Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee. – Deuteronomy 9:3 KJV
For our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:29 KJV
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. – Daniel 7:10 KJV
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, – Hebrews 10:26 KJV
but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and “zealous fire being about to consume the adversaries.” – Hebrews 10:27 Jay P. Green’s Literal Translation 1993
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. – Jude 1:7 KJV
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, – Revelation 13:13 KJV
So we know that the fire has to do with God’s judgment but does Satan really have the power to cause fire to come down from heaven? Not according to this scripture in the Bible:
1Ki 18:24-29 KJV – 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
Only God holds the power to send fire down from heaven as we read here in 1 Kings and in 2 Kings:
1Ki 18:30-38 KJV – 30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
2Ki 1:9-10 KJV – 9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
I believe that Revelation 13:13 is speaking about the charismatic movement going on in the christian churches today as the man of sin takes his seat in the temple:
2Th 2:3-9 KJV – 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Causing people to fall over backwards is one of the signs and lying wonders Satan is able to do, this is because he is the Father of lies, like it says in John 8:44 and knows that this is the spiritual equivalent to causing fire to come down from heaven:
Jhn 18:3-6 KJV – 3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
When an army came to take Jesus away, He should have done like Elija and prayed to God that he would send the fire to destroy them, but this wasn’t possible because he still had to go to the cross to demonstrate paying for our sins at the foundation of the world:
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. – Revelation 13:8 KJV
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. – Hebrews 4:3 KJV
Matthew 26:53-54 KJV – 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Jesus causing them to fall backward was the spiritual equivalent of causing fire to come down from heaven and destroying this army that came to take him. Judas was infilled by Satan, so Satan was there in the garden and witnessed everything.
3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. – Luke 22:3-4 KJV
We are not to believe everyone that says that they are a brother or sister in Christ, but we are to prove them whether they be in the faith or not:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try[G1381] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. – 1 John 4:1 KJV
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove[G1381] your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? – 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
And let these also first be proved;[G1381] then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. – 1 Timothy 3:10 KJV
2Co 11:4, 13-15 KJV – 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. … 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The term “being slain in the spirit,” used by charismatics to describe falling over backward, won’t be explored in-depth in this study. However, a notable observation from this research is that, according to the Bible, falling backward is consistently portrayed as an unfavorable occurrence.
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. – 1 Samuel 4:18 KJV
Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. – Genesis 49:17 KJV