniel was sick certain days..." No doubt Daniel had prayed and fasted many days for the meaning of the vision (verse 15), as he had done on previous occasions (9:3; 10:2,3). Certainly seeing a vision and then an angel, would not make one sick.
"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 there remained no strength in me: Yet heard I the voice of his words... then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground" (Daniel 10:7-9).
Some two years later Daniel saw another vision after a period of fasting. Fear gripped Daniel and again the outcome was that he "retained no strength" and so fell on his face on the ground. Once more he was lifted up (verse 10), but he continued to tremble through fear (verse 11) and was commanded to "Fear not" (verse 12). Then he was given the message from God. So tremendous was the revelation to Daniel that he immediately forgot what he was told, and fell once again to the ground (verses 15-17). Again the angel strengthened him and told him to "Fear not" (verses 18, 19). Obviously, in both these incidents, it was not pleasing to the angel to speak to Daniel while he was upon the ground, nor to leave him in that condition.
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee" (Ezekiel 1:28--2:1). This first incident in the book of Ezekiel is representative of the other incidents in 3:23, 43:3, and 44:4, where the same pattern will be observed.
Following the vision, Ezekiel fell upon his face (not upon his back), and heard a voice commanding him to stand on his feet before the speaker would address him. Once he was on his feet he was in a position to receive the revelation from God. A marked similarity is seen with the incidents already discussed from the book of Daniel. Note that the will of the angelic speaker is given with clarity here in Ezekiel 2:1,15, "Stand upon thy feet, and [then] I will speak to thee."
"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" (Matthew 17:5b,6). This record in the New Testament took place at the time of what is usually referred to as the transfiguration of Christ. Only three disciples were present: Peter, James, and John.
When they saw the vision (verse 9) and heard the voice that spoke, their fear of the unknown was so great that they fell on their faces on the ground. A literal translation would read: "... they threw themselves on their faces, and were greatly frightened." They were not "Slain by the Spirit". Jesus came and commanded them to "arise, and be not afraid" (verse 7). Their falling down was a fearful reaction to the vision, a new experience for them, and Jesus did not will to leave them to "enjoy" the experience.
"His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men" (Matt. 28:3,4). Following the resurrection of Christ from the dead, the striking appearance of the angel caused the keepers of the tomb to be filled with fear, and their physical reaction was to fall upon the ground. It is obvious they were fully conscious of what happened around them, since they reported this to their superiors within a short space of time (verse 11).
"And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things... Then fell she [his wife] down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband" (Acts 5:5,10). The apostle Peter, by a word of knowledge, brought to light the lies of Ananias and his wife. When they realised they had been found out, they fell down (perhaps gripped with great fear) and died. This type of experience is not usually commented upon and certainly not sought after by those believers who expect to be "Slain by the Spirit" or want the church to return to the book of Acts!
"And as he [Saul] journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:3,4). Saul's reaction to the sudden brightness of the light was to fall upon the ground. Saul heard the voice and answered, so he was fully conscious of what was happening. With trembling astonishment he questioned what he was to do (verse 6). The immediate answer was, "Arise, and go into the city" (see also Acts 22:6-10). If this was a spiritual experience of great depth, why did God put a stop to it?
"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 1:17). The pattern is repeated in this incident involving John on the isle of Patmos. He saw a vision and becoming filled with fear, fell upon the earth. God exhorted him to "Fear not". This exhortation must logically include God's purposes regarding the effect of his fear, his falling upon the ground. Notice that John did the falling down; he was not made to fall down against his will.
"And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance... I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me... And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance" (Acts 10:10; 11:5; 22:17).
The use of the word "trance" in these verses may cause some to think that these texts relate to the subject of "Slain by the Spirit". The Greek word used is ekstasis, from which our English word "ecstasy" is derived. The noun, ekstasis, is used 7 times (Mark 5:42; 16:8; Luke 5:26; Acts 3:10; 10:10; 11:5; 22:17), and the verb, existemi, 17 times (Matthew 12:23; Mark 2:12; 3:21; 5:42; 6:51; Luke 2:47; 8:56; 24:22; Acts 2:7,12; 8:9,11,13; 9:21; 10:45; 12:16; II Corinthians 5:13). These words have reference to the mind, indicating a state of surprise, and are translated in the King James Version as "amazed" (8 times), "amazement" (1), "astonished" (6), "astonishment" (1), "wondered" (1), "bewitched" (2), "beside himself" (1), "beside ourselves" (1), and "trance" (only 3 times).
A trance is a state in which the subject has no control or knowledge of what is happening to him. The spiritualist usage of the word "trance" and the increased emphasis by certain ESP groups who in their experiments deal with people who "go into a trance", is not and cannot be what the true God gives. Such an experience could not be of God, for one of the great principles of the Word is that God never touches a man's free will. When man loses or gives up control of his mind, it is always satanic.
The noun is rendered "trance" only in the three verses already quoted from the book of Acts. The use of the word "amazement" fits each of the three references. In Acts 10:10 the word "fell" is in the active voice. However, we should also note that five out of six critical Greek texts read "came", also in the active voice. A literal translation would be: "But while they made ready he became amazed and saw heaven opened." If it had been written in the passive voice it would indicate that the action was done to him by a source other than himself (such as is the case regarding a person in a trance), but being in the active voice it is clear that Peter was responsible for the action.
In Acts 11:5 a literal translation would be: "I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in amazement I saw in a vision a certain vessel descend..." Acts 22:17 likewise would be translated: "While I prayed in the temple, in amazement I saw him saying unto me." These three verses from the book of Acts give no scriptural basis for an experience such as being "Slain by the Spirit".
Copyright © 1997 Peter Wade. The Bible text in this publication, except where otherwise indicated, is from the King James Version. This article appears on the site: http://www.peterwade.com/
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