OBE

An out-of-body experience (OBE) is characterized by a feeling of departing from one’s physical body. Some people say  it is like being almost dead.  When having an OBE, a person is said to be able to observe their own physical body from a distance and travel about without it. It is, they report,  as if there is something that remains you, but no longer sees from the eyes of the physical body left behind.

This experience has various terms. It may be called soul travel, astral projection, lucid dreaming or simply out-of-body experience, abbreviated  OBE.

Some people even call the OBE occurrence a near death experience, (NDE) which is much like an OBE, with the difference that an NDE would be accompanied by either a “light at the end of the tunnel”  or a “life review” type of experience. However, even with this being the case, others claim they are more than similar, even say that they are the same.  OBEs sometimes are reported to occur occur while someone is under the influence of drugs, or in trauma as well as simply upon awaking in the morning and the ind is still in a dream-like state.

 But there are people who try to make themselves have this type of experience.  They want to be able to do such things simply as a matter of their own will.T  Often times tose who practice having OBE's do it as a form of spiritual "exercise," a means of reaching a higher level of consciousness or enlightenment,  a religious type of experience.Some even believe that the OBE experience is part of humanity’s “spiritual development” or evolution, particularly as it is associated to New Age and New Spirituality teachings.

OBEs may very well be spiritual.  There are scriptures in the Bible that would seem to make references to such things.  Passages like 2 Corinthians 12: 2-4, Acts 10:9-16, John 4: 23-24 and Revelation 1:9-11, are often cited by promoters of such practices to confirm, (or to justify) for seekers, doubters and potential naysayers, that OBEs are even part of the teachings of “true” Christianity, evidence perhaps that God want’s his people to be “in the spirit” (meaning outside of their bodies) in order to worship him in "spirit and in truth." There may be a spirit in this kinds of strange spirituality, there may even be a convincing argument at hand, and a lot of voices with many people saying this is the way you should walk in if you really want to know about God, but this is why a Christian must “test the spirits” to see if they are from God, remembering that mediums and spiritists, diviners and sorcerers are considered “abominations” before the 'Lord and to remember that it is easy, very easy to be deceived. (Deuteronomy 18:9-11, Galatians 5:19-26, and 2 Chronicles 33:6). It happened to Adam and Eve, who had freewill and lived amidst the Garden of Almighty God!
 
There are many New Age influences around us and many enticing ideas. We have “new” technology and “new” paradigms, “new” science and “new” spirituality all around. Scripture does however say, “there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) and that everything that was made was made not only the very first time, but already made NEW in and through Jesus. (John 1:3, 10) We must decide when a voice we hear is truth or error and the only way to know the difference is to know the voice of and believe the promises of God.

  Or 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. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.  - Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

Apparently when people leave their bodies for higher planes and soul travel, (as they say,) they remain attached by a link to the physical body, “a cord,” often referred to as the “silver cord.” Some people think of it as an "umbilical cord" like that of a baby, and they believe such a cord sends pulses of energy or life into the spirit body from the physical one, without it, one would presumably die.  Those who do believe it exists report that this cord goes “very, very far,” enabling them to explore the "astral realms" realms of universe the encompass our earthly existence, realm we do not ordinarily "see".  Some also  claim that they use the cord like a trail, to return to their body, while others complain that this silver cord sometimes pulls them back into their bodies before they want to return. 

So the question is.. are these experiences real and are they are spiritual, or are they maybe even imaginary.  Some people, do not beleive such things exist at all reasoning that such things have never happened to them before, others say they do them every day.

People who have OBEs warn future explorers of the deep, that if the connecting cord is damaged or broken one would suffer great physical harm.  If this were to happen, such a one might be found in a “real world” coma or the body could die and the soul would be “stranded” in the astral plane. Others suggest the intentional severing of such a cord is a positive thing and the person doing so would gain immortal life in the spiritual worlds, never having to return to life in the physical realm again.

There is a lot of diverse ideas and a lot of voices telling others how things may or may not be and what they are and are not. The question for Christians is, "Who are you listening to?"

Christians understand and believe that Jesus Christ is God, incarnate, Immanuel, GOd with us, in the flesh.   They believe that Jesus came from heaven into a body prepared for him. (Hebrews 10:5) that he died, ws buried and rose again from death to life on the third day, according tot he scriptures.  Sure, Jesus  “ascended” into the heavens, but he did so in the flesh again, not with some astral projection, out of the body experience thing that New Age people like to promote in the world of spirituality and sometimes even in Christianity today. Jesus was made manifest in the flesh. He he rose bodily from grave and ascended into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God.

That is the truth.

If you are Christian and conclude that the scriptures and the person of Jesus Christ are real and historically accurate then you need to be discerning. Just because the Bible talks about praying in the spirit and even something called the third heaven, doesn’t mean that a particular teaching about the “spirit worlds” or OBE or NDE is from God. The Bible also teaches about an entity named Satan who is a destroyer, a liar, in fact “the father of lies,” who can deceive and even appear as an angel of light. (1 Corinthians 11:14; Galatians 1:8-9)

And Satan, will be happy to deceive anyone.