Desire Media

No, the Bible doesn't say that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. A careful study of 2 Corinthians 5 shows us that Paul is simply expressing how he would prefer to be present with the Lord in his new heavenly body rather than in his present earthly body. Verse 8 simply expresses Paul's preferece. Paul is actually expressing his desire to be translated (receiving his heavenly body without having to die and be resurrected), which means he wants to be alive when Jesus returns. To be absent from his earthly body and present with the Lord at the same time would require him to be translated without seeing death. Comparing other statements from Paul, like the one in 1 Corinthians 15 above, and in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul makes it clear that dead saints won't be raised back to life until 'the last trump', which is the second coming of Jesus.