Out of
Body
Experience
What is an out of body experience?
Matt
Slick
An out of body experience, also known as astral projection,
is supposed to be the phenomenon when a person's consciousness is detached from
the physical body and travels or exists outside of the body.
During these experiences, the person is aware of his surroundings
and is often aware of what is being said around him.
Are
Out of Body Experiences real?
There are a lot of reports from people who claim to have had
various out of body experiences.
The problem is testing them. Some people claim to have
died during surgery, in emergency rooms, etc., who were aware of conversations
going on in separate rooms while they were being worked on by doctors.
Some of these "astral projections" seem to be
generated by trauma, death and then being revived, drug use, and occult
practices where altered states of consciousness are sought.
There are people who claim to be able to do it at
will. Generally, they seem to occur at unpredictable times.
One of the explanations offered for out of body experiences
is that the person has undergone a trauma or altered state of consciousness and
is not actually traveling outside of his body, but is imagining it the way a
person will experience a dream but in a much more "real" impression
than normal.
The brain, after all, is highly complicated and can produce
all sorts of images that can seem real.
What about 2 Corinthians 12:1-4?
"1Boasting is
necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and
revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen
years ago - whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not
know, God knows -such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
“3 And I know how such
a man - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows - 4
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to
speak,"
(2 Corinthians 12:1-4).
This Scripture is often used to support
out of body experiences, but it cannot be properly used this way.
In Jewish cosmology, there are three
heavens.
- The first heaven deals with
the atmospheric region (Deuteronomy 11:17; 28:12; Judges 5:4; Acts 14:17).
- The second heaven deals with
the region of outer space (Psalm 19:4,6; Jeremiah 8:2; Isaiah 13:10).
- The third heaven is God's
dwelling place (1 Kings 8:30; Psalm 2:4; Matthew 5:16).
So, when Paul says that he knew someone who was caught up to
the third heaven, he was speaking about entering into the dwelling place of
God.
What is important is that it occurred either in the body or
out of the body, of which he did not know.
Also, it is possible that this occurrence Paul speaks about,
which is probably about himself, might very well be in reference to the
instance when he was stoned and left for dead.
"But Jews came from Antioch and
Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out
of the city, supposing him to be dead," (Acts 14:19).
Are out of body experiences harmful?
The Bible tells us that we are to avoid any occult
practices.
Astral
projection is just such an event.
Essentially,
it amounts to what the Bible calls divination and sorcery and is to be
avoided.
In
addition, it may very well open up individuals to demonic oppression since it
is in violation of the Scriptures and is dabbling in the spiritual realm in a
manner not approved by Scripture.
"You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor
practice divination or soothsaying." (Leviticus 19:26)
"Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them
out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:31)
"When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives
you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. 10
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter
pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft,
or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium,
or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead." (Deuteronomy 18:9-11)
"And he made his sons pass through the fire in the
valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced
sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight
of the Lord, provoking Him to anger." (2 Chronicles 33:6)
Matt Slick is the President and Founder of the Christian
Apologetics and Research Ministry.
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