What happens to a believer when he or she leaves the body?
Paul writes that a believer who leaves the body is absent from the body and present with the Lord. He expressed confidence and willingness to be absent from the body and present with the Lord, preferring that state over remaining in the body while walking by faith.
Les explains that Paul made it plain that while we are absent from Christ, we walk by faith, believing what He has given us in His Word. Paul was confident and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Les points to Paul's circumstances—years of suffering for his apostolic work, Judaizers trying to destroy his work, and pagan Romans coming down on Christianity. Paul suffered a martyr's death for his work with the Gospel, and on top of that he suffered sickness, pain from beatings, and scourgings. With increasing pressure from Roman authorities against Christianity, Les can see where Paul was anxious to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. So for the believer, leaving the body means being present with the Lord, a state Paul preferred.