1. The Synoptic Gospels & the Kingdom South Florida Bible College & Seminary © John Stevenson, 2009

3. Did the Old Testament see Kingdom of God as present or future?

4. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. (Psalm 45:6). Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Thy dominion endures throughout all generations. (Psalm 145:13).

5. Daniel 2:21-22 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

6. Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

8. Matthew 3:1-2 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

10. Matthew 6:9-13 Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'

11. What were the Jewish expectations of a kingdom in Christ’s day?

12. How did Jesus address those expectations?

13. Matthew 12:22-23 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”

14. Matthew 12:24-25 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” 25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

15. Matthew 12:26-27 “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges.”

16. Matthew 12:28-29 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”

17. Mark 4:33-34 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

19. Matthew 13:10-12 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

20. Answer the Following Questions: What is the “big idea” of the parable? The Kingdom is: The Kingdom is not: Matthew 13:3-8 The Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:24-30 The Parable of the Wheat & the Tares

21. Answer the Following Questions: What is the “big idea” of the parable? The Kingdom is: The Kingdom is not: Luke 13:6-9 The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree Luke 12:16-21 The Parable of the Rich Man’s Plans

22. Matthew 13:31-32 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

23. Matthew 13:33 He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

24. Luke 17:20-21 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

25. A Theology of the New Testament, George Eldon Ladd The early church found itself living in a tension between realization and experience  between “already” and “not yet.” (Pg. 368)

26. Answer the Following Questions: How does this parable relate to the previous chapter? What is the “big idea” of the parable? What does this parable tell us about the Kingdom? Matthew 20:1-16 The Parable of the Laborers