Discerning the ways of God
Matthew 24:21-24 – If the days of the Great Tribulation are not shortened, no flesh should be saved, but they are shortened because of the elect. The devil will be able to show such great signs and wonders that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. How can we not be deceived? We must use the Bible, and rightly divide the scriptures. We must never judge a thing based on our past experience, or on our feelings. We reject Pentecostalism off hand, but are we able to judge their religion from the Bible?
Today, there are already many anti-Christ’s in the world, performing “miraculous” acts. Signs and wonders are on the increase. Revelation 13:11-18 – The Anti-Christ will be able to do great miracles, like calling down fire from heaven and by those means will be able to deceive people on this earth.
Being slain in the spirit takes place in public today. It seems very Biblical, but is it really?
Some characteristics of being slain in the spirit.
a. A man went to heaven and he picked out a road and was in the presence of Jesus. When he came to, he was passing around his hand, which smelled like a rose.
b. They might have a vision – they see something.
c. I didn’t see anything, but God revealed something to me.
d. I was healed.
e. I began to speak in tongues.
f. I began to prophesy.
g. I was saved.
h. God used this to get my attention. God let me know I need to take time out for him.
The characteristics of scripture are different from these examples.
1. The person is most often alone.
2. Nobody is praying for them.
3. Instead of falling backward, they fall forward on their faces.
4. The person always sees something before they fall, not after they fall. (They fall forward, not backward.) The never’s of being slain in the spirit.
a. Nobody in the scripture ever fall as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit.
b. Nobody ever falls and receives salvation.
c. Nobody ever speaks in tongues when they fall.
d. Nobody ever prophesies when they fall.
e. Nobody ever receives healing when they fall because of the Holy Spirit, except one time – if the person is demon possessed.
f. Anytime it took place, it was never trivial; not just to get our attention.
Biblical examples of people experiences a holy revelation from God. None of these are trivial, but all have major importance.
1. John – Revelation 1:10,11 – Verse 12 – Then I turned, and the description is given of what John saw. After John saw, he fell at his feet as dead, then John received encouragement from God. Notice the progression – he heard – he saw – he fell as dead.
2. Abraham – Genesis 17:1-3 – Abraham saw God and heard him, then fell on his face. Then God spoke to him further.
3. Balaam – Numbers 22:22 – Verse 27 – The donkey fell down because she saw the angel of God standing in the way. Verse 31 – When God opened Balaam’s eyes, he saw the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn – then and only then, did Balaam bow his head and fall flat on his face.
4. Samson’s Parents – Judges 13:18-20 – After Manoah and his wife saw, then they fell on their faces to the ground.
5. Elijah – I Kings 18:37-39 – When the people saw the fire of the Lord, then they fell on their faces.
6. David – I Chronicles 21:16-17 – When David saw the angel of the Lord with his sword stretched out, both David and the elders of Israel fell on their faces before the Lord.
7. Ezekiel – Ezekiel 1:28 – When Ezekiel saw the glory of God; he fell on his face.
8. Ezekiel – Ezekiel 3:22 – God told Ezekiel to go and God would talk to him. Therefore Ezekiel arose and went and the glory of the Lord appeared to him, and he fell on his face. Ezekiel fell because of what he saw, not in order to see.
9. Burying the face – because of the presence of God, they cannot look. They hide their faces (eyes) from the appearance of God because his glory is more than they can comprehend.
10. Daniel – Daniel 8:15-17 – Daniel has sought for the meaning of the vision of the Lord when the appearance of a man came to him. He heard the man’s voice, then came near and stood, was afraid, then fell on his face. Then he was given understanding.
11. Daniel – Daniel 10:7 – Daniel saw the vision, and the men that were with him saw not the vision, but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Verse 8-9 – Daniel was left alone to see the great vision, and had no strength, yet he heard, then he fell into a deep sleep on his face toward the ground.
12. The Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-6 – When the disciples heard and saw all this, they fell on their faces and were very much afraid. They received strength from the Lord.
13. Jesus – Matthew 26:36-39 – Jesus fell on his face before his Father, asking for help and guidance.
People receiving the Spirit of God, but not falling
down.
1. Acts 2:1-4 – The Day of Pentecost – None of the fell down on the ground.
2. Acts 8:5-17 – verse 17 - Not one person fell down when they received the Holy Spirit of God.
3. Acts 10:44-48 – When Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius, they were saved, spoke in tongues, but none of them fell on their faces to the ground. Then they were baptized.
4. Acts 19:1-7 – When Paul preached to the 12 at Ephesus, they were saved, baptized, had hands laid on them, then they spoke in tongues and prophesied, but none of them fell down.
5. Matthew 4:23-25 – Notice how many different people were healed, but none of them fell on their faces, or fell at all.
6. Matthew 9:35 – Jesus healed many people, but none of them fell. The only exception to falling down is those that are demon possessed.
7. Mark 9:17-20 – The demon possessed boy falls on the ground, wallowing, and foaming.
8. John 18:2 – The multitude falls backward when confronted by Jesus Christ, the “I AM”. Note, they went backward, then fell to the ground. There is a difference in going backward, then falling to the ground and falling backward to the ground. This episode shows the power of God.
9. Acts 5:1-10 – Ananias (verse 5) and Sapphira (verse 7) fell down dead when confronted with their lie.
People were healed, but didn’t fall.
The Holy Spirit poured out, but people didn’t fall.
Real Holy Spirit filling.
Acts 2:37 – People were saved, not falling.
Acts 2:41 – The saved people were baptized, not falling.
Acts 2:46 – They continued in faithfulness, not falling.
When God appeared to Abraham, he was alone.
When God appeared to Ezekiel, he was alone.
When God appeared to Daniel, he was alone.
Acts 9 – God saves Paul.
Verse 3 – Paul fell to the earth after he saw the light from heaven, then he heard the voice of the Lord. Paul was not alone, but he alone saw the light, and heard the voice.
People always fell after they hear or after they see.
These scriptures conclude that all of this (slaying in the spirit) is not of God, but is this a total conclusion? Can God not do anything he wants to do? God can do anything, but he will not do anything that cannot be proven in the Bible.