Yes — at the moment of death, a believer's soul and spirit immediately go into the presence of the Lord in paradise, where they await the resurrection day.
The second a believer dies, the soul and spirit leave the body and go directly into the presence of Christ in heaven. Les Feldick stresses that the Bible is fairly silent about their activity there, but they are waiting for the great Resurrection Day when God will bring them with Jesus and reunite them with resurrected bodies. Because believers are already citizens of heaven, death holds no fear for them.
2 Corinthians 5:8 — Paul's words 'absent from the body... present with the Lord' are the key expression of the believer's immediate transition to Christ at death.
Luke 23:43 — Jesus' promise to the dying thief that he would be in paradise that very day shows the believer's destination immediately after death.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 — Shows that believers who have died ('sleep in Jesus') will be brought back with Jesus at His return.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He assured the repentant thief, 'Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43), revealing that the believer's destination at death is immediate — paradise with Christ. The Apostle Paul expresses the same truth when he writes, 'We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord' (2 Corinthians 5:8). Paul also teaches that death for the believer is described as 'sleep' — the body sleeps in the grave — but the departed person is not lost. 'For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him' (1 Thessalonians 4:14). At the Lord's return, 'the dead in Christ shall rise first' (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and 'we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye' (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). Ephesians 4:8–9 teaches that Christ descended into 'the lower parts of the earth' and 'led captivity captive' — the Old Testament believers held in the paradise side of Hades — and then ascended far above all heavens. By grace, believers are 'made... sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus' (Ephesians 2:6).
Les Feldick teaches that the moment a believer dies — the very second the soul and spirit leave the body — they go immediately into the presence of the Lord in heaven. He says, 'Absent from the body is present with the Lord' (2 Corinthians 5:8). However, he is careful to note that the Bible is 'fairly silent' about what their activity or state is during that time; all we know is that they are in the Lord's presence, waiting for the great Resurrection Day. Les places special emphasis on the fact that departed believers are in the Lord's presence in soul and spirit, not bodily — their bodies remain in the grave awaiting the resurrection. He explicitly rejects the idea of soul sleep: 'I do not believe in soul sleep. They are there, but they are not there bodily.' He also points out that nowhere in Scripture is there any kind of valid operation of the soul and spirit separated from the body. Les also explains that before the cross, Old Testament believers were held in the paradise side of Hades (Sheol) — held captive until the atonement was accomplished. When Christ died, He went to paradise and at His ascension 'led captivity captive' (Ephesians 4:8), bringing those saints out. Today, paradise is in heaven, so when a believer dies, he is immediately in the presence of God. Finally, Les teaches that this is not the end of the story. At the rapture, God will bring those departed souls and spirits of believers from heaven down to the atmosphere with Jesus; the dead in Christ will rise first with resurrected bodies, and living believers will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
According to Les Feldick, the very second a believer dies, the soul and spirit leave the body and go immediately into the presence of the Lord — 'absent from the body is present with the Lord' (2 Corinthians 5:8). Les admits the Bible is fairly silent on what their activity or state is at that point; all we know is that they are in the Lord's presence and waiting for the great Resurrection Day. They are not there bodily; their bodies are in the grave.
Les Feldick teaches that before the atoning blood was shed, Old Testament believers were held in paradise on the paradise side of Hades (Sheol), waiting for the atonement. Jesus told the thief, 'Today thou shalt be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). After His death and resurrection, Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth and led those captive saints out — 'When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive' (Ephesians 4:8). Since then, paradise is in heaven, and believers go directly into the Lord's presence at death.
Departed believers do not remain in heaven forever as disembodied spirits. Les teaches that at the Lord's return, God will bring those departed souls and spirits of believers from heaven down to the atmosphere — as Paul writes, 'God will bring with him' those who sleep in Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The dead in Christ rise first, reunited with their resurrected bodies, and living believers are changed 'in the twinkling of an eye' (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). The believer who died is then no longer absent from the body but receives it back, glorified.
Les Feldick shares a story of a believer who took comfort in knowing that her believing loved one was in His presence, 'already seated in the heavenlies.' Quoting Ephesians 2:6 — 'made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus' — he notes it is not a big jump from here to there. 'We don't have to fear death, because they can kill the body, but they can't kill that which is already a citizen of heaven.'
Paradise Before and After the Cross
Les explains that Jesus took the thief to paradise — the paradise side of Hades where the Old Testament saints were held captive until the atonement — and that Christ led them out at His ascension (Ephesians 4:8), establishing that believers now go to paradise in heaven.
The Believer's Spirit Goes to Christ in Heaven
Les shows that the believer's spirit and soul take flight to the presence of Christ in heaven immediately at death, waiting there to be reunited with the resurrected body at the Lord's descent.
The Moment a Believer Dies
Les gives the direct answer: the second a believer passes off the scene, soul and spirit go immediately into the presence of the Lord, where they wait for the resurrection day — even though the Bible is fairly silent about their activity.
Absent From the Body, Present With the Lord
Les connects 2 Corinthians 5:8 with 1 Thessalonians 4:14–16, teaching that God will bring the souls and spirits of departed believers from heaven to the atmosphere when Jesus descends at the rapture.
No Soul Sleep — Present in Soul and Spirit
Les rejects soul sleep: departed believers are in the presence of the Lord in soul and spirit, not bodily, waiting for the resurrection day.
In Paradise in the Presence of God
Les states that believers who have died are in paradise in the presence of God in soul and spirit, not bodily, waiting for the resurrection day.
Is Jesus God? The Prophecies of the Coming King Explained
And amongst those survivors, now someday way down the road we'll be getting into prophecy, and as we do in all our classes, we'll just show you particularly from the Scripture who are the survivors that will go into this earthly kingdom. Now I'm not talking about us, because we're going to be translated before all this takes place.
Comfort: Believers Are Seated in the Heavenlies
Les offers the comfort that believing loved ones who have died are in His presence, already seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so believers need not fear death.
Luke 23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Jesus' promise to the thief shows the believer goes to paradise with Christ the same day he dies.
2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Paul describes the believer's state after death — absent from the body, present with the Lord — the verse at the heart of Les's teaching.
Ephesians 4:8: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Les uses this to show Christ led the captive Old Testament saints out of paradise at His ascension.
Ephesians 4:9: (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Shows Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth before ascending to glory.
1 Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Paul's assurance that God will bring believers who have died with Jesus at His return.
1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
At the Lord's descent, the dead in Christ rise first — the order of the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Introduces the mystery of the transformation of believers at the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
The dead are raised incorruptible and believers are changed in a moment.
Ephesians 2:6: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Believers are already seated in heavenly places, providing comfort about the state of the departed.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that the moment a believer dies, the soul and spirit leave the body and go immediately into the presence of the Lord in heaven. They are not there bodily — the body remains in the grave — and they wait there for the great Resurrection Day (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Les Feldick says he does not believe in soul sleep. Departed believers are in the presence of the Lord in soul and spirit, waiting for the resurrection day — the body is what sleeps in the grave.
According to Les, before the cross they were held in the paradise side of Hades (Sheol), waiting for the atonement. When Christ died and later ascended, He went into the lower parts of the earth and led those captive saints out with Him (Ephesians 4:8–9).
God brings the souls and spirits of departed believers down from heaven with Jesus. The dead in Christ rise first with resurrected bodies, and living believers are changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Thessalonians 4:14–16; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
Watch the Teaching: What Happened to Paradise After the Cross? (2 Corinthians 12)