Perhaps the three best Bible verses that I believe confirm the truth about God being the One who is controlling those individuals who are “slain in the Spirit,” also known as “falling out in the Spirit,” “falling in the Spirit,” or “resting in the Spirit,” are as follows:

-“When Jesus said to them, I am He, they went backwards (drew back, lurched backward) and fell to the ground.” ~ John 18:6, AMP

-“When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear.” ~ Matthew 17:6, AMP

-“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last.” ~ Revelation 1:17, AMP

Other crucial Scriptures that confirm the truth about God’s various “slain in the Spirit” phenomena are: Numbers 22:31; 2 Chronicles 5:14; Ezekiel 3:23, 43:2-3, and 44:4; and Acts 9:3-4.

I believe that it is safe to say that the band of soldiers and attendants of the high priests and Pharisees who came for Jesus the Christ when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane were not “charismatics” (cf. John 18:1-6)! For sure, a person does not need to be charismatic in order to experience being “slain in the Spirit.”

What also is important to note is that whenever God manifests His presence and power, He can and does use men and women to lay hands on people, which results in them being “slain in the Spirit,” or God Himself can and does make people fall to the ground. Moreover, since this phenomena (these different ways of being “slain in the Spirit”) completely is controlled by God, people can fall however God wants them to fall—on their back, on their face (prostrate), on their knees, and so forth.

Lastly, there are various effects that God gives to those whom He has “slain in the Spirit.” For instance, some receive visions, instructions, advice; some receive a peaceful rest; some receive healing; some receive spiritual gifts . . . like the ability to speak in tongues; and so forth. The point is, we cannot put God in a box by limiting the ways WE think He manifests His presence and power, just because WE have not experienced His presence and power the way others have!

Are there counterfeits to these backward, prostrate, and on the knees “slain in the Spirit” phenomena? Yes, of course there are. Our Bible is replete with instances when the devil is counterfeiting the power and presence of God!

Will there always be people who call these backward, prostrate, and on the knees “slain in the Spirit” phenomena the work of the devil? Yes, after all, Jesus Himself was accused of being an agent of Beelzebub, just because Jesus the Christ was able to perform many fantastic miracles, signs and wonders (cf. Luke 11:14-15).

Will believers mimic and ridicule other believers who experience firsthand, and preach about, speak about, teach about, or write about being “slain in the Spirit?” Yes, of course. Indeed, I was one of those kind of believers, so ignorant about and so rude and unkind to those who had experienced something (who knew something about what happens to us when we are in the presence and under the power of God), until I was “slain in the Spirit” and given the gift of speaking in tongues while I was flat on my back! For the record, I fell without anyone laying hands on me, and I believe that God knocked me out this way because I used to laugh at those ministers and preachers who were laying hands on people to get them to fall out in the Spirit!

Now, some people argue that the word “slain” means to be dead, which contradicts the belief that Christians are alive in Christ. On the contrary, believers who are alive in Christ die to their flesh, daily (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:7-12). Thus, being “slain in the Spirit” just means that we are dead to the systems and the things of this world, and that we totally have surrendered our lives to the Lord by letting Him have His way.

Let there be no doubt about it.  A great way we can know that we are allowing the  Lord to do His “thing” in our lives is when we are receptive to being “slain in the Spirit”—when we are allowing the power and the presence of Father God to manifest themselves however Father God so chooses, including but not limited to having His children fall out in His presence under the mighty power of His Spirit.
AMEN.