Joseph in prison is a type of those whom God has chosen to be specially fruitful. Until their time comes the Word of God tests His elect and they remain "barren."

We Gentiles who are members of Christ are like Isaac in that we are children of promise.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Galatians 4:28)

That which is born of the flesh, the babylonish Judaism and the babylonish Christianity, will flourish grandly for a season. They will despise and persecute those who have been born of the Spirit of God.

But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (Galatians 4:29)

However, no matter how fleshly Judaism and fleshly Christianity strive and leap like the mountains of Bashan, they will discover in the end that God has chosen Zion. This is to say, God has chosen that which is to be His own holy dwelling place, and that place is Christ and all who are part of Christ, whether Jewish or Gentile by race.

Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. (Galatians 4:30)

Those who are born of the flesh alone, whether members of Judaism or Christianity, will never inherit the Kingdom of God.

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:31)

The Jewish Apostle Paul is speaking to the Christian Gentiles of Galatia. Paul is saying, "We who are of Christ, whether we are Jew or Gentile, are children of Sarah, of the Zion that today is in Heaven and tomorrow will come down to clothe the earthly Jerusalem with eternal life."

This is Paul's answer to those whose circumcision is of the flesh and not of the heart.

The Body of Christ. Every Christian Gentile and every Jew, if he or she would maintain a true perspective, must keep in mind that the first Christian Church was composed only of Orthodox Jews and that it was spiritual Israel. There never was a point in history at which the Christian Church was separated from spiritual Israel.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:13)

"Are we all baptized into one body."

We could not prove from the immediate context that the "we all" of the above verse is referring to Jews as well as Gentiles, but from other writings of Paul we understand this to be the case.

It is difficult for us, in the twentieth century, to keep firmly in mind that at the beginning of the Church Era it was almost unheard of for a Gentile to become a Christian, a member of the Body of Christ. The Apostle Peter had to be shown a vision before he would bring the Gospel to a Gentile. Paul had a disagreement with Peter because Peter would not eat with Gentiles.

To be continued.