Philippians 1 — Depart and Be With Christ

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain... I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Philippians 1:21–23). Paul names his desire without attaching a schedule to it. The verse says nothing about consciousness between death and resurrection; it simply ranks the options: continuing in fruitful labor, or departing to be with Christ, which is far better.

Two chapters later Paul writes that we "look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20–21). The transformation that brings us to Christ happens at His return, not at our death. In his final letter, expecting imminent execution, Paul still placed his reward in the future: the crown "shall" be given "at that day" — the day of Christ's appearing (2 Timothy 4:6–8).

Because the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), the interval between death and resurrection does not exist for the one who dies. Paul departs this life and — with no awareness of the centuries between — is with Christ. "Depart and be with Christ" is exactly how death feels from the inside, while "at that day" is how it is dated from the outside. Both are true; Philippians 1:23 states the first, 2 Timothy 4:8 the second.