2 Corinthians 5:8
Paul Confident He Would Be with the LORD After His Death
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 1:23-24
Paul Desired to be with Jesus
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
When Billy Graham was asked if thought we went to heaven immediately after we die, he said -"Yes, Christians can sometimes sincerely disagree on minor matters—although you should never forget that all Christians agree on those things that are really important, such as the divinity of Christ, His death on the cross for our salvation, His resurrection from the dead, and our hope of heaven...From my own study of the Bible, I’m convinced that when we die, we immediately enter the presence of the LORD...At some future time, we will be given new bodies, similar to the body Jesus had after His resurrection...But in the meantime, our souls are with the LORD, and we are fully conscious of being in His Presence...This certainly seemed to be the Apostle Paul’s hope...He faced many dangers, and he knew that at any moment his life on earth could end...But he faced death with hope: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the LORD” (2 Corinthians 5:8)... Elsewhere he declared, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23)...Never forget that we have hope of life after death for one reason: Jesus Christ removed the barrier between us and God—the barrier caused by sin. Is your hope in Him? If not, put your trust in Christ without delay."...