Does 2 Corinthians 5:8 prove that when we die we are immediately present with the Lord?
Well, let’s first examine the context of this verse:
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:1–8
Context, context, context—this is key for understanding the Bible. The careful reading reveals that Paul is talking about three states of being: life, death, and resurrection.
Life – to be present in the body
Death – to be absent from the body
Resurrection – to be present with the Lord
Paul describes the second state of being—death—as being unclothed or naked. This category is often missed by those who believe Paul was teaching he would be present with the Lord immediately after death. Clearly, this is not his intention. Paul, himself, taught that to be present with the Lord takes place after the Resurrection. This condition of being unclothed or “naked” means not to have the present mortal body or the future immortal body. This is a state of unconsciousness, which the Bible uses to illustrate the state of the dead. And if death is like an unconscious sleep, then the next thing Paul would be conscious of after death would be to be present with the Lord. Now everything makes sense, and is consistent with the biblical teaching regarding death as a sleep.
So again, the verse does not say that we are immediately present with the Lord at death. This is traditionally accepted as a verse that proves people go to Heaven when someone dies—but this is not the case. Paul simply says he is willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. The “and” communicates separation of thought and idea.
In other words, Paul is making two separate statements of reality in one sentence. He is saying, “I am willing to be separated from this evil body, and be present with the Lord.”
The question is, when does Paul believe one will be present with the Lord, once they’re separated from the body? Let’s look at verse 4 in the same chapter:
“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” 2 Corinthians 5:4 (KJV)
Paul uses a house or a “tabernacle” as a metaphor for the body. However, the key words in this verse that help us better understand verse 8 are: “that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”
When did Paul believe we receive immortality?
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 (KJV)
Again, when did Paul say we will receive immortality? “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 (emphasis supplied). The last trump will sound at the Second Coming of Jesus—the same time when the dead in Christ will be raised and will receive their new, immortal bodies.
No one is immediately separated from the body and ushered into the presence of the Lord at the point of death. They sleep in their graves until the Second Coming of Jesus, when they will be resurrected to receive the gift of immortality. Therefore, we have the beautiful promise that Jesus will change our vile bodies to be “fashioned like unto His glorious body” when He returns (Philippians 3:20–21).