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In a previous broadcast, you and I had a little

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heart -to -heart talk together regarding a portion

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of the fourth chapter of Ephesians. It was that

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fourth verse. There is one body and one spirit,

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even as ye are called in one hope of your calling,

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one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and

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Father of all, who is above all and through all

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and in you all. Now for a very few moments, we're

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going to continue with the 7th, 8th, and 9th

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verses of this same chapter. Some of you are

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looking for your Bible, that's right. It's the

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fourth chapter of Ephesians. Now, I may not be

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able to finish our little heart -to -heart talk

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together today, but in our next broadcast, I

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will continue with this wonderful discussion

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of the gifts. May I please, for just a minute,

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read the first three verses? Have you found it?

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Ah, you were a little slow in finding it. That's

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right. Now you have it. Begin with me, please,

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with that seventh verse of the fourth chapter

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of Ephesians. But unto every one of us is given

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grace according to the measure of the gift of

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Christ. Wherefore, he saith, when he ascended

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upon high, he led captivity captive and gave

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gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is

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it but that he also descended first into the

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lower parts of the earth? He that descended is

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the same also that ascended up far above all

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heavens, that he might feel all things. All right?

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Pause just a moment, and we shall consider the

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gifts. which the risen Christ has given to members

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of his body. And remember that when we're discussing

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this portion of the word of God, Paul is speaking

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of the church, the body of Christ. Those believers

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from the beginning of the day of Pentecost, as

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recorded in the second chapter of Acts, and through

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and including those who will be caught up at

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the time of the great catching up, the rapture

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of the church. Now consider, but unto every one

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of us is given grace according to the measure

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of the gift of Christ. Now, the Spirit of God

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with regard to the unity of the body of Christ

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expresses The diversity of the gifts to the saints

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and their ministry of them. These opening words

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give us the startling truth that every one of

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us, every member of the body of Christ, has received

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some gift fully edifying in the body of Christ.

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and for the unity of the faith. I don't care

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how insignificant you may be. I don't care how

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weak. I don't care who you are. If you are born

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again, if you have been adopted to the Father,

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if you have been baptized into the body of Christ,

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and are a member of his body. The scripture here

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says that every one of us has received some gift.

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And that gift was given to you and that gift

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was given to me for the edifying of the body

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of Christ and for the unity of the faith. Oh,

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somebody says, but Ms. Kuhlman, are you sure?

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Sure, I'm sure. That's the reason. Go back again

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when the comparison was made regarding the physical

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body and the spiritual body. And when we take

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that push in the Word of God, when the comparison

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was made in 1 Corinthians, the 12th chapter,

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it says, for the body is not one member. And

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he's talking about the physical body. He's making

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this comparison. But many. Sure, our physical

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body is composed of many members. The hand, the

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feet, the eyes, the ears, the arms. But remember,

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each part of our physical body has a very definite

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work to do. And each member is most important

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to that body. Let me just give you an illustration.

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Have you at any time in your life ever looked

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up and thanked God for two good thumbs? Oh, it's

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easy to thank God for two good eyes. We treasure

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our eyesight. It's wonderful to look up and thank

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God for two good legs. And I'm constantly thanking

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God for two good legs. But do you want to know

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something that is most important to the physical

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body? Those little thumbs of yours. And yet,

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when we count our blessings, we never think of

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that little thumb. Do you realize that you use

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that little old thumb of yours as much as you

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use your legs constantly? You try to pick up

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something without that thumb. Put that thumb

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of yours in splints where you can't use it. Tie

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it to your hand so that you have no use of that

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thumb whatsoever. Do it for just one hour. You

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are going to be amazed when you discover how

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much you use that little thumb. Try to eat without

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that thumb with your right hand. That's right.

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Try to comb your hair. without the use of that

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thumb on your right hand. Right now, just try

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to pick up something without the use of that

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thumb. You'll find out that that little old thumb

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that you thought was so insignificant and you've

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never given praise to the Lord for is a very

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vital member of that body of yours. And so he

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is with the body of Christ. I don't care how

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insignificant you may feel that you are. The

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weak... The most insignificant member of the

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body of Christ is all important to that body

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and to the head of that body, Jesus Christ. It's

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just like that. Sure, I know. Some gifts are

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more outstanding because of their public character.

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But you and I cannot get along without the ministry

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of the most insignificant of God's people. Every

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believer has some contribution to make toward

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the body as a whole. It's just like that. Remember

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also that he not only gives a gift, but he also

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imparts grace to enable you to exercise it. No

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matter what it is that God has called you to

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do. By his grace, you can do it. That's right.

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But unto every one of us is given grace according

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to the measure of the gift of Christ. If your

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gift requires great grace, great grace will be

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given you. That page is missionary out there

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on the foreign field. I may sit here and say

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to myself, I'm afraid I couldn't do it. I'm just

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afraid I couldn't take it. But do you want to

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know something? If God had called me to the mission

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field with that... Call he would have supplied

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the grace to be obedient to him in that call.

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That's right. That missionary that's out there

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on that mission field. That one who has been

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called a God. Along with that call, God gives

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them daily the grace to take it. The grace to

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come through victoriously. Oh, to me, that's

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marvelous. All right, here we go. Take verses

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7, 8, 10. Let's begin with that 8th verse now.

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Verses 8 and 10 present the Lord Jesus Christ,

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the head of the body of Christ, as the one who

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bestows these gifts up on the members of his

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body. Now... This significant description of

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the word of the Lord is given just before the

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gifts are enumerated. The opening words begin

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with, Wherefore he saith. And then a portion

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of the 68th Psalm is given. And the 18th verse

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of the 68th Psalm reads, Thou hast descended

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on high. Thou hast led captivity captive. Thou

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hast received gifts for men. Now there's a difference.

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There is a terrific difference in the scriptures.

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There's a difference in the Psalms. There is

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a difference here in Ephesians. In the Old Testament,

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Christ is seen as the glorified Son of the Living

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God receiving from the hands of the Father gifts

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which he in turn bestows upon the church. Here

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in the New Testament in Ephesians, he is seen...

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giving these gifts to members of his body. Do

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you remember in a previous message, when we took

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you to that great conference table, way back

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there in past eternity, when the three sat down,

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God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the

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Holy Spirit, and they made plans for the redemption

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of man? And Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, offered

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himself to the Father as an atonement for the

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sins of man. The Father, in turn, gave his only

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begotten Son that you and I might have life everlasting.

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But there was an agreement that was made at that

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same conference table. Those of us who are redeemed

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during this dispensation, from the time of the

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beginning of Pentecost to the last hour of Pentecost,

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which of course would be at the time of the great

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catching up, we would be given to Jesus by the

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Father as His inheritance. At that same time,

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the Father says, gifts that you in turn can give

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to them in turn the holy spirit today operates

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the gifts that jesus has given to us remembers

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of his church who in turn had been given those

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gifts by the father we see the trinity King together

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in calling out the body of Christ and preparing

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each member of that great body. Oh, doesn't that

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do something to you? Don't you see how the whole

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thing is not a separate thing? It's as a whole.

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And how the three members of the Trinity. work

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together as one, perfecting the unity of the

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many members of his body. Just a second. What

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do the words lead captivity captive mean? Now,

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this expression refers to the ascension of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Victor overseeing death, Hades.

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Now, in the margin, captivity captive is translated

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a multitude of captives captive. These captives

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that are spoken here were Old Testament saints

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who were in paradise or Abraham's bosom waiting

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for the Son of God to make possible the entrance

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for them into God's presence. Remember, atonement

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had not been made for their souls. Until the

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cross, the Old Testament saints went to paradise,

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which was called by the Jews, Abraham's bosom.

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The rending of the veil in the midst from top

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to bottom signified that a way into God's presence

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had been made. And from the cross... The Lord

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Jesus went into paradise. They put his body in

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the tomb. But remember something. They never

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put the person of Jesus in the tomb. He went

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to paradise to set the captives free. God bless

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you.