Vol. 30, No. 2, Spring Quarter, 2020. Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, kyle.elkins@bogardstore.org Business Manager: Dean Grigsby, dean.grigsby@bogardstore.org © 2020, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503-2928 www.bogardpress.org; 1-800-264-2482

Behold, He Cometh

Daily Devotionals

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Mark David Clements is senior pastor at New Liberty Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. He has been married to Jenny since 1996 and God has blessed them with four children: Noah, Mahlah, Nathan and Rhoda. Mark is a graduate of Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary, and he and his family were privileged to serve in the southern Philippines as missionaries for seven years. During these seven years, Mark served as an instructor and Dean of Students at Philippine Missionary Baptist Seminary and planted Grace Baptist Church. Mark is passionate about studying, teaching and preaching God’s Word and helping people experience transformed lives through faith in Christ. He may be contacted at mark@newliberty.com.

About the Writers 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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, March Scripture Readings ,

o February 24 Leviticus 19; Matthew 13:1-30o February 25 Leviticus 20; Matthew 13:31-58o February 26 Leviticus 21—24; Matthew 14:1-14o February 27 Leviticus 25—27; Matthew 14:15-36o February 28 Numbers 1; 2; Matthew 15:1-20o February 29 Numbers 3; Matthew 15:21-28o March 1 Numbers 4; Matthew 15:29-39o March 2 Numbers 5; 6; Matthew 16o March 3 Numbers 7; Matthew 17o March 4 Numbers 8; Matthew 18:1-14o March 5 Numbers 9; 10; Matthew 18:15-35o March 6 Numbers 11; 12; Matthew 19o March 7 Numbers 13; Matthew 20o March 8 Numbers 14; 15; Matthew 21:1-22o March 9 Numbers 16; Matthew 21:23-46o March 10 Numbers 17; 18; Matthew 22:1-22o March 11 Numbers 19; 20; Matthew 22:23-46o March 12 Numbers 21; 22; Matthew 23:1-19o March 13 Numbers 23; 24; Matthew 23:20-39o March 14 Numbers 25; 26; Matthew 24:1-26o March 15 Numbers 27—29; Matthew 24:27-51 o March 16 Numbers 30; 31; Matthew 25:1-30o March 17 Numbers 32; Matthew 25:31-46o March 18 Numbers 33; 34; Matthew 26:1-29o March 19 Numbers 35; 36; Matthew 26:30-56o March 20 Deuteronomy 1—3; Matthew 26:57-75o March 21 Deuteronomy 4—6; Matthew 27:1-44o March 22 Deuteronomy 7—9; Matthew 27:45—28:20o March 23 Deuteronomy 10; 11; Mark 1:1-20o March 24 Deuteronomy 12; 13; Mark 1:21-45o March 25 Deuteronomy 14; 15; Mark 2o March 26 Deuteronomy 16 —18; Mark 3o March 27 Deuteronomy 19; 20; Mark 4:1-20o March 28 Deuteronomy 21; 22; Mark 4:21-41o March 29 Deuteronomy 23; 24; Mark 5:1-20o March 30 Deuteronomy 25; 26; Mark 5:21-43o March 31 Deuteronomy 27; Mark 6:1-29

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Daniel’s Overview of HistoryDaniel 2:31-45

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in

pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever,” Daniel 2:44.

The background for our devotional passage is the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had about the great image. The king’s trusted advi-sors had failed to provide an interpretation of the dream, and Daniel had offered his services in the matter. As most of us know this prophecy concerned the nations who would eventually replace the Babylonian empire. This would have been tough for Daniel; being the bearer of bad tidings to any king of those times could result in the loss of one’s life. Being wrong could cost a person his life. History tells us, of course, that Daniel’s prophecy was correct. The Babylonians were replaced by the Persians, who were replaced by the Greeks, who in turn were replaced by the Roman empire. God’s prophecies never fail. In verse 44 of our passage, we see a promise of another kingdom which someday replaces all previous earthly ones, and that is the eternal kingdom of the Lord. This promise will stand just as all the other prophecies in this passage stood. Daniel was convinced that God’s words were true, and that empow-ered him to speak the truth in a difficult situation. This is a great example for believers to follow today. We can compare prophecy with history and know God’s words are still true and His promises still stand. Will we, then, speak the truth in difficult situations?

JUST A THOUGHTSometimes speaking the truth will put us in

uncomfortable situations; we need to understand that God will keep and protect us, so speak it anyway.

Wally Fry

Monday, February 24

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Daniel’s Prayer of RepentanceDaniel 9:4-27

“And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and

mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have

rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments,” Daniel 9:4, 5.

As time grows closer each day to when our Lord chooses to return and make everything right again, we can see some things which apply to us today. Fulfilled prophecies from the book of Daniel should give us the assurance that the promises from God for the return of His Son are true; other things we see in this book should give us pause to think. Daniel’s prayer for the people is one of those things. Daniel recited a list of the sins of the people and confessed to God their guilt in these matters. All these things were the reason why Israel and Judah had been carried away into captivity in the first place. It seems the repentance and confession of Daniel on behalf of the people were seen as real by God because later in the passage, God lays out the timeline for the return of the nation to its homeland, and ultimately, the appearance of the promised Messiah. God’s promises are not always for good. Back before the captivity, He had also promised, then delivered, judgment for the sins of the people. Today, that may be us. What do we see today? “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments” (verse 5). This statement could describe our own nation today. Maybe we should be praying this very prayer, before the judgment comes.

JUST A THOUGHTGod always comes through on His

promises, whether they be for blessing or cursing.

Wally Fry

Tuesday, February 25

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The Promise of Christ’s ReturnJohn 14:1-11

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also,” John 14:1-3.

This passage is one of the most comforting passages in all of God’s Word. In the culture of the time when this was written, those listening to Jesus would have gotten this reference quickly. Upon a betrothal to a young lady, the betrothed groom would return to his father’s house and begin preparations to live in marriage with his bride. Then, when the house was ready, the groom would come for his bride with great fanfare and celebration to reclaim her as his own. They would have a huge wedding celebration, and he would live with her from that point forward in the place he prepared. As we work our way through the prophetic books, we see the clear fact that God’s promises have come to pass; this one will as well. Jesus clearly pictures Himself as the Groom making a place ready for the day He claims His bride. One day, our eternal home will be ready, and our Groom will come back to claim us. Then, as well, there will be great fanfare, a great celebration, and we will be with our Groom for eternity. There is another thing that would have been happening during this betrothal period; a bride would be making herself ready. She would make herself beautiful and keep herself pure for her groom. Our Groom expects that of us as well. Are we staying faithful, making ourselves ready, and staying pure as we wait for our Groom’s return?

JUST A THOUGHTWhen the Bridegroom comes, will we

be ready or will we be caught unprepared?

Wally Fry

Wednesday, February 26

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The First Jezebel1 Kings 16:29-33; 19:1-18

“Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger

unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time,” 1 Kings 19:1, 2.

Jezebel in Revelation is representative of false religion and idola-tors who attempt to seduce believers away from God through pleasure, and her symbolism is based upon the literal Jezebel of Tyre found in today’s text. King Ahab did more to provoke God to anger than any of the kings of Israel who came before him (1 Kings 16:33), and the high-light of his provocation was his marriage to Jezebel, who proved to be an evil, malicious idolator. When Ahab complained about Elijah, Jezebel made a vow to put him to death with the sword as soon as possible. This threat forced Elijah to flee in fear, and sent him into deep despair. Elijah began to doubt the future of true worship of Jehovah since he seemed to be one of the few true worshipers left. God revealed to Elijah that there were seven thousand men who still worshiped Jehovah (1 Kings 19:18). Jezebel’s goal was to destroy true Jehovah worship and worshipers. If she could not kill Elijah, she would be happy with sending him into exile, rendering his ministry useless as he wrestled with despair. What Jezebel did not consider was that God would sustain His prophet and His presence on earth. Demonic forces and false religions work through idolatry to delegitimize Christians and their faith. Do not be overcome by fear. No matter how many may be against you, God will sustain His children.

JUST A THOUGHTNo enemy can tarnish God’s glory.

Mark Clements

Monday, March 30

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The Sin of Ahab and Jezebel1 Kings 21:1-16

“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of

Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it,” 1 Kings 21:16.

Ahab’s heart was rebellious toward God, and he sought to establish himself as supreme rather than allowing God Himself to govern and bless the land. Ahab’s desire to transform Israel to appear like other nations led him to ask Naboth to sell him his vineyard so he could cultivate a vegetable garden. This desire of Ahab’s is symbolic. He has deserted God’s care in providing a vineyard and attempted instead to cultivate his own garden, akin to Egypt’s customs. As much as Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard, Naboth refused to sell since it was the lone inheritance in his family, so Ahab became despondent. Jezebel would not stand for a meek husband or have her power grab thwarted by a simple citizen, so she crafted a plan in which Naboth would be accused of blasphemy and executed as a criminal, which would allow the king to confiscate the land. The plan was executed as she desired, Naboth was killed, and Ahab took possession of his vineyard. It is not a sin to grow a garden, or even to offer to purchase prop-erty on which to grow a garden. The sin of Ahab and Jezebel in this episode began with outright dismissiveness of the sovereignty and glory of Jehovah. They were not content with a theocracy, but wanted all the power for themselves. Once this idolatrous root was established in their hearts, it should be no surprise that they would be capable of injustice, conspiracies, deception, malice and even murder. Once a heart is wholly given to idolatry, there is no extent to which evil will go.

JUST A THOUGHTDeserting God destroys lives.

Mark Clements

Tuesday, March 31

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The Prophecy of Elijah to Ahab1 Kings 21:17-29

“Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days:

but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house,” 1 Kings 21:29.

After Ahab and Jezebel conspired to have Naboth executed in order to assume his vineyard, God ordered Elijah to pay Ahab a visit. Elijah was instructed to prophesy the certain, gruesome death of Ahab, Jezebel, and anyone belonging to them, since they had acted so mali-ciously against the Lord. Once Ahab understood the judgment of God had fallen upon him, he immediately tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted in deep repentance. He took the Lord’s Word seriously and allowed the judgment to bring him to personal humility and sorrow, which the Lord noticed. God pointed out Ahab’s repentance to Elijah and informed him that, since Ahab responded with a contrite heart at being confronted with his sin, God would not bring the prophesied judgment upon him while he lived. Remember, there had been no king in Israel who did more evil than Ahab (1 Kings 16:30, 33). Amazingly, however, God pardoned Ahab when he demonstrated genuine sorrow and repentance because of his sin. This should be a good reminder for every child of God, that we have been recipients of God’s mercy and forgiveness. This blessing in our own lives should affect how we view others. Elijah may not have agreed with God granting mercy to Ahab, but it was not Elijah’s decision to make. We may encounter people who seem to be deserving of judgment, but if God can forgive a repentant person, no matter how evil, then we should never withhold compassion from anyone. God did not give up on us, so we should not give up on others.

JUST A THOUGHTGod’s mercy is extravagant.

Mark Clements

Wednesday, April 1

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Isaiah’s Vision of GodIsaiah 6:1-8

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple,” Isaiah 6:1.

Isaiah’s name means the salvation of Jehovah, and is exempli-fied by His never tiring boldness to preach to his fellow Hebrews the message of salvation from God through the Messiah. Isaiah volunteered to go to his own people with God’s message because of his encounter with God in this vision. Isaiah saw God as majestic, honorable and worthy of worship and praise, as well as his desire to be obedient. He had a life changing encounter with God; oh, that we do as well! While Isaiah’s visionary encounter with the Lord was particular to Isaiah, there is no doubt that we too need to see God as Isaiah did, if for no other reason than to jump-start our stagnant Christian life. Need proof ? Look back on yesterday’s church attendance, worship service, Sunday School attendance where you are a member. Was it well attended? Were people excited to worship God? Did the Sunday School lesson challenge you? Did the sermon stir you to see God as worthy of worship, sin as a hindrance in your fellowship with Him? Did it illuminate your spiritual needs, and encourage you to be bolder in sharing your salvation story or inviting your friends and family to worship with you? If one or all of these did not occur, then most likely a visionary encounter with God is missing. I pray that you will be moved to see God as Isaiah saw Him.

REFLECTION“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am

undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for

mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

Beverly Barnett

Monday, April 27

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Ezekiel’s Vision of GodEzekiel 1:26-28

“And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the

throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it,” Ezekiel 1:26.

Ezekiel was amazed as he saw this vision of God, and all that surrounded God. We cannot fathom the beauty and majesty that Heaven holds. But, now and then we get glimpses of Heaven, scattered throughout the Bible. Many of the prophets describe Heaven in vivid pictures but, not necessarily in colors. We might lose our grip on earth if we actually knew the true beauty of Heaven. My hobby while we ministered in Thailand was learning about gemstones. While diamonds are the hardest stone; the next hardest gemstones are sapphires and rubies. Sapphires and rubies are equal in hardness but differ in color and are formed from the mineral Corundum. If the stone contains chromium then the color is red thus it is called a Ruby. Sapphire, my birthstone, comes in different colors other than blue; such as: yellow, pink, dark blue, purple or greenish-blue and stars, according to the mineral that influences the color. I have yellow, green and blue Sapphires, and they are equally beautiful. While we cannot be sure of the color of the throne that Ezekiel saw, we know that it is beyond anything he had ever seen. However, I imagine that Ezekiel’s heart was pounding as he rubbed his eyes to focus them again to see if what he was seeing was what he was really seeing. I do know this, God is great and greatly to be praised!

REFLECTIONGod’s gift to us is that He shared the same precious stones in His creation that are found in the decoration of Heaven.

Beverly Barnett

Tuesday, April 28

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Daniel’s Vision of GodDaniel 7:9-14

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire,” Daniel 7:9.

Daniel’s vision of God, the everlasting Father, is as a righteous judge. Both the white garment and the white hair symbolize the judi-cial purity of a judge, and of all the things around God. (See Revelation 1:14.) And like the other visionary prophets, Daniel’s vision was just as awesome. As space allows, let us look back over the last few days at these visions of God’s men in comparison. First, Isaiah had a God-stirred burden for his people. As Proverbs 29:18 reminds us “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Isaiah’s vision of God was the beginning of his surrender to go to his people, and serve God courageously under several kings and numerous wars. Israel’s disobedience and idolatry resulted in invasions and wars with other nations. Isaiah was there to encourage them to return to God, obey and worship Him only. Next, Ezekiel’s ministry began in the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity (594 BC) by Babylon on the riverbank of Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1, 2). His ministry lasted twenty-three years, all of which was during captivity. God blessed Ezekiel with several visions, many of which pertain to the end times. God also showed Ezekiel the abomination that Israel did in secret. (See Ezekiel 8.) Finally, we look back to Daniel, also a captive of Babylon. Daniel, a young, brave, intelligent, bilingual follower of God grew up as a servant of a foreign king. God used him greatly, not only to keep a nation in turmoil focused on God, but, even to remind us to follow God wherever we are even if it is not the place of our choosing.

REFLECTIONAs the nation moves farther away from

God, it must not lose its focus. “God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Beverly Barnett

Wednesday, April 29