Q. The apostle Paul said he wanted to die so that he could immediately be with Christ (Philippians 1:23) and that when Christians are absent from the body they are in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Does this mean good people go to Heaven when we die, or conversely, bad folks go to Hell?

(Submitted by: Gordon)

A. The scriptures you are referring to are:

" For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: . . . " (Philippians 1:23)

" We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. " (2Corinthians 5:8)

One important aspect to realize here is that neither text says anything about eternal torment (Hell) or having an immortal soul (and going directly to Heaven when you die). Both such thoughts have to be read into the texts here. After all, theoretically one could believe in people going to heaven or hell at death, but still believe that the souls placed in hell would be eventually completely destroyed, not eternally tortured. In both cases, the defender of the orthodox position would assume that no resurrection occurs between the time of death and entering the presence of the Lord. Yet 1Corinthians 15:16-18, 23 presupposes that the only way to gain eternal life is from a resurrection. Here it's necessary to look at all the texts on a subject instead of just figuring out a doctrine from a few that seemingly favor a particular position.

Neither 2 Corinthians 5:8 nor Philippians 1:23 say Paul (or Christians in general) would immediately enter the presence of Jesus after their deaths. We know from Revelation 20:5, 11-15 that people aren't judged (those not saved during this life the first time) until the time after the millennium ends. They aren't put into hell now when they die, and then get pulled out, judged again, and then thrown back in. Both of these texts are too unclear to really accomplish the goal they are typically used for. They are too unclear, since neither says we have an immortal soul that's conscious separately from the body. Such thoughts have to be read into the texts in question.

It's far easier to say that (in the case of Philippians 1:23) that when Paul would die, he would have no consciousness of passing time in the grave, so therefore the moment of death is followed by the moment of being resurrected and coming with Jesus at the Second Coming. Neither text says when Christians enter the Lord's presence. If I said it was to occur at the Second Coming (as per 1Corinthians 15:23 and 1Thessalonians 4:15-17), there's nothing in either text to contradict this belief. It's necessary to figure out what Paul means based on other things he wrote or other passages of Scripture rather than ideas we may have presupposed on our own from what we've been traditionally taught. The Bible should be used to interpret the Bible (which is an especially important point when interpreting prophecy, but that's another subject).

Other Recommended Bible Study Materials:

• After the Resurrection: What will you be like in the resurrection?
• Is Heaven NOT the Reward of the Saved?

Answer Given By: Eric Snow