Unbiblical Practices Series: Slain-in-the-spirit/falling-out

As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:6)

In the video above, false prophet Benny Hinn, is seen parading around at one of his crusades. He is telling the audience to watch how the “Glory of the Lord” has fallen upon the youth in the front row of his stage performance. You see him shouting and swinging his hand around while boys and girls are falling back as if Benny Hinn has slapped them real hard and they just got knocked out from the blow. This shenanigan is called falling out or being slain in the spirit. It is associated with God manifesting His power or His glory falling in a particular place. When this type of event takes place, those involved associate the manifestation as a move of God. I have searched the scriptures intensely, to see if this phenomenon was true. I have found it not to be. I had a good Christian friend of mine point me to a scripture he believed justified this slain-in-the-spirit. There is a falling back in the scripture, but not in any likeness to what is shown over the so-called Christian church today. This falling out phenomena is leading many astray, because there’s no testing of what being slain-in-the-spirit really is. I can say without a shadow of doubt, it is not of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Slain in the Spirit is not in the bible
I have searched for years to find out where this practice is done in the scriptures. First let me describe to you what I searched for. Falling out takes place when an individual taps you on the forehead or does something to gain a perception that power is going from one individual to another, and as the power is being transferred, the individual receiving the power, falls backward on to the ground (sometimes the men will stand behind an individual to catch the person falling). The visual manifestation concludes that a person is lifeless and not in control over the power which has taken over them. In response they fall backward supposedly yielding to the power of God. Really? Well none of this, I mean none of this is found anywhere in the bible. Search the scripture yourself to see, and you will see it is not anywhere in there. No apostle waved his hand over a crowd of people as they fell backward receiving God’s power. No disciple put his hand over the forehead of an individual and pushed them back towards the ground. Neither did they turn and tell the public that the glory of the Lord has fallen. No such practice is in our blessed Holy Writ, only the testimony that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

Might I had too, if anybody tries to justify to you that John 20:30 shows that Jesus did it, it’s just not written; don’t believe such hogwash. Point them right to verse 31 and say, what was written is enough, because what was written was for us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have life through His name. You don’t have life falling out!

What about Peter’s trance in Acts 10:10?
I was describing to my barber one day how I didn’t believe slain-in-the-spirit was biblical. I explained to him there’s nothing in the bible which supports people being touched by God Almighty and falling out. (This was during a time when I began to search scriptures questioning the practices of some of the doctrine I was believing). My barber so kindly went to his bible and pointed out Acts 10:10 to me. I love this brother man because he was not afraid to grab the bible and attempt to prove his beliefs. He had said he had questions earlier in his life about his wife. He saw her one night lying on her back on the floor not saying a thing. His wife had said God was revealing things to her as she lay out on the floor in the presence of God. He then had me open the bible and I read the following scripture:

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. (Acts 10:9-18)

He pointed out to me that God showed him that Peter falling into a trance was what slain- in-the-spirit was (Let me add with one false doctrine comes a slew. My Christian friend believes in female pastors, new age apostles+prophets, speaking in tongues, armourbearers, and so on). Of course, I believed it like the fool I was, and didn’t refute my brother’s belief because he was a pastor. I still had questions in my mind though. Was there a person who knocked Peter in the head to fall down? What does trance really mean? Which way did Peter fall, backward or forward? Did the bible say God touched Peter? It wasn’t until a sound bible teacher came on the internet and explained to me what proper biblical hermeneutics was. I learned how to do biblical exegesis of a text, and not come to a text with my opinion. Jesus Christ gave us the best example of proper biblical hermeneutics; let scripture interpret scripture. Check this out real quick:

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Matthew 4:5-7)

Jesus Christ interpreted scripture with scripture. Wow! Anyways let’s look at the context of just of Acts 10:10 alone. Quickly we’ll see that this was not a slain-in-the-spirit manifestation. Let’s look

And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, (Acts 10:10)

The verse is started off with Peter being very hungry. Why is that written? In verse 9 we are told that Peter was coming to the rooftop (during that time roofs were flat) to PRAY. And Peter was hungry, so hungry it caused him to fall into a trance? Trance in the Greek transliteration means the following:

ekstasis ek'-stas-is - a displacement of the mind, i.e. bewilderment, "ecstasy":--+ be amazed, amazement, astonishment, trance. It is used in the bible to mean: 1) any casting down of a thing from its proper place or state, displacement 2) a throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God.
3) amazement, the state of one who, either owing to the importance or the novelty of an event, is thrown into a state of blended fear and wonderment.

So Peter's mind was thrown out of state in order for his soul to be subject to the vision God had given. Another place in scripture where a simliart trance took place is in Acts 22:17. Paul is describing that when he was praying in the temple, he was in a trance which altered his state of mind in which God spoke to him. Question, do the people who are pushed claim God has spoken to them by altering their mind? No, and if so what did God say and does it line up with scripture? Anyways, did Peter’s hunger have something to do with his falling into a trance as he prayed? Yes because look at what God used in the vision given to him: FOOD. Wouldn’t that get your attention if you are starving for some lunch?

Also note that the verse does not indicate that Peter fell on the ground. Do some looking at the verses transliteration in the Greek and you’ll see fell has nothing to do with Peter falling down on anything. He was under the control of the Holy Spirit. How frequently did this trance happen in the bible? Not many times. So why today, is all this falling out taking place in church services and revival meetings? Come on people; let’s really begin to define things happening today by the scriptures alone. The point is Acts 10:10 does not justify that falling out is a valid practice of the bible. In fact, I even question whether my brother’s wife was hearing from God. Was she just in a world of fleshly emotion?

Falling Down is in scripture

As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:6)

The scripture above, we see those who were coming to seize Christ Jesus fell backward onto the ground, when Jesus Christ spoke “I am He”. No hands on the forehead, no one coming up asking for prayer, healing, a miracle, just some enemies of God looking to arrest Jesus. They fell back at His Word. Are the so-called Christians of today doing the same? No, falling out takes place when the so-called evangelist/speaker for God puts his hand over your forehead, waves his arm at you, or commands to the crowd to fall back. Being deceived, they fall back thinking what they are experiencing is God when what is happening not even biblically sound.
Now there are some scriptures that contain falling down in them. Again, look at the context of these scriptures etc, and see if it lines up with the mess we see today in the churches. Check out these (Genesis 50:18, Numbers 22:26-34, Deuteronomy 9:17-27, Joshua 6:20, Judges 5:24-28,Judges 19:22-30, 1 Samuel 19:24, Acts 16:27-34, Revelation 5:14, Revelation 22:8) See if anywhere in there falling down coincides with what takes place today. No, you will not find a thing in there about slain-in-the-spirit.

What is this phenomenon?
I don’t know truly what slain-in-the-spirit is? I can tell you it is not biblical. It is not of God and if your church is practicing such a thing, please flee. Look at the video I provided above and don’t laugh at Benny or those people. Weep, and cry, FALL DOWN on your face before the Lord Jesus Christ, and repent. Cry out that the churches in this world today have sinned against the Lord. The doctrine of slain-in-the-spirit is false unbiblical doctrine. Many people, even desperate Christians, are doing such practices to receive something from God that Christ Jesus us not behind. Let me just leave you with what Jesus is saying in His blessed Word:

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:25-30)