Absent from the body...

Just heard a reference to 2nd Corinthians 5:8 at the basis for the famous quote "Absent from the body, present with the Lord" -- the theology that when Christians die they're instantly in heaven with Jesus.

That contradicts the "soul sleep" theology of the Seventh Day Adventists, which we'll save for another day.

Anyway, Paul's actual quote is "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

I don't see how you necessarily get "immediate transformation" from that.

For instance, if I say, "I would prefer to be away from Minnesota and at home in Hawaii" (which, if I weren't okay with wintertime, might be the feeling right now)... that doesn't mean that the process of getting from Minnesota to Hawaii wouldn't involve long flights, invasive TSA agents, lost luggage, etc.

So, what are the verses and arguments against a "soul sleep" theology?

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