Vol. 30, No. 1, Winter Quarter, 2019. Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, kyle.elkins@bogardstore.org Business Manager: Dean Grigsby, dean.grigsby@bogardstore.org © 2019, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503-2928 www.bogardpress.org; 1-800-264-2482

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

DAILY D E V O T I O N A L S

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About the Writers

Dr. Robert A. “Sunny” Brock was born April 15, 1941, to an oil field hand dad and child polio victim mother. He was raised by five old country Irish uncles and was first prize winner of the National Interscholastic League Story Telling Contest. He served nine years as a US Air Force chaplain’s assistant during the Vietnam War era. He attended Baylor University, University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii. He received his Master’s in education from Sam Houston State University and ThD from Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary. Sunny taught eighth grade earth science and vocational

agriculture and also taught women prisoners at Huntsville, TX. He has thirty-eight years of teaching and has tenure at Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary. Dr. Brock has authored articles for newspapers, religious journals and textbooks—Romans—The Fifth Gospel, Teaching Methods for Bible Teachers, Developmental Psychology, Research and Writing Manual for Master and Doctoral Thesis, Bible Backgrounds, Discipleship and Interpretation of the English Bible, Criterion Press. Book credits include Salt Lick Vol. I and Vol. II, Exlibris Press, Turkey Mountain Boys: My Brother’s Keeper, Tate Publishing, OK. He may be contacted at BobBrock@juno.com.

Wally Fry was born in 1962 in Memphis, TN. Shortly thereafter he and his parents moved to Little Rock, AR, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies. He served seven years active duty in the U.S. Army as a commissioned officer, leaving in 1993 to pursue other career options. He has lived in Arkansas, Texas, Utah and Wyoming in this country; he lived in Germany three years and a short tour in Saudi Arabia. He finally returned home to Arkansas in 2001. After forty-five years as a strident nonbeliever, Wally was saved in May of 2007 during preaching at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church

in Star City, Arkansas, where his membership has been since. He has completed the Faith Bible Institute three year remote Bible study program and loves to read and study. He currently teaches on the rotation for adult Sunday School class and BTC for the young teens. Wally is married to Heather Fry, who was responsible for him being in Bethlehem church in the first place. He has two grown children, a granddaughter and two stepchildren belonging to his wife Heather. As an almost lifelong nonbeliever, Wally is passionate now about reaching those who are lost and teaching the saved how to understand what they believe so that they can also take the gospel into a lost and dying world.

Beverly Barnett grew up in a Missionary Baptist deacon’s home, was saved at the age of nine and joined Hatley MBC, Hatley, MS. She married Nicky Barnett in 1971. Bro. Barnett has pastored in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida for the past twenty-eight years. In each of Brother Barnett’s pastorates, Beverly has taught children in Sunday School or children’s church. Beverly returned to school in 1985 and graduated with honors as a LPN. In 1991, she graduated from Northwest Alabama Community College with an associate degree and became a registered nurse. She

has been a guest writer for “Women of the Harvest” magazine, her hometown newspaper and writes a monthly newsletter. She continues to study the art of writing. She may be contacted at nanb542000@yahoo.com.

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, December Scripture Readings ,

o November 25 Jeremiah 1—6; 1 John 1 o November 26 Jeremiah 7—10; 1 John 2:1-14 o November 27 Jeremiah 11—14; 1 John 2:15-29o November 28 Jeremiah 15—18; 1 John 3:1-10o November 29 Jeremiah 19—22; 1 John 3:11-24o November 30 Jeremiah 23—30; 1 John 4o December 1 Jeremiah 31—34; 1 John 5o December 2 Jeremiah 35—39; 2 Johno December 3 Jeremiah 40—45; 3 Johno December 4 Jeremiah 46—50; Judeo December 5 Jeremiah 51; 52; Revelation 1o December 6 Lamentations; Revelation 2:1-17o December 7 Ezekiel 1—6; Revelation 2:18-29o December 8 Ezekiel 7—12; Revelation 3o December 9 Ezekiel 13—20; Revelation 4o December 10 Ezekiel 21—27; Revelation 5o December 11 Ezekiel 28—33; Revelation 6o December 12 Ezekiel 34—40; Revelation 7o December 13 Ezekiel 41—48; Revelation 8o December 14 Daniel 1—4; Revelation 9o December 15 Daniel 5—8; Revelation 10o December 16 Daniel 9—12; Revelation 11o December 17 Hosea 1—4; Revelation 12o December 18 Hosea 5—8; Revelation 13 o December 19 Hosea 9—12; Revelation 14o December 20 Hosea 13; 14; Revelation 15o December 21 Joel; Revelation 16o December 22 Amos 1—5; Revelation 17o December 23 Amos 6—9; Revelation 18:1-12o December 24 Obadiah; Revelation 18:13-24o December 25 Jonah; Revelation 19 o December 26 Micah; Revelation 20o December 27 Nahum; Habakkuko December 28 Zephaniah; Haggaio December 29 Zechariah 1—10; Revelation 21:1-12o December 30 Zechariah 11—14; Revelation 21:13-27o December 31 Malachi 1—4; Revelation 22

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, January Scripture Readings ,

o January 1 Genesis 1; 2; John 1:1-27

o January 2 Genesis 3; 4; John 1:28-51

o January 3 Genesis 5—7; John 2

o January 4 Genesis 8; 9; John 3

o January 5 Genesis 10; 11; John 4:1-27

o January 6 Genesis 12; 13; John 4:28-54

o January 7 Genesis 14; 15; John 5:1-27

o January 8 Genesis 16—18; John 5:28-47

o January 9 Genesis 19; John 6:1-21

o January 10 Genesis 20; 21; John 6:22-40

o January 11 Genesis 22; 23; John 6:41-71

o January 12 Genesis 24; John 7:1-29

o January 13 Genesis 25; 26; John 7:30-53

o January 14 Genesis 27; 28; John 8:1-27

o January 15 Genesis 29; 30; John 8:28-59

o January 16 Genesis 31; John 9:1-18

o January 17 Genesis 32; 33; John 9:19-41

o January 18 Genesis 34—36; John 10:1-21

o January 19 Genesis 37; 38; John 10:22-42

o January 20 Genesis 39; 40; John 11:1-27

o January 21 Genesis 41; John 11:28-57

o January 22 Genesis 42; 43; John 12:1-25

o January 23 Genesis 44—46; John 12:26-50

o January 24 Genesis 47; 48; John 13:1-20

o January 25 Genesis 49; 50; John 13:21-38

o January 26 Exodus 1; 2; John 14

o January 27 Exodus 3; 4; John 15

o January 28 Exodus 5; 6; John 16

o January 29 Exodus 7; 8; John 17

o January 30 Exodus 9; 10; John 18:1-18

o January 31 Exodus 11; 12; John 18:19-40

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, February Scripture Readings ,

o February 1 Exodus 13; 14; John 19:1-20

o February 2 Exodus 15; 16; John 19:21-42

o February 3 Exodus 17; 18; John 20

o February 4 Exodus 19; 20; John 21

o February 5 Exodus 21; 22; Matthew 1

o February 6 Exodus 23; Matthew 2

o February 7 Exodus 24; 25; Matthew 3

o February 8 Exodus 26; 27; Matthew 4

o February 9 Exodus 28; 29; Matthew 5:1-30

o February 10 Exodus 30; 31; Matthew 5:31-48

o February 11 Exodus 32; 33; Matthew 6:1-24

o February 12 Exodus 34—36; Matthew 6:25-34

o February 13 Exodus 37; 38; Matthew 7:1-14

o February 14 Exodus 39; 40; Matthew 7:15- 29

o February 15 Leviticus 1; 2; Matthew 8:1-13

o February 16 Leviticus 3; 4; Matthew 8:14-34

o February 17 Leviticus 5; 6; Matthew 9:1-26

o February 18 Leviticus 7; Matthew 9:27-38

o February 19 Leviticus 8; 9; Matthew 10:1-17

o February 20 Leviticus 10; 11; Matthew 10:18-42

o February 21 Leviticus 12—14; Matthew 11

o February 22 Leviticus 15; 16; Matthew 12:1-30

o February 23 Leviticus 17; 18; Matthew 12:31-50

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The Shepherds of IsraelEzekiel 34:1-10

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” Ezekiel 34:2.

If we look around at those leading us, we can easily become alarmed. This is certainly true of our political leaders, but it is even true of our religious leaders. False teachers, men and women looking to make a dollar, and priests and prophets of false religions are every-where. They write books and have TV shows; some even have their own TV networks. Those who are part of the true New Testament churches of Jesus Christ should be alarmed. Nothing has changed. In the pre-exile days in Israel, the same kind of leaders existed and were steering the people in some wrong direc-tions. Rather than feeding the flocks they were given to care for, they were fleecing their sheep for their own selfish gain. Because the shepherds do not care for the sheep, the sheep suffer. They are not fed, and they become easy prey for the wild animals, who could pluck them away one by one. Today, false shepherds are not feeding church flocks, and many are being snatched away. What are we to do? God tells us: “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand” Ezekiel 34:10. The answer to the question is this: we do what God calls each of us to do. He is watching, and He is working this to the end that best secures His will. He did not turn His back then, and He will not turn it on us now.

JUST A THOUGHTWe should concern ourselves with God’s calling

in our lives and let Him take care of everybody else.

Wally Fry

Monday, November 25

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God’s Care for His FlockEzekiel 34:14-22

“And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers,

and in all the inhabited places of the country. Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle,” Ezekiel 34:13, 22.

Sometimes the world can be an unfriendly place for Christians. While in this country we may not physically be persecuted or killed, that is not the case in other places. Even in our own country, the environment becomes less friendly with each passing day; the days of outright hostility may not be too far into the future. Our leaders now, as then, are seemingly not going to protect us from the ravening heathen wolves. In verse 13 from our reading, God made a promise to his people; He promised to physically gather them up and return them to their homeland. He had done this through the rebirth of the nation of Israel. God keeps all the promises He makes. While the promises in this specific sense applied to the Jewish people of that time, every syllable of His Word has an application for us today; this one is no different. What is the promise for us today? Someday, God is going to straighten out this mess we have made of His creation. He will gather His people from every corner of creation, from all the centuries. He will sort those who chose to follow him from those who rejected Him. Then, all things will be made new and perfect, and will be that way through eternity. When you feel discouraged by the things going on around you, hold on to that promise, and you will be encouraged.

JUST A THOUGHTSomeday, if you have been saved, you

will be set free from the very presence of sin.

Wally Fry

Tuesday, November 26

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Ezekiel Sees into HeavenEzekiel 1:1-28

“As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This

was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake,” Ezekiel 1:28.

We can imagine many things in our minds. Most of the things we might imagine have a basis of reality on which we base the imagina-tion. Perhaps, we have done that thing; maybe, we have read about that thing. Heaven, on the other hand, is so far beyond our imagina-tion that we cannot accurately imagine it. Here, we see the prophet Ezekiel being given a glimpse into the glories of Heaven. We cannot really break down all the particulars of the vision he saw here, so we will cover quickly what seems important. This is the first appearance we see in the book of Ezekiel of the glory of God. The glory of God is not all we read in the book; we also read of the rebellion and sinfulness of the people of Israel. The contrast between the two is stark, and it seems the two would not be able to be reconciled. Ezekiel’s reaction is telling, when he saw it, he fell on his face. Everything in God’s Word points to one thing, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Later, in God’s Word, we see another man having an encounter with the Lord Jesus Himself, and his reaction was the same as the prophet’s; John fell at His feet as if he were dead. Jesus has closed the gap between God’s glory and human sin we see so starkly described in our reading. Are we partakers in the recon-ciliation, or is the gap still between us and Him?

JUST A THOUGHTThe gulf between lost humanity and a

Holy God can only be bridged by Jesus Christ.

Wally Fry

Wednesday, November 27

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Called To Be a ProphetEzekiel 2:1—3:27

“And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my

feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they

and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day,” Ezekiel 2:1-3.

God was calling Ezekiel to a difficult mission. He was to preach sin, repentance and restoration to a difficult and hard-hearted people. The people were reveling in their sin, loved their sin and had little interest in hearing the prophet’s message. As we have said before here, nothing ever changes; truly there is nothing new under the sun. Sin, rebellion and hard-heartedness runs rampant in our world today; the similarities between us now and the people of Israel are worth considering. While this was specifically for the Israelites, there is also an application for us. Today, others are being called to perform a mission like Ezekiel’s. Men are being called to preach, believers are being called to teach and we are all being called to proclaim the gospel message to a lost and dying world. We face people like those Ezekiel faced then. So, we just need to buck up, draw on our own strength and get to it, right? Of course, that is not right! Ezekiel tells us that when God spoke, “the spirit entered into me” (verse 2). God never calls a person to serve without empowering him to serve. Ezekiel was given one of the specific fillings of the Holy Spirit so common in the Old Testament. We do not get that, because we do not need it. We do not need it, because our indwelling by the Holy Spirit at our salvation is forever. We are always empowered with the God-given ability to proclaim His message.

JUST A THOUGHTGod never calls anyone to a mission they are

not equipped to handle, because He does the equipping.

Wally Fry

Thursday, November 28

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The Figure of a SiegeEzekiel 4:1-17

“For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days:

so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the

house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year,” Ezekiel 4:5, 6.

Many people have seen different videos put together by state police agencies that are designed to prevent certain types of unsafe driving. Basically, the videos show wrecks caused by unsafe driving. These videos are quite graphic and designed to wake people up. They do not do a thing to prevent any accidents but are designed to make people think about unsafe driving habits and act appropriately. The symbolism contained in much of Ezekiel can be cumbersome to say the least. Here, the prophet was describing the judgments that were coming to the rebellious Israelites. When God informed the prophet that He would lay the iniquity of the people of Israel on Ezekiel, He was not saying Ezekiel would pay the price for them; His intention here was to simply illustrate to the Israelites the judgments that were coming because of their rebellion. On the other hand, we do have One upon whose account our iniqui-ties are laid; that, of course is the Lord Jesus Christ. No amount of good works, obedience or sacrifice by us will ever pay the price under the covenant of the New Testament. Jesus was the payment God required, and He paid the payment in full. God’s grace paid it; and our faith makes us recipients of that payment.

JUST A THOUGHTWe sure like to judge the Old Testament believers

for constantly abandoning God. Yet, we are no better. However, despite ourselves, God never abandons us.

Wally Fry

Friday, November 29

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The Figure of the RazorEzekiel 5:1-17

“And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then

take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and

thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them,” Ezekiel 5:1, 2.

In our passage, the prophet was instructed to use his own beard as an illustration of coming judgment. By dividing his beard into thirds, he illustrated the fate awaiting the people. A third of the people would die in famine and disease, and a third would die as a result of war. The remaining third would be scattered and persecuted. This passage is truly a grim example of the righteous anger and judgment of God. Many who doubt use narratives such as this to paint God as an angry, petulant and vengeful monster. What kind of loving God, after all, would treat His creation this way? Look back to the opening words of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). We are talking about the God who spoke the universe into existence. It belongs to Him, and He has every right to do with it as He wishes. This is a tough word, but God is fully entitled and even bound by His own holy nature to exer-cise judgment on His creation if that creation is willful, rebellious and sinful. The people of Israel had been willful, rebellious and sinful; they were facing judgment because of that. Here is another tough word; due to our own nature and desires we are also willful, rebellious and sinful. We also face judgment, but we do not have to. Jesus faced and took that judgment upon Himself if we only repent and believe.

JUST A THOUGHTThe days of sacrifice for the atonement of sin are gone, because the only sacrifice needed has been offered, the Man Jesus Christ.

Wally Fry

Saturday, November 30

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Wally Fry

The Good ShepherdJohn 10:14-18

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know

I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again,” John 10:14, 15, 17.

As we have read through Ezekiel this week, the idea of the shepherd has been a theme, and the concept of the people being the flock of the shepherds. Israel had had several bad shepherds, and the people had strayed from God. Multiple prophets had preached messages of repentance, but the people had ignored them all; the people were sadly going to be judged and judged harshly. God also made many promises to the people of Israel. One of them was the promise that His chosen people would be scattered, but He promised that He would regather them. This happened when the people returned to their land after the captivity. It also occurred when the Jews from all the world were gathered back again and the nation of Israel was reborn in our own times. God keeps His promises. Israel was promised a Good Shepherd by God through the prophet Ezekiel. “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23). Not only was this a promise to Israel, but a foretelling of our own Shepherd from the lineage of David; that, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. In His role of Shepherd, He made the ultimate sacrifice by dying in our place. Our Shepherd did not stay dead, however, but returned to life, therefore, giving us new life as well. New life that is, to those who believe. Do you?

JUST A THOUGHTJesus gave Himself to save you. If He

has saved you, have you given your life to Him?

Sunday, December 1