I saw on videotape one time, everybody in the place was laying on their backside. He finally turned around and realized that the choir hadn't been blessed yet. And so he said "you all up in the cheap seats need some of this," and he went like that and they all fell down, except one old man with a hearing aid. And he looked around at everybody, and when he looked this way, you could see on the camera the hearing aid, and you knew why he didn't fall down, he didn't hear the command. And he looked around and then he [falls down]. Aw, c'mon!

Do you believe the Holy Ghost is something you can roll up in a ball and throw it across the room and knock people down? What blasphemy! Do you think that the Holy Ghost wants us to imitate animals? I don't know what we've got to laugh about. The world's going to hell in a handbasket. Our loved ones, our families, our kids, our neighbours, are on their way to an eternity in hell and the church is sitting around laughing. This is no laughing matter. (Larry Thomas, No Laughing Matter, Audiotape, October 10, 1994)

FALLING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- this is when we fall to the ground because we can no longer remain standing when the power of God is on us!!! Sometimes we remain on the ground from several minutes up to several hours, our body simply cannot move very much because our flesh is corrupt and cannot stand in God's full presence!!

MATTHEW 17:5-7: 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. And when the disciples heard [it], they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

    To begin with whenever you make comparisons, for them to be honest correlation's you must, obviously, compare "apples to apples." None of the above texts resemble anything remotely close to what happens when believers are slain in the spirit today. My wife and I have observed less than 10 people fall under the power with no human intervention of some variety in 30 years of combined charismatic experience. When people get slain it is due to the direct ministry of another person, not a sovereign act of God, as we see in 2 Chronicles 5:11-14.

    Invariably, charismatic people fall down when hands are laid on them. There are no examples of people falling down when hands were laid on them in the Bible which is the exact model which is to be compared.

    In Chronicles we read of the dedication of Solomons temple. In that dispensation God manifested His presence to His covenant people Israel. This case was no exception, God manifested His presence to demonstrate His approval of the temple. After that initial service, His presence was confined to residing above the ark of the covenant. Note also that all the priest fell down, not just some. There is no record of a Pentecostal or charismatic service where all the people fell out under the power of God simultaneously. Also keep in mind the amount of priests at the dedication numbered in the hundreds and all had the exact same experience.

    Matthew 17 gives us the incident where Jesus took Peter, John and James up to the mountain top where He was transfigured before them. There is nothing in the text which indicates that God slayed them in the spirit. The text states "they fell on their face, sore afraid" it does not say "the presence of God was so strong they could not stand." Nor does it say "the power of the Holy Spirit knocked them on their faces." It says "they fell," Peter, John, and James chose to fall. Why? They were afraid! It was a voluntary act on their part, not a sovereign act of God upon their bodies. Please note also, that at no time were they unaware of their surroundings, i.e. they did not loose consciousness, which is common with todays spurious manifestation.

    Also, in Mark and Lukes account we read of Peter seeing Moses, Elijah and Jesus and then Peter speaking with Jesus. These two accounts do not even mention them falling down at all. It does mention them being afraid, but no falling. It is textually impossible to validate what happens in charismatic services from Matthews account.

    The last text they use to shore up their doctrine is the account of Paul encountering the Lord on the road to Damascus. What is interesting in the Acts 9 account is that only Paul is slain, i.e. falls off of his horse. The men with Paul, were (1) speechless, (2) heard a voice, (3) saw no one, and (4) did not fall down. Another facet of this account is the fact that this extraordinary manifestation is Pauls call into apostleship. This text cannot legitimately be used to prove the machinations taking place in charismatic circles. No one laid hands on Paul. According to the Biblical record this was not a regular occurrence in his life or ministry. Paul himself never testifies to laying hands on anyone and having them slain in the spirit, nor do any of the other writes of the New Testament, or Old Testament for that matter. Paul never lost consciousness, his faculties were very sharp, he was able to speak, he rationally answered the Lord.

    John White used the following two verses in his book When The Spirit Comes With Power to justify falling down under the Holy Spirits power:

Daniel 10:9-10 But the sound of his words came to my ears, and on hearing his voice I went into a deep sleep with my face to the earth. Then a hand gave me a touch, awaking me, and putting me on my knees and my hands.

    In the event in Daniel we encounter the writing prophet at the banks of the Tigris. He alone sees the angelic being who has come to deliver to Daniel a sweeping revelation concerning the prophetic economy of God. This Old Testament account is totally devoid of any comparison of what takes place in Pentecostalism. First, Daniel was a writing prophet and as such the Lord manifested His Word to those prophets in various ways (dreams, visions, divine appearances, etc.). Second, Daniels experience was unexpected, whereas people fully expect to be slain in the spirit. The purpose of the manifestation was to reveal a significant prophetic word to Gods prophet. Next, while Daniel was overcome the angel touched him and gave him strength. This is something we do not see in todays services. I have seen multitudes fall, but none receiving supernatural strength. Note also that Daniel fell face forward, almost one hundred percent of charismatics who are slain fall backward, thus the reason for catchers (it is very difficult to catch people who are falling forward). It is interesting to note that in the Biblical accounts when people have fallen, it is the sinners who fall backwards (Jh. 18:6).

    There simply is no legitimate manner in which this verse can be used to shore up a doctrine of being slain in the spirit.

    The text in Revelation 1:17 also fails to meet the test when examined. John the beloved was an apostle of the Lamb. There are no more apostles today. Secondly, John saw the resurrected Lord which was the reason he fell. The purpose for the Lord Jesus appearing to John was to give him the final installment of the canon of Scripture. John was given a revelation of immense importance. John never lost consciousness and also fell face forward.

The falling of people in todays services, especially in this latest revival has no relationship whatsoever to the few Biblical accounts they attempt to use to prove their beliefs. Every text they have tried to use is taken completely out of its context and these leaders are guilty of wresting the Scriptures in a vain attempt to validate their practice.

    The leaders of the Holy Laughter movement prove nothing by the Scriptures they use except that they do not know how to properly interpret the Scriptures. They are attempting to compare apples-to-oranges and not apples-to-apples. The simple fact of the matter is that they have no contextual evidence to prove what is happening is Biblical. Try as they might, the best they can do is to twist the Scriptures in an attempt to make "a round peg fit into a square hole." The Biblical accounts and what transpires today simply do not compare with one another.

    Pastor John Arnott said the following (paraphrased) regarding people laying on the floor (slain in the spirit) screaming out:

    The only problem with Johns definitions was that he used absolutely no Scriptures to validate any of his five points. In fact he contradicted himself on the video when he said that upon asking people what was happening to them while on the floor the people responded "we dont know, but we know the Lord was doing something." If the slain individuals did not know what was taking place how in the world does John Arnott?

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