Subject: Did Jesus spend 3 days in hell? |
Bible Note: Greetings Dougboy777! I would say that 2 Cor. 5:8 does say that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Here is why: A more literal rendering of the Greek text would be, "We are of good cheer, indeed we prefer to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." The key point here is that the phrases "to be absent" and "to be present" are both aorist infinitives. These are used to express purpose or result. In this verse, they are connected with the phrase translated "we would rather". Therefore, both are seen as the purpose and both would occur at the same time. Paul is definitely not saying that he hopes this will take place, but that he would prefer this to take place. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |