Collection: The Message of the Synoptics

This book examines the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, as set out in the first three Gospels — the so-called ‘Synoptic’ Gospels — in its dispensational setting. The Lord, preceded by John the Baptist, came to Israel as foretold by Isaiah and other prophets, as the nation’s Messiah, and to take His place on the throne of His father David.

He came preaching that the people should repent because the Kingdom was at hand. But what was the nature of that Kingdom and what were the criteria for entry to it? And what are the implications of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension for the establishment of the Kingdom?

The book explores the Synoptic Gospels through seven chronological phases, each marking a different stage in the Lord’s earthly ministry, and will provide Christian readers with a clearer understanding of the nature of His mission to Israel and beyond.

CONTENTS

• Introduction
• The Gospel Records
• The Writers of the Synoptic Gospels and their Presentation

• The Preparation for the Lord’s Ministry
• 1.1 The Lord’s Lineage and Early Years
• 1.2 John the Baptist’s Ministry
• 1.3 The Lord’s Baptism and Testing
• The Kingdom Proclaimed
• 2.1 The Proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom
• 2.2 The Place of the Gentiles
• 2.3 The Lord’s Ethical Teaching
• 2.4 Confrontation and Rejection
• 2.5 Peter’s Confession
• The Rejection of the Kingdom
• 3.1 The Transfiguration and its Aftermath
• 3.2 Discussions with the Disciples
• The Journey to Jerusalem
• 4.1 Teaching on the Move
• 4.2 Warnings for the People
• 4.3 Jesus’ Third Prediction of His Death
• 4.4 The Coming Kingdom
• Jesus in Jerusalem
• 5.1 The Lord’s Arrival in Jerusalem
• 5.2 Controversy with the Jewish Leaders
• 5.3 The Parables of Rejection and Warning
• 5.4 The Signs of the End of the Age
• The Events Leading up to the Lord’s Arrest
• 6.1 Preludes to the Passover
• 6.2 The Last Passover
• 6.3 Gethsemane
• The Climax
• 7.1 The Lord’s Trial
• 7.2 The Lord’s Crucifixion and Burial
• 7.3 The Lord’s Resurrection
• 7.4 The Lord’s Ascension and the Disciples’ Commission
• Appendix 1: The Kingdom of Heaven in the World
• Appendix 2: The Timing of the Lord’s Return
• Bibliography
• Also on the Gospels