That is not so. The obvious attempt is to expose a false doctrine. It’s not personal. If you took it that way, I apologize.
They are not clear, my friend. In the first instance Paul states that we RATHER be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. He is not teaching a doctrine here. The only affirmative statement is this:
“While we are at home in the body we ARE absent from the Lord”
He did not follow up with the phrase “to be absent from the body IS to be present with the Lord”.
He didn't? Well, here it is:
"Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.
7For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
So I'm sure that you can read the underlined above, which infers that, if you are away from the body and at home with the Lord, then there can only be one conclusion, ergo, to be present in the body is to be absent from the Lord and to be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord. My point was/is that if you being away from the body equals being at home with the Lord, then you can't be sleeping in the ground, can you? Use some logic here.
Philippians supports this same idea when Paul said that he was torn between remaining in his body vs. departing and going to be with Christ, which he said was better by far. If Paul was to die and just sleep, how could that be better by far? It makes no sense. For the believer, when the body the spirit departs and goes to be in the presence of the Lord.
The other scripture in Philippians is another instance where Paul states a DESIRE. Not doctrine. He says:
“Having a DESIRE to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better”
Having the desire does not nullify what takes place at the time of death. In other words, he knows that when he dies that his spirit is going to depart and be with the Lord. These scriptures are clear in their meaning and you and others are simply circumventing them with week apologetics and resisting the truth. By saying "I desire to depart and be with Christ" is not a guess on Paul's part. The scripture shows that he is sure that his spirit will depart and be with Christ at the time of death. In other words, it not just a hopelfull dream that Paul would like to happen, but is exactly what happens and why he was torn between remaining the body or his spirit departing to be with Christ. What he was torn over is that, to depart would mean to be in the presence of Christ. But on the other hand, if he remained in the body, then it would mean more rewards for his fruitful labor and the strengthening of the faith of the Philippians.
In light of the scriptures Paul wrote in the first letter to the Thessalonians it is quite clear that we are to comfort one another with words found in the first letter to the Thessalonians because Paul was actually writing doctrinal revelation regarding those that sleep in the Lord.
That is not completely true! Paul started off regarding the resurrection of the dead in Christ, then he spoke about those who would still be alive when the resurrection took place, that they would be changed and caught up with those who had just resurrected. The spirits of those who have died in Christ will return with Him and will be reunited with their resurrect bodies. Those who are still alive at the time this event takes place, will be changed immortal and glorified and caught up with them.
I am not going to spend anymore time debating this with you, because I know the truth about it. We also have plenty of scriptures to support that the spirit is conscious aware after death, Moses and Elijah appearing with Christ when He was transfigured, the saints that are under the altar in heaven at the opening of the 5th seal, Jesus telling the thief that he would be with Him in paradise that very same day that they died and many more.
Therefore, you can continue to believe in soul-sleep, but I know the truth regarding this. Regarding 2 Cor.5:6 and Phil.1:21-23, you are basically turning a blind eye to their meaning, as they are very simple to understand. The teaching that at the time of death that the body, soul and spirit sleep in the dust in the earth is no scriptural. To believe that, one has to do away with all of the scriptures which reveal the conscious awarness of the spirit after the death of the body. The rich man and Lazarus is a good example of two men who died, yet there spirits were conscious and aware after the death of their bodies. However, since it is overwhelming proof, people turn it into a parable in order to get rid of it. And that because it destroys their soul-sleep theory.