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To be absent from the body, is to be present with The Lord.

Not quite ...

2 Corinthians 5:8

(ASV) we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

(CJB) We are confident, then, and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and come to our home with the Lord.

(DARBY) we are confident, I say, and pleased rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

(ESV) Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

(KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

(NASB) we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

(NIV) We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

(NKJV) We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

(RSV) We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Leaving out man's PREFERENCE when 'quoting' this verse leaves a vastly different impression in the minds of people.

Nothing indicates that a person WILL be with the Lord immediately after death. (This 'teaching' leads to problems with the WTJ)

This begins in childhood when the kid is told that little Fluffy is now 'with Jesus' when her cat is flattened by a car,

or that Gramma is 'with Jesus' when she died.

Nothing indicates that a person WILL be with the Lord immediately after death. (This 'teaching' leads to problems with the WTJ)

Exodus 32:32-33
But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

Daniel 12:1
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

Philippians 4:3
And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Revelation 13:8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 20:11-15
"Then I saw a great White Throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and THE BOOKS WERE OPENED. Another book was opened WHICH IS THE BOOK OF LIFE. The dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to their works. Then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Revelation 21:27

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

My opinion is, immediately after death, we will be in a face to face relationship with Christ, forever.

Your opinion is held by vast numbers of people.

However; to do so, seems to me, is to ignore a LOT of Scripture that indicates otherwise.

It does, however, make it a LOT easier for Catholic teaching to take hold, for if a Christian is ALREADY in the presence of the Lord, immediately after death, then why NOT put them to work helping those believers left on Earth??