Note 17 at 2 Cor. 5:8: Notice that Paul said when we die (absent from the body) we are present with the Lord. Paul did not believe, nor does the Bible teach, a soul sleep, where after death a person is just asleep or unconscious until the time of the resurrection. Rather, upon separation from this physical body, a believer goes directly into the presence of the Lord. Paul said in Philippians 1:23, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better."