This has to be one of the most poisonous doctrines within the churches today, especially "charismatic" churches. I have seen people suddenly "pass out" after being shoved on the forehead by a minister and lay on the ground trembling and twitching, while the congregation praises God for the Holy Spirit "slaying" this person "in the spirit".
I have also heard and read of more extreme cases where people being "slain in the spirit" have jerked and twitched to the point of where they hurt themselves and others (one man actually jerked so hard, he broke his neck and died); people have been slammed to the floor or have been thrown up to fifteen feet away, have barked and snapped like dogs, have laughed uncontrollably for hours (now called "holy laughter"), have been stuck to the floor unable to move, etc. And all of these things are being praised as being works of the Holy Spirit! Really? Passing out in church? Laughing uncontrollably? Jerking and twitching? Barking and snapping like dogs? Is this really the power of the Holy Spirit working within someone? The answer to that question is emphatically NO! Demonic manifestations? YES!
There is nothing anywhere in Scripture to support the doctrine of being "slain in the spirit"! First of all, being "slain" is to be killed, and our spirits are eternal and therefore cannot be "slain", so therefore the very title of this phenomenon is wrong.
Jesus never knocked anyone unconscious when He touched or healed them. The disciples were fully conscious when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they ran into the streets rejoicing and praising God in other languages. There is no recording of fainting, twitching, snapping, barking or anything else of the sort in Scripture where God or the Holy Spirit were involved.
JOHN 3:34
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto him].
Did Jesus cause violent reactions in people when He healed them? The Scripture above reports that Jesus had the Holy Spirit given to Him without measure! Did He pass out, twitch uncontrollably, or bark like a dog? If He did, He would have been declared to be demon-possessed and would have been hauled away to the loony bin, and His message and work here would have been lost.
But there are at least two documented cases of demon activity causing similar manifestations to those "slain in the spirit.".
LUKE 4:31-37
31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, [thou] Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word [is] this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
MARK 9:14-27
14 And when he came to [his] disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to [him] saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
LUKE 9:38-42
38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare [him]. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
Note some similarities here? The man in the synagogue was thrown to the ground by the demon before it came out. The demonic spirit in the boy "tears at him" and "bruises him", causes him to gnash (snap) his teeth, and throws him about, trying to destroy him. The both behaviors are marked with violence caused by these demon spirits, the same kind of violence that some Christians now claim is the power of the Holy Spirit!
It is noteworthy here also, that the boy described above was possessed by a deaf and dumb spirit. There have been reported cases of being "slain in the spirit" where people were unable to speak for hours at a time.
Note that the demonic spirit tore the child so badly before he came out that he required healing by Jesus! And note especially in Mark 9:25 that Jesus commanded that the spirit not re-enter the child. Those of you involved in deliverance ministries, please take careful note of this.
These behaviors during the time that people are "slain in the spirit" are definitely not from God! They are the work of demonic spirits, and yet the churches praise God for His work in the lives of these poor deluded people. Satan must be holding his sides laughing at our gullibility.
The work of the Spirit is never violent. As the apostle Paul says;
GALATIANS 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Notice the key words in these two verses. Meekness, gentleness, peace, temperance (self-control). No violence of the types reported in the "slain in the spirit" phenomenon in the lives of believers is caused by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself said;
MATTHEW 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.
Being knocked unconscious or being thrown about is a common occurrence in Occult rituals and demon possession. So why do we allow it within the church, if there is no Scriptural instruction concerning it? Because members are not vigilant in discerning errors in doctrine within the church! I will be so bold as to say that we are so anxious to see some display of God's power within the church that we will accept anything that looks legitimate, even if there is no Scriptural basis for it!
I have noted with great interest as have others, that those who are "slain in the Spirit"invariably fall backwards, usually because they are pushed or shoved on the forehead by the person doing the "slaying". And yet Scripture records that those who fall down in worship, fall forward on their faces in reverence to the Lord. Note the following Scriptural references;
Abram (later called Abraham), called the Friend of God, fell on his face whenever God spoke to him directly.
GENESIS 17:3
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
GENESIS 17:17
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Joseph's brothers fell on faces before him, not knowing he was their brother, giving him the reverence due his office;
.
GENESIS 50:18
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we [be] thy servants.
Balaam fell on his face before angel sent to destroy him;
NUMBERS 22:31
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Joshua fell on face & worshipped before the Lord who appeared to him just before the battle of Jericho;
JOSHUA 5:14
14 And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Ezekiel, considered one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, fell down and worshiped on his face before the Lord;
EZEKIEL 1:26 - 2:2
26 And above the firmament that [was] over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne [was] the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
28 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.
Ezekiel 2:1-2
1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
EZEKIEL 3:23
23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
When on the mount where Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James and John fell on their faces infear at His glory and at the voice of the Father when He spoke to them;
MATTHEW 17:1-8
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 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.
5 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.
6 And when the disciples heard [it], they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
Jesus Himself, in the Garden of Gethsamene, fell on His face before His Father giving Him reverence;
MATTHEW 26:39
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt].
A leper, hoping against hope to be healed of his disease, worshipped Jesus by falling on his face in reverence;
LUKE 5:12
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his] face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
One of ten lepers healed by Jesus returned, loudly praising God, and worshiping Jesus;
LUKE 17:16
16 And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Paul, in speaking of the gifts of the Spirit mentions that if the whole church prophesy concerning an unbeliever;
I CORINTHIANS 14:23-25
23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in [those that are] unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or [one] unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on [his] face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
Now the OTHER side of the coin. Scripture records that falling backward is a sign of unbelief, sin and fear, not reverence!
The Lord speaking of rebellious Israel, stating that they were weary of following the Law spoke through Isaiah, saying;
ISAIAH 28:13
13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsamene, Jesus asked them whom they sought. They replied, "Jesus of Nazareth."
JOHN 18:6
6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am [he], they went backward, and fell to the ground.
As Scripture reports, falling forward is a sign of worship and reverence, whereas falling backward is just the opposite!
Invariably, with the "slaying in the spirit" phenomenon, there is no testing of the spirit(s) involved to see if they are from God. There are documented cases of demon infestation knocking a person unconscious, but nowhere is it recorded in Scripture that the Holy Spirit does such a thing.
If you cannot prove or support a doctrine or practice with solid Scripture, in context, you have no right teaching it. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for this very thing, saying,
MATTHEW 15:7-9
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh to me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
The apostle Paul says,
I THESSALONIANS 5:21
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
And if one were to get strictly legal about this, there are only two cases in Scripture of someone being actually "slain by the Spirit" and that was Ananias and Sapphira, who died at the feet of Peter through the exercise of the power of the Holy Spirit as a lesson to others about deceit.
ACTS 5:1-11
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it] at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him].
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she 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.
11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Note, Peter never touched them. They merely fell down and were NOT violently thrown about, or anything else.
The Lord gave me a dream some years ago. I was standing in a beautiful green field, watching a herd of fat, white sheep feeding. About twenty feet away from me crouched a huge tiger, who had killed and devoured at least one sheep already, for he had blood and wool around his mouth, and there was blood and bits of wool on the ground in front of him. He was looking at the other sheep, and snarling, and I could tell he was looking for his next victim. Yet the sheep continued to graze, seemingly totally unconcerned that this tiger was in their midst.
Then the tiger saw me. He raced over and began to spring up and attack. I looked at him and commanded, "In the name of Jesus Christ, get down!" He immediately crouched at my feet, snarling and glaring at me with eyes that literally glowed yellow with hatred. He wanted to tear me apart, but could not.
I awoke after that, and wrote it off as being a weird dream. But it kept nagging at me throughout the day, so I asked the Lord if He was trying to tell me something. He then told me that the sheep were the churches, and the tiger was Satan. Satan was destroying the churches one by one, and not only were the churches unaware of this, but they were totally unconcerned that it was happening. The destruction was of a spiritual nature, rather than physical.
I hadn't thought about the dream in years, but recently when I was worshiping at church, I suddenly saw this tiger again, in my mind. I guess one could call it a vision. He was pacing at a distance in the parking lot, glaring at the church and snarling in rage and frustration, because the worship and the Spirit of the Lord was so strong that he couldn't come anywhere near it.
Pastors of churches are set up by the Lord to feed and guard His flock. Yet many are falling under the condemnation of Isaiah in which the Lord says,
ISAIAH 9:16
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
God speaking through Hosea, laments;
HOSEA 4:6
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
False doctrines such as "slaying in the spirit" which have no foundation in Scripture are being taught in the church fulfilling Paul's prophecy of,
I TIMOTHY 4:1
1 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.
And he sets an even harder line when he tells the Galatians,
GALATIANS 1:8-9
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Note that Paul was so serious about this issue, that he included angels, himself and his companions under the curse! Note also, that curse is still active today. Pastors and elders, please take careful note of this!
The apostle Peter also warns,
2 PETER 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
God gave us His inspired Word to instruct us as to what is required of us, and to help us discern errors that Satan tries to introduce among us. That is why it is so important that we study and understand the Scriptures, and carefully follow what they say. For if God demanded exact, careful attention to detail concerning worship and ordinances in the old Law, is He any less diligent that we follow the same exacting detail to the commandments in the New Testament today?
God considers His Word to be so important that David says,
PSALMS 138:2
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for you have magnified your word above all your name.
God considers His Word to be so important, that He has elevated it above His own name!
This also brings up another point aside from the issue at hand, but one that I feel should be included here.
I have been to churches where as the pastor was preaching, people would jump up and "speak in tongues" or some other such thing. But as God has elevated His word above His name, He would never, ever, interrupt the preaching of the Word with a display of a spiritual gift!People that do this are following either their own desire for attention, or are attempting to display "gifts" that they do not have! And if you interrupt the preaching of God's word, will He not have an accounting of you for that? Especially if by your interruption you might be blocking a message that someone desperately needs to hear? (I'll deal more with this issue in the study on the Gifts of the Spirit)
If you are a pastor of the church, it is your responsibility before God to teach your flock sound doctrine, as you will be held responsible by the Lord for what you teach. James says;
JAMES 3:1
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement.
In other words, those called to teach and preach the Word of God, will fall under a harsher judgement, as we are not only required to thoroughly know and understand what we teach and will be judged for our teachings, but we need to live as examples of that teaching. And while the judgement may be harder, the rewards for diligence as a teacher or preacher will be great also!
Paul warned the leaders of the churches of Miletus and Ephesus to;
ACTS 20:28-30
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Pastors, elders, and teachers, God has given you an awesome responsibility, namely to shepherd His people. You are required to feed them, and shield them from false doctrines by providing sound teaching from the Word, much as a shepherd leads the sheep to pasture for feeding, and protects them from attacks from wolves.
Note some of the requirements of a bishop (Greek episkopos, meaning a general overseer, or superintendent, not an established office of that title like some churches have).
I TIMOTHY 3:2-6
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
I TIMOTHY 3:11
11 Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Leaders should be married, gifted with the ability to teach, vigilant to watch over the flock, and sober so they can readily discern attacks by Satan and his servants against the church.
Paul further reiterates these rules to Titus, whom he had ordained to oversee the churches in Crete that had been formed, telling him;
Titus 1:5-11
5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
TITUS 2:1-8
1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
3 The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Church leaders are required to exhort good doctrine, expose false teachings, and counter those who teach falsehoods, so that the enemy cannot gain a foothold in the church. And yet it seems that few leaders follow these teachings, fearing to offend those in their congregations who might disagree with them. The Gospel being preached today is, "Let's not offend each other, but just love each other in the Lord."
This may sound good on the surface, but if you REALLY love someone, you will teach them the truth, even if it hurtsor offends them. Do you think Jesus will follow the "Let's just love each other" concept at the judgement? What will you say to these people when they receive the sentence of Hell, and ask you why you didn't tell them the truth?
God told the prophet Ezekiel;
Ezekiel 3:17-21
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Ezekiel 33:1-9
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Note that God considered warning the wicked so important that He spoke twice to Ezekiel concerning it! How much blood will be on our hands because we allow false teachings within the church to lead people to Hell because we don't want to offend them?
The dream I mentioned previously about the tiger is God's graphic example of what is happening to the churches today. They are being spiritually devoured, and they either are unaware or don't care that spiritual destruction is imminent.
And sadly, these people will be deceived and brought under the sway of the Antichrist, for if they receive false doctrines now, how hard will it be to deceive them when the doctrines are accompanied by false signs and wonders? As Paul warns;
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
8 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:
9 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Peter, warning the Jew and Gentile believers says;
2 PETER 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Corrupt doctrines are being brought into the church by people distorting and twisting the Gospel to the point of where the Gospel itself is being rejected, and Christians are being held in contempt and derision by the world. Satanists I have spoken with have told me that members of their order are ministers of churches, and considering some of the unscriptural doctrines I hear being preached from the pulpits of some churches I have been to, I believe it. In fact, one church I attended had a demon-possessed pastor preaching in it, and his congregation didn't know it.
Fair warning: When you allow a minister, elder or other church member to lay hands on you, you are not only submitting to the person, but to the spirit within the person! And if that spirit is a demon, you are submitting to the demon as you would to the Lord! This gives the demon legal right to have access to you.
Paul, knowing what was to come gave this last ministerial charge to young Timothy, and through him, to us;
II TIMOTHY 4:1-4
1 I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
You who are pastors or church leaders have an awesome responsibility as a shepherd of your flock, and the spiritual welfare of your congregation is in your hands. And if you allow errors in doctrine or teaching to enter your church, God will hold you responsible for it, and for the blood of those whom you teach. And if you cannot square something with God's Word, in context, I would be wary of teaching it. We rather need to be like the Jews of Berea, who listened to the preaching of Paul, but as Scripture records;
ACTS 17:12
12 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
They indeed listened to Paul with open minds, but examined the Scriptures daily to verify what he preached before they accepted it! How many church leaders and members do that today? Sadly enough, from what I have seen in churches I have attended, not too many. Far too many have become like the Jews that Paul bewails in Romans, when he says;
ROMANS 10:2
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
In other words, they wanted to serve God, and were enthusiastic to do so, but were in ignorance of the Scriptures. And just like we say today, ignorance is no excuse especially when we have the Word readily available to us today.
Be warned! Jesus said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only sin that will not be forgiven. Just as the Pharisees thought that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, even so calling demonic activity the work of the Holy Spirit blasphemes the Holy Spirit. Paul was apparently aware of this while in Thyatira, in Asia;
Acts 16:16-18
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
On the surface, this seems odd that Paul would cast out the spirit of divination which was proclaiming that he and his companions were preachers of the Gospel. But if you consider the matter, the people of Thyatira knew this young woman was a fortuneteller, and Paul didn't want the people thinking she was speaking through the power of the Holy Spirit, because as Paul performed miracles, both he and the woman would be held in equal esteem, as people would assume that both powers came from the same source. And people would then attribute the power of the Holy Spirit to demons, thereby blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself warned the Pharisees;
MATTHEW 12:22-32
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
24 But when the Pharisees heard [it], they said, This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast [them] out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come.
One of the biggest errors of the "slain in the spirit" doctrine is that it glorifies the Holy Spirit more than Jesus. Yet Jesus Himself said,
John 16:13-15
13 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.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
Note that Jesus said that the Spirit will glorify Him (Jesus). The Holy Spirit does not glorify Himself. And yet many charismatic churches concentrate on the gifts of the Spirit and give more glory to the Holy Spirit, than they do to the One who sent Him!
Another error is the very reactions of the people who are "slain". If an unbeliever walked into a church where this was going on, he would probably flee in terror. People passing out, twitching, snapping, barking, etc. He would think he'd stumbled into an insane asylum! And yet what does Scripture say?
1 Corinthians 14:33
33 For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:40
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
In virtually all cases of people being "slain in the spirit" that I have seen, there was no order, but bedlam. Ministers shoving people on the forehead or blowing on people while demanding that God provide more of His Spirit by shouting "More! More!", people falling down, some twitching, others speaking in tongues, etc. Total confusion and chaos in virtually every case. And the use of tongues in each case is in clear violation of the order that Paul says they are to be used in I Corinthians 14. (For further information on this subject, please see the study on the Gifts of the Spirit.)
In summary, the doctrine of being "slain in the spirit" has absolutely no foundation in Scripture, but does have foundation in the Occult. The Scriptures also record that demons will react with violence within a person, whereas the Holy Spirit does not.
Scripture records that demon spirits will cause activity similar to that described in some of the "slain in the spirit" sessions, such as snapping of teeth, violent behavior, and slamming people to the ground. No doubt demons also cause people to bark like dogs, become stuck to the floor and other weird behaviors.
Those of you who continue in this blasphemous practice are in danger of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, for you are calling these demonic works the work of the Holy Spirit even though Scripture clearly shows that this is not the case.
Scripture warns us that we are to test the spirits, because not every spiritual manifestation is from God. John says;
I JOHN 4:1-4
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
It has been my experience that the person you question can say that Jesus is come in the flesh, but if you ask the spirit withinthe person, if the spirit is a demon, you will get a quite different answer, if they answer you at all.
The very title of being "slain in the spirit" is a clue to the falseness of this doctrine. Our spirits are eternal; where we spend eternity depends on acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, accepting His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, believing that God raised Him from the dead, and being diligent to follow His commandments. And just as those found worthy to enter the kingdom of God are eternal beings, those who are sentenced to Hell will be tormented for eternity.
All doctrine must be measured against God's Word and doctrines that cannot be supported by God's Word, in context, must be rejected!
I have proven from Scripture that the "slain in the spirit" doctrine cannot be supported by Scripture, and in fact goes against Scripture. Those of you who read this, are now responsible for this information. If you continue to support this doctrine, then I will be free of your blood, for I have done as the Lord has commanded me, and have shown you the truth concerning this blasphemous doctrine.
And if you choose to reject what I have written here without solid Scriptural proof that I am wrong, then you have rejected the One who inspired the very Scriptures I have used for my proof. Remember, Jesus said;
JOHN 12:46-48
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
May the Lord Jesus Christ open your eyes and grant you the discernment needed to recognize the truth of what I have written here.
No comments:
Post a Comment