To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Does this mean whether a person is saved or not, or commits murder, etc. that they are still in Heaven since judgement hasn’t happened. Are they with the Lord?

Answer:
Good question.

No, those who have not accepted Jesus Christ will not be in Heaven, nor are they in Heaven now – only the Believers who die are in Heaven.

The verse refers more to the fact that everyone of us whether good or bad will have to someday stand before God and give account for what we do and whether we have accepted Christ as our Lord.

Even the wicked will bow and confess Jesus as Lord – Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. For those of us who do it now here on earth, we will be invited to spend eternity with Christ. For those who do it after their natural death it will be too late to secure a place in Heaven. Even those destined for an eternity in hell will still know and confess there is one God.

As a bumper sticker once said “There are no atheists in hell!” Think about it !

Pastor Brad