Is being “slain in the Spirit” biblical—or something else entirely?*

Ah, kpuff, now that was a breath of clarity in a room clouded with spiritual theatrics. You didn’t just hit the nail on the head—you drove it through the pulpit and into the bedrock of biblical truth.

Let’s call it what it is: Miracles are signs, not souvenirs. They’re not spiritual party tricks for personal excitement—they’re God’s highlighter pen on something crucial He wants us to see. And you nailed it: when the miracle becomes the focus instead of the message it’s meant to magnify, we’ve missed the point entirely.

Jesus didn’t turn water to wine to kick off the charismatic wine club—He did it to reveal His glory (John 2:11). He didn’t calm storms so the disciples could blog about it—He did it to confront their lack of faith (Mark 4:40). Every miracle had a message. Every wonder had a word.

And let’s just unpack this gem of yours: “A miracle is something only God can do, not something man can also do nearly as well.” Oof. That’s a rebuke wrapped in velvet. Because let’s be honest—there are too many “miracles” today that look more like motivational seminars with background music. God’s real miracles can’t be faked, counterfeited, or conjured by emotion. They bring glory to Him, not goosebumps to us.

Also, you said, “We are supposed to understand the reason for the intervention.” Yes. Yes. Yes. Biblical miracles don’t just happen—they preach. They demand a response. They call for repentance, worship, reverence, and obedience. If people are falling over and nobody’s falling on their face in repentance, it’s not revival—it’s a religious rave.

So kpuff, you’re right on target. And I’ll add this spicy footnote: The Spirit still moves, but He doesn’t perform for crowds. He convicts, teaches, equips, and yes—He still heals, still speaks, still shakes the foundations. But when He does, you don’t walk away impressed—you walk away undone (Isaiah 6:5).

Let’s stop chasing the whistle and start listening for the message.

The reason many Charismatics/Pentecostals support the slain in the Spirit is exactly the same concept of what led to the Pharisee movement among the Jews. These types of interpretation are radically different than today’s Literalist. My interpretation method is to take a text literally initially, and it will stay literal unless some part of the text can not be interpreted literally. When Christ says he is the door, he obviously does not mean he is made of wood and a knob at his side.
Being slain in the Spirit teaching is a failure to understand the Dispensational structure of Scripture. To hold to a position that is not explicitly taught in scripture is to imitate the Pharisees. Or to hold to the Corinthians view of the Spirit is to ignore the totality of Scripture, including Isaiah 28.11, 1 Cor 14.24 where we are explicitly taught that the gift of tongued is not for the Christians.
Final word about literal interpretation: Non-literal interpretations are throughout the NT where a literal translation would corrupt the text. Literal interpretations do not mean there is no symbolism or allegory in the NT.

These types are not the narrow road variety of Pentecostals. Rather they are the come as you are and stay as you are types… loosey goosey-Charlatans !! Wackos !!
I don’t mean to mention any names but… Benny Hinn /Bethel church’s Bill Johnson /Rodney Howard Brown the list unfortunately is very long

It is not the falling that should get our attention, but the differences we see in the lives of those who fell. If they have truly been under the influence of the Holy Spirit in their falls and their time on the floor, it should show later on in higher character qualities and maybe in some message they have for the church.

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Church services in some churches are only by and for left brain people and right brained people get little out of certain church services. In other churches just the opposite is true. Perhaps we should find more of the emotion and creativity in the Bible and allow that such people were created by the same God who created us.

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I agree to both of these. Thank you for saying so.

It’s never good to generalize or demonize a whole subgroup of people. We all have different perspectives, understandings, and methods of percieving, learning, and knowing. No one is 100 percent evil, good, right or wrong. No one has it all figured out. God knows there is room for misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

The only way we can know anything is to test it, and see what fruit it brings.

Imagine how a single idea can change the direction of your life. For better or for worse. And how being unwavering in your dedication to that idea only continues to bring about blessings. Or curses. But because you believe you are right, you stay the course. Out of fear of being damned, or lost, or forsaken. The pain is worth the cost. If you are correct. Never acknowledging that being wrong could be just as dangerous. Or damning, by doing evil in the name of what you thought was good.

What happens when a man realizes the evil he has done, becauae he did not know what he thought he knew?

And yet if we pursue the fruit of the Spirit, and act in accordance wirh the law of love, you can do no wrong. For there is no law against love.

So whether or not a person can be Slain of the Spirit, if this is an actual phenominom, what truly matters is the Fruit. And the same can be said about everything else we do.

This conclusion is good and balanced. Thank you.

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If the Spirit of God is knocking people down, why do we never see Jesus—or His apostles—doing it? The Holy Spirit doesn’t need theatrics to move in power. He convicts, sanctifies, and glorifies Christ—not emotional chaos. So if what we’re calling a “move of the Spirit” looks more like a charismatic mosh pit than the New Testament Church, it’s time to stop falling over and start falling on our faces in repentance. Test the spirits—not just trust the shivers.

I have been slain in the spirit and I fell back and I was on fire and my whole neck and chest was beet read, with the power of the Holy Spirit and God healed me that day from Endrometrios and Andinosis INSTANTLY and Miraculously. It felt like a sledge hammer hit my head but everyone told me that the Evangelist barely touched my forehead and I asked God and He told me to show others His POWER and that I would NOT forget this and to give testimony to this healing and that others could see that this came from Him!

Those that do NOT believe in this is because they do NOT believe that Jesus can HEAL TODAY! Mark 16:17 and they take out that scripture out of the bible, which is a sin to add or take away from scripture, Duet 4:2 and because they are NOT healed and so they believe that the gifts have passed but they have NOT I have been healed of MANY things because the scripture that they always referance, they don’t know how to Interpret correctly because it says that the gifts will pass away when we go to heaven because we will NOT NEED them anymore! Also the bible says that if you DOUBT you will receive NOTHING from God!

For you to say that this is of satan or New Age that is DENYING the POWER of God’s HEALING! I believe that God is so POWERFUL that we, in our earthly bodies can NOT CONTAIN God’s power, thus WHY we shake or fall down.

The scripture backs it up when the priests would go into the temple of God and they would fall on their faces before God because of His POWER!
God also talks about the FIRE of the Holy Spirit as well, so you deny that as well?

John 18:6 - When Yeshua said to them, “I am He,” they drew BACK and fell to the ground.

2 Chronicles 5:14 - So that the priests could NOT STAND (slain by the power of the Holy Spirit) to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God

and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men," (Matt. 28:2-4).

Saul fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’" (**Acts 9:3-4).

Sometimes I would shake in the Spirit so much at church and I would tell God to STOP me from shaking becuase I was embarrassed and God told me that it was his power and to show others that as well. But He would stop me from shaking because I asked. But I realized later that I was just QUENCHING the Holy Spirit inside me when I asked God to stop me from shaking! God also wanted those that were intellectual to see that because they didn’t believe !

Revelation 1:17 - When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

We DO see the Spirit of God having the Apostles fall down because of the Glory and Power! READ your bible!

When Jesus, Peter, James, and John were on the mountain, God’s glory was manifested, causing all three of them to fall to the ground (Matthew 17:6).

In Revelation 1:17, John, upon seeing Jesus in a vision, is described as falling down at his feet as if dead, according to the Bible.

**Paul’**s experience of meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus is also described as him falling to the ground (Acts 9:7)

And when I [John] saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as dead…
**— **Revelation 1:17

THAT IS A LIE! Go to my message on here and you will SEE the scriptues in the bible where many Apostles and unsaved even shook or fell under the Power of the Holy Spirit, READ YOUR BIBLE and STOP following Man instead of God!

:fire: Buckle up, Warriorbride, because you came in tongues blazing and glory-charged. I respect the fire—but fire without foundation can burn more than it blesses. So let’s open the Word, not just the wound, and break this down like Bereans with a backbone.


1. Experience ≠ Authority

You were healed? Praise God. No one here denies that God can heal miraculously. He’s Jehovah Rapha, yesterday and today. But personal experience is not the measuring stick for truth—Scripture is. You say “I felt fire”—awesome. The prophets felt it shut up in their bones too (Jer. 20:9). But they didn’t make a doctrine out of the sensation. They preached the Word.

Your healing is a testimony—not a template. It glorifies God only when it aligns with His Word, not when it rewrites the rules.


2. The “Falling Backward” Problem

You cited several moments of people “falling,” but here’s the issue: every single one of them fell on their face, in reverent fear, not knocked backwards like a Holy Ghost TKO. That’s not semantics—that’s biblical precision.

  • Matthew 17:6 – “They fell on their faces.”
  • Revelation 1:17 – “I fell at his feet as though dead.”
  • 2 Chronicles 5:14 – The priests could not stand, yes, but that doesn’t mean they were carpet-flopping.
  • John 18:6 – Yes, the mob fell backward—but those were unbelievers recoiling in judgment, not saints under “anointing.” That’s not a model for church services—it’s a moment of divine confrontation.

Let’s not cherry-pick falling to suit a doctrine the apostles never taught. Show me one verse where the early church practiced laying hands for “slaying in the Spirit.” You won’t. Why? Because it’s not there.


3. Quenching the Spirit vs. Testing the Spirits

You said asking God to stop the shaking was “quenching the Spirit.” But hold up: Paul told us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1), and also not to quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). That’s not contradictory—it’s balance. The Spirit is not honored by emotional chaos. He’s honored when we walk in order, clarity, and truth (1 Cor. 14:33,40). Shaking uncontrollably isn’t a fruit of the Spirit—self-control is (Gal. 5:23).


4. Gifts Still Active? Absolutely. But Biblically.

Yes, God still heals. Yes, gifts continue. But they must operate within the order and structure the Bible gives. Paul didn’t say “do whatever the Spirit makes you feel”—he gave tight rules for tongues, prophecy, interpretation, and behavior in the assembly (1 Cor. 12–14). Your “fire” must submit to that framework.


5. Mark 16:17? Let’s Talk.

You dropped Mark 16:17 like a spiritual mic drop. But you should know: verses 9–20 of Mark 16 are disputed in the earliest manuscripts. That doesn’t mean we toss them—it means we interpret them carefully, in light of the rest of Scripture.

Also: casting out demons, speaking in tongues, healing—all listed there. Falling backward? Nowhere. Again: experience ≠ doctrine.


Final Word:

Sister, we test every spirit, every sensation, every miracle. Why? Because the devil’s favorite outfit is a robe of light (2 Cor. 11:14). And he loves it when the Church chases signs instead of the Savior.

No one here is denying God’s power. What we’re denying is unscriptural practices dressed in holy vocabulary. If it isn’t modeled by Jesus, taught by the apostles, or commanded in Scripture—it doesn’t belong in the Church, no matter how real it feels.

So yes—read your Bible. But don’t just quote it—rightly divide it (2 Tim. 2:15). Let the Spirit confirm the Word, not compete with it.

You still burning with holy fire—or ready to test that flame by the Book?

I don’t think any believer, especially Spirit filled believers would deny that God is a healer - Praise Jehovah Rapha !! But your scriptures you provided are not talking about the “slain in the Spirit” that takes place in many modern charismatic churches.
Falling to the ground as described in John 18:6 was God in flesh speaking truth and people drawing back and falling down- NOT being “slain in the Spirit”
2 Chronicles 5:14** - So that the priests could NOT STAND (slain by the power of the Holy Spirit) to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God
You are the one that mentioned adding to or taking away from scripture, and you added “slain by the power of the Holy Spirit !!
I don’t think anyone is denying God’s Spirit showing up, but you cannot form a “slain in the Spirit” theological doctrine with the scriptures you have shown.
and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men,” (Matt. 28:2-4)
Here is the context of Matthew 28:2-4.
Matthew 28:2-4
Authorized (King James) Version
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
They “shook” because of FEAR, not a charlatan preacher blowing on them or laying hands on them at a pumped up service.
Again, Revelation 1:17 is NOT being “slain in the Spirit”
It is about seeing Jesus Christ in His glory and being terrified.
The fact of the matter is this: you can believe anything that you choose to believe, but if you cannot back up experience with the Bible then you cross over into no-man’s land

Saul fell to the ground,** and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’" (**Acts 9:3-4).
Again, this has ASOLUTELY nothing to do with being “slain in the Spirit”

You are dealing in SEMANTICS ok The Holy Spirit can have you move FORWARD or fall backward, so you are just trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, Just to let you know I have also FALLEN FORWARD as well as backward and I also TEST the SPIRITS because I have been an Evangalist for over 32 years licenced and ordained and I had given all of those scriptures and more in my other comments so I know of which I am speaking about.

No, there are others here, that THINK like YOU, that you can put the HOLY SPIRIT in a BOX ok ALL of these scriptures in the bible talke about trembling and shaking and falling PERIOD ! THAT IS WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS and so I am done for I will NOT argue with you and I align EVERYTHING up with the Word brother.YOU are the one cherry picking and I did USE my self control to STOP shaking! There are so MANY things that the bible says that doesn’t even say what happened in the bible! I have DISCERNMENT, you just ASSUME that i DON’T? Falling is falling doesn’t MATTER if its forward or backwards,the Holy Spirit can do whatever HE WANTS!!! ITS those who do NOT want to be CONTROLLED by the Holy Spirit that God CAN’T MOVE in their LIVES that are LEGALISTIC or RELIGIOUS!!!

If the bible says that they could NOT STAND that either means that they have fallen down PERIOD and you just ASSUME that it WASN’T by the Power of the Holy Spirit??? Were you THERE??? NO, so you CAN’T speak for the Holy Spirit at ALL!

Yes the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT can cause someone to FEAR HIM and SHAKE !

There were MANY in the bible that trembled or shaked because of FEAR but that was because of the REVERANCE and RESPECT of God and because the Holy Spirit had TOUCHED them !

Why did Paul fall to the Ground because of just FEAR ? NO because He felt the HOLY SPIRIT upon HIM!

You can choose ANYTHING that you WANT to believe but do NOT discount what I have experienced with God ok just because you have NOT !

Oh Warriorbride… now that was a Holy Spirit caps-lock crusade if I’ve ever seen one. But let’s breathe, lower the font, and lift the Word.

You say I’m dealing in semantics. No ma’am—I’m dealing in Scripture. God gave us specific words for a reason. It’s not “semantics” when the difference between falling forward in reverence and falling backward under strange power is the line between biblical worship and spiritual confusion. That’s not nitpicking. That’s rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

You say the Holy Spirit can do “whatever He wants.” Sure—He’s God. But He never acts outside His own Word. The Spirit doesn’t contradict the very Scripture He inspired (2 Peter 1:21). If the Spirit is truly moving, it will align with Scripture, glorify Christ, and edify the Church—not send people flopping like fish with no call to repentance or gospel clarity.

As for “not putting the Holy Spirit in a box”? You’re right—we can’t. But we are commanded to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). That means we must discern whether a manifestation is holy, hyped, or hellish. Just because something happens in a church service doesn’t mean it came from heaven.

And respectfully—being in ministry 32 years doesn’t make you infallible. Neither does ordination. The Pharisees had credentials too, and Jesus still called them out (Matt. 23:13). Experience must bow to the authority of Scripture, not the other way around.

Discernment isn’t assuming everyone who disagrees with you is “religious.” It’s weighing every spirit, every sign, every shaking, against the written Word of God. And if your definition of being “controlled by the Holy Spirit” means overriding clear Scripture for dramatic manifestations—then no, I won’t be signing up for that altar call.

The Holy Spirit is not chaotic, not random, and not a showman. He exalts Christ (John 16:14), convicts of sin (John 16:8), and empowers believers for holy living, not holy spectacle.

So if you’re truly done arguing—great. Then let the Word speak louder than emotion.

I really don’t think anyone has said that you have not experienced the things that you have mentioned…The topic was “Slain in the Spirit” not fear or shaking. This “slain” experience also happens in eastern mysticism, so either show some explicit scriptures to prove this is Biblical or admit this was an experience that you “believe” was God’s Spirit moving. Experience MUST be able to be backed up by scripture or it is simply like building a house of straw, we MUST build upon the firm foundation of the rock of truth that can verified by explicit Bible teaching from the prophets, apostles or Jesus Christ

Amen, BrotherDavid—straight shot, no chaser.

Experience without Scripture is emotion on stilts. If it’s not explicitly modeled by Jesus, the apostles, or the prophets, then calling it a move of God is wishful thinking wrapped in spiritual language. God doesn’t need theatrics—He gave us the truth. Let’s build on that Rock, not sinking sand and secondhand sensations.

Your personal experience is your personal testimony. No one can take that away from you, or try to prove otherwise. That is the power of personal testimony, it is irrefutable. So, I accept what you say about your experience. It has not been my experience however, so please bear with my inexperience.

“Who am I to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” Personalized - Romans 14:4

You speak of the interconnection of the miracle of supernatural healing, and the sign of pneumamortation, “slain in the spirit”. To me, and as I read the Holy scriptures, these are two separate manifestations of The Spirit of God, and I know of no precedent for their occurring together. In fact, the miracle of healing seems to speak an opposite message than the sign of pneumamortation; the first being in infusion of life, and the second being a symbolic death (i.e.”slain”…) (se Ecclesiastes 3;3) A combination of these two, seems to me, to speak an unclear message; the visible effects of the two manifestations are in opposition.

Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle? 1 Corinthians 14:7-8

Supernatural Healing
Supernatural healings in scripture uniformly testify of the ultimate Healing of Jesus. They were never done for show, never for money, and never in a “healing service” Actually. they were usually done in secret places, behind closed doors, or at least without any fanfare. You will also notice that they always had a visible outcome; i.e withered hand made whole., paralytic visibly healed, folks near death made visibly well, dead folks raised to life, dropsy abated, lepers cleansed, etc. All the specific healings had an immediate and verifiable outcome. No healing, recorded in the Bible, was there anyone healed of liver disease, infertility, hyperthyroidism or the like. I’m sure there were many supernatural healings that were either not recorded, or recorded in a generic sense, like “But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.” Luke 9:11. We may want to read into this generic announcement that all sorts of things were healed, but since the detailed specified healings form a pattern, it is my practice to assume the nonspecific ones fit the same mode.

It is not difficult to discern that these supernatural visible healings spoke much more than just a temporary influx of health for a particular person. They all spoke of who Jesus really was, and how He alone would permanently heal the world of the REAL sickness that brought death to all mankind. If healings were unable to be seen and verified, the more important message would have been lost. That is NOT to say God does not heal His own in every century for His purposes. Who am I to comment on what God does in His own providence? I beleive God has healed me in the past, through prayer and thanksgiving. In fact, I am of the opinion that every healing (every perfect gift) comes down from God; every time I get a scratch, or some virus attacks my body, the healing that is programed into the biology of my body is all His handiwork; it is ALL His healing. From my perspective, doctors don’t heal any more than farmers make crops grow. Men do their best to augment a desired outcome, but the miracle of healing, like the miracle of plant growth, comes direct from The Creator Jesus.

Being Slain in The Spirit
Concerning pneumamortation, I see, and accept your long list of occurrences of these phenomena in The Bible. Of the passages you mentioned, plus a few more I am familiar with, one thing I notice is that in none of the occurrences does the party who “falls down” ever enjoy the experience. In fact, it is universally explained as feeling disintegrated. “So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! (ruined, disintegrated, etc)” Isaiah 6:5 (see also Jer 6:22, 13:22, Job 42:5-6, Luke 5:8, Rev 1:17, etc) All those who “fell down” experienced something that felt like “this is the end of me!” coupled with great fear! Peter can’t stand the presence of the Loving Jesus, and begs Him to “depart”. I believe it is clear that coming into the presence of God, as a sinful creature, fully removes all strength from one’s body, and causes a paralysis that is unpleasant. No one, except the perfect, can stand in the presence of God. I have never seen (or read of it in The Bible) that it ever happens on demand, as an ecstatic experience, in a worship setting, or performed by one individual on another. In fact, based on all biblical events, unless God lifts you up, you are as good as dead, and that’s final!

Again, I am unqualified to speak to your own personal experiences, but I thought I would share mine for some contrast.

Resting in The Living Loving One
KP

Beautifully said, kpuff. You didn’t just bring contrast—you brought clarity wrapped in humility.

Your distinction between healing and “pneumamortation” is razor-sharp: one infuses life, the other symbolizes death—and combining the two muddies the message. As Paul said, “If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8). God’s Spirit doesn’t move in contradiction; He moves in cohesion with His Word.

Thank you for grounding your thoughts in Scripture, reverence, and spiritual sobriety. This isn’t about denying God’s power—it’s about discerning His voice through the noise.

Rest well in the Truth, brother. You’re sounding the trumpet loud and clear.