What happened that made me change sides? Why would one who supported the Toronto Blessing and the charismatic movement suddenly call it a cult? Well, the answer is simple: I believe God opened my eyes. When my eyes were opened, I began to look past the feeling that I got from it, and question what was really going on. Was my life bearing fruit? Were the lives around me bearing fruit? I discovered that the answer to both questions was no. It was for the glory, and not the guts. It was for the good feeling, and not what really matters: that we love one another as Christ loves the church. I was belittled by church leadership. I was accused of being something that I wasn't. I asked myself then... was this the behavior of a Christian who really had the corner on the market of God's blessing?

        In more recent years, being involved in a ministry that was founded by a charismatic Christian, I discovered the same things. Pride in what the founder had that I didn't have. An encouragement to leave the Baptist church, and join charismatic church, because "the baptist church didn't have the Holy Spirit". I was told that I wasn't spirit filled. That is the fruit of the Toronto Blessing, and the charismatic movement. That is why, nearly three years ago, now, I changed sides in the debate.

Well, let's look at the scripture:  

Ezekiel 1:28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Daniel 8:17-18 As He came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man, he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.

Daniel 10:8-9 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

Daniel 10:17-18 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

Matthew 17:2-6 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified.

        What do we see in the charismatic movement? We see people falling down ackwards, sometimes being alert, sometimes not. They stay down for long periods of time, unable to get up. I have heard tales of them being glued to the carpet. Except that they weren't, really.

        What I want to know, is this: In Daniel 8, Daniel was in a deep sleep while God was speaking to him. He was face down. Then, God raised him to his feet. What's with this deep sleep? Reading the context, this looks suspiciously like being slain in the spirit. Except for one thing: Daniel fell face down. And, from the scripture, it appears that he wasn't out for very long.  A few minutes, maybe, but certainly not half an hour or more.

        So, what do we conclude from all of this? What reasons do we find for somebody falling on their face? I see only two: Fear, and worship. I see one instance where the person fell asleep. The common theme, though, in all of these passages, is that when somebody fell over, it was NEVER because God knocked them down. No, it was because sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a Holy God. It didn't happen during prayer time at the front of the church. It didn't happen as a means of causing the person to rest in God's presence. It happened because the person came face to face with the most high God, and either collapsed in fear, or fell down in worship.

        If you have ever seen somebody bow before the king of a country, you may have noticed that, sometimes, the person laid flat on the floor or the ground. This was a conscious decision, not something that the king did to them. Unlike being slain in the spirit, where the person fell down under the power of God.

        Have you ever been so afraid it's not even funny? If you collapsed, maybe you passed out in fear, it was a reflex action. Not something that what you saw did to you. You weren't under the power of what scared you. You were perhaps so scared that your brain was starved for oxygen.

        So, there it is. From what I have studied in the scriptures, and what I know and understand of life experience and what I was taught, the phenomenon of being slain in the spirit can't possibly be of God as it happens in the charismatic churches of today. But, that's one man's opinion. You've seen the evidence that I have presented to you. Now, you must decide for yourself. Am I full of hot air? Or have I spoken the truth? Once you decide that, you must do something about it. What you do is entirely up to you.