Are Out-Of-Body Experiences legit?
To this day, there have been many accounts of people who said they died, went to heaven, and then came back to life to tell the tale. I'm thinking of accounts such as "Heaven is for Real", "90 Minutes in Heaven", and "Miracles from Heaven", all books that were turned into movies that supposedly tell a true story of such an experience.
Back when I was a "non denominational" Christian, I used to believe these stories willy nilly, without a second thought. I thought it sounded amazing and I really wanted that assurance of knowing there is something more beyond the earth we live on. It gave me comfort. But these days, now that I'm a Lutheran and have left the false doctrines of modern day Christianity behind, I've become skeptical. You might say, "How could you say that, Ethan? Why would these people lie about this and make it up?". Here's what I want to know. Are these experiences biblical? And since we have a sin nature, anyone could be tempted into making up a story just for money and fame. Money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Let's look in the Bible to see what it has to say, then. We know that people such as Elijah and Isaiah saw heaven. But in those cases, it was an alive in body experience. Not an out of body experience where your body is dead. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, "1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will comea to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawfulb for a man to utter."
In this case, Paul was not certain whether or not the experience was in body or out of body. So verses like these can't be used as proof that biblical Out-Of-Body experiences are real. Ecclesiastes 12:6 on the other hand says " 6Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern."
What is the silver cord? Some people who have practiced astral projection say that the silver cord is what connects our spirit to our bodies. And that if the cord is severed, your spiritual self cannot return to your body. I am still not sure if this should be interpreted to mean that biblical out of body experiences are possible. Perhaps it proves out of body experiences are, but that they are done voluntarily through means of the occult rather than dying first and leaving the body.
Perhaps I'm misinformed and just confused, and maybe there's something I'm missing. So let's discuss this. Leave your opinions in the comments and back it up with scripture. Any comments, whether for biblical out of body experiences or against them is appreciated, because I want to know the truth. I'm a truth seeker. And I hope that this blog didn't cause any hard feelings for anyone. Thanks for bearing with me, and have a blessed evening.
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