This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark
Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,
County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he
continues teaching through God's Word.
When we skip into Revelation now and we start reading about
what's happening in Chapter 9, sometimes you might be here or
you might be in a church and you're saying.
Man, this God sounds so terrible and so angry and so impatient,
so unloving. Why would anybody want to know
him? Let's catch up in time.
This is. Around the corner I.
Believe, but there's been 2000 years of God's patience before
these things begin to be poured out in the human race.
A quick read of the Book of Revelation might give you the
wrong idea of the God that we serve.
In fact, many people have called him cruel and vindictive.
As we just heard from Pastor Clark, that's the farthest thing
from the truth. First, the events in Revelation
haven't happened yet. And second, God has provided
over 2000 years for people to respond.
So while the end times will be a horrific time here on earth, we
know that God has extended His love, grace, and mercy for those
who wish to receive it now. Here's Pastor Clark in
Revelation Chapter 9 with today's edition of Living Waters
of Grace. As we study this Book of
Revelation, I don't know about you, but as a pastor, I'm
responsible to be in the Word all the time when we all are.
We all are responsible to be in the Word all the time.
But I knew when I wasn't a pastor, I wasn't in the word as
much as I am, that I am a pastor because of the busyness of life.
And, and I was thinking this morning as I got up that
whenever we teach these things, I'm coming at them from maybe a
different perspective than you, because you've been busy all
week. You've been thinking about a lot
of things. And and here I come at times
with such. Intensity or passion?
About what the Bible's teaching or what?
It's saying because I've had to pray.
About it all week I've had to think about it it's in my heart
it's in my conscience and you guys might be at times like whoa
like back up a little bit you know, why are you so excited
about this or why is why are you so passionate about this but.
The Lord is serious about His word.
And everything it says. Is a for every one of us, for
the whole human. Race.
And whenever we think about the judgments of God in the.
Book of Revelation. They can seem very harsh if
you're not thinking about it. Why would God be so angry with
the human race? Why is God so patient with the
human race? Why is he so loving and so
merciful and at the same time angry at times and so?
I'd like to sort of think about that for a minute.
This is a precursor before the study and if you want.
You can flip over in your Bible, just hold where you are in.
Revelation go to Romans. Chapter 1 for a minute.
Romans chapter one, verse 18 Well, Paul starts out in. 16 He
says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the
Jew 1st and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to face as it is written, the just
shall live by faith. Now this is where.
It gets intense. For the wrath.
Of God meaning the anger of God. Is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
suppress the truth and unrighteousness, because what
may be known of God is manifested in them, for God has
shown it to them. For since the creation of the
world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power
and Godhead, so they are without.
Excuse. So the whole human race,
everybody, you know, they can tell you they don't believe or
they don't think there's a God. They can give you all kind of
smoke and mirror type answers, but every one of them know in
their conscience that there is a God that they're accountable to.
When you were an unbeliever, and I was an unbeliever, I had
conscience and conviction and guilt for the way I lived.
I knew that I was a Sinner, but I didn't want to have to deal
with the consequences of that. I tried to stuff that, push it
out of my mind so I could continually do things that I
knew I shouldn't do. And that's what compels God.
For this. Kind of heart.
He's so broken. He's given everybody the
opportunity. To understand that he exists and
He wants us all to come to Him. He's not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But so few come to repentance. The Bible says the road is
narrow that leads to life, right Broad is a road that leads to
destruction. So there are few interested in
repenting and responding to his. Grace and His love.
And so because although they knew God in verse 21, they did
not. Glorify him as God.
Nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and
their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the
glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like
corruptible man and birds, and four footed animals and creeping
things idolatry. Therefore, God also gave them up
to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their
bodies. Among themselves.
Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vow passions.
For even their women exchanged the natural use for which for
what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving
the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one
another. Men with men committing,
committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves a
penalty of their error which was due, And even as they did not
like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to
a debase mind to do the things which are not fitting.
Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual
immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness,
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, They
are whispers back brighters, haters of God, violent, proud
boasters, inventors of evil things.
Disobedient to parents. Undiscerning.
Untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who
knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice.
Such things are deserving. Of death not only do the same,
but also approve of those who practice.
Them. So you have the whole human race
in cosmic treason against the God of the universe.
God shows his love. He manifests His patience, his
mercy to every human being, the whole human race.
And we're like this, shaking our fists at Him.
We don't want you to reign over us.
We don't want you to roll over us.
We don't want to hear what you have to say.
A matter of fact, 2000 years ago, the majority of people had
a plan to crucify him, which they did.
They figured if we could kill Jesus and get rid of him, we
never have to hear what he has to say again.
Can't kill God, can you? Jesus rises from raises from the
dead three days later, proclaiming the message to his
witnesses, his disciples as apostles.
That's us telling us to continually go out and tell the
world. And preach the gospel to every
living creature. So.
The message we have? When we go through.
Revelation, we don't sit. Here like self-righteous people
and say these people, they, they deserve it.
Lord, come and get them. You know they're no good and
they're this and that. By the grace of God, that's us,
right? It's only his mercy.
So what we do now, we want to go and tell people, as Paul said in
Corinthians, that God is not angry right now in the sense of
pouring out his wrath at this moment.
But there's a time period of his patience and his mercy.
And Paul says he begged people to be reconciled to God today.
Let God show you his love, let him bring you back into right
relationship with him and be forgiven.
This is good news. This is a good news of gospel.
So we can go out and and you know, most people are used to
hearing people saying. Hey, God's really angry at.
You and you better repent, turn or burn, all that kind of stuff.
And an aspect of element of truth, those things are real.
But the hope we have right now is that for God so loved this
world right now that he gave his only Son.
So there's mercy and grace so we can go to people and say we have
good news. God isn't angry with you.
Because most people think God hates them and that's why they
don't want to have anything to do with them.
They got a twisted mind. The devil tells them about a God
who doesn't exist, a God in the figment of people's minds.
And so we go and tell people there's good news.
God loves you and he's not angry with you.
That's a good way to start a witness, right?
Lots of times we don't think about that right away.
We're on their case. You realize you're a Sinner and
they're thinking like, well, they mustn't think they're
sinners. They're telling me they're
Sinner. We're sinners, but they think
they're holy rollers, right? I mean, that's how people think.
We were out in the neighborhood. This week using the all the
tracks on the table back there from the.
Agents for Christ who were here. And this is $1,000,000 question.
You know, it's, it looks like real money.
People get excited when you give it to them.
And then you read it and it says like, you know, if you would die
today, where would you go? Would you go to be with God or
not? And most people say, well,
that's $1,000,000 question. I, you know, I guess only God
knows that, you know, well, how would you like to know that you
can know where you're going? And then you start in with the
mercy of God, the fact that God's forgiving, that we're all
sinners. And you include yourself in that
when you're talking to the people, when we.
Skip into Revelation. Now we start reading about
what's happening in Chapter 9. Sometimes you might be here, or
you. Might be in a.
Church and you're saying? Man, this God sounds so terrible
and so angry and so impatient, so unloving.
Why would anybody want to know him?
Let's catch up in time. This is around the corner, I
believe. But there's been 2000 years of
God's patience before these things begin to be poured out in
the human race. That's a God of incredible love
and patience. We wouldn't have that kind of
patience with people. As soon as someone cuts us off
in traffic, we're shaking at them, you know, and shaking our
fists and using sign language sometimes that we shouldn't be
using and you know. And we're we're.
Unmerciful we're. Not patient.
We're not gracious. Right.
Someone does something to us to to embetter us right away.
We cop an attitude and have a wall up and don't want to have
anything to do with certain. People the rest of our life.
Because of some miniscule thing they've done to.
Us, and here we are, like these. People in Romans.
All the things that Paul declared that the.
Human heart was like. I know exists in me and exists
in you because we're human. Beings and so now.
We we catch up with these judgments in Revelation Chapter
9 and I'm just going to read this chapter and then we'll
catch up in 13 where we left off last week.
Verse one. Then the 5th Angel sounded, and
this is the trumpet. Judgments coming now the. 7 seal
judgments have already transpired.
We're into the trumpet judgments now.
The next. Judgments will be the bowls of
wrath. The.
Judgments are getting increasingly.
More intense and more violent. In the sense of trying to get
the human race to still repent, there's still time, even in the
midst of the tribulation, the people who are left.
Here on earth during the tribulation, God is still
working these things out in order for them to finally look
up and say I give up, I know I need you Lord.
And he says, I saw a star fall from heaven and the earth to him
was given the key to the bottomless pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit and smoke rose out of the pit
like the smoke of a great furnace.
So in the. Core of the earth somewhere.
All the demons that fell, all the angels that fell from the
throne and the Kingdom prior to creation.
Are in a holding. Pattern they're locked up until
this day of judgment. They can't wait to get out and
and raise literal. Hell in the face.
Of the Earth havoc. And so this person who is given
the key to open this pit and keep in mind that God has the
whole universe under control it. Isn't that the devil's winning
today and God might win? Tomorrow.
And there's this. Tension back and forth.
God is sovereign. He's already accomplished.
His purpose When Christ said it is finished, it is finished.
The Bible says in Colossians that the power of Satan was
deactivated. In the sense of what?
Christ did at the. Cross.
But the enemy. Still has capabilities.
That's why it tells us in Ephesians we're not wrestling
against flesh and blood, but against principalities and.
Powers the rulers of darkness. The angelic demonic beings who
aren't in the. Abyss who are out.
Flying around trying to. Create havoc in the.
World the demonic activity that is going on.
Principalities and powers. The rulers of darkness and that
dimension. That we can't see, but it's
real. But then he's going to let these
other ones out of this pit. Some people wonder what who is
this? A fallen Angel is a Satan
certainly isn't the emissary of the the Most High God.
God you know allows the evil ones that do their work.
He doesn't sanction. It but he allows it.
He doesn't create it. He doesn't start it.
But you know, the mystery of life is that we have a free
will. Some people say why didn't God
just create us perfect? Well, in a way he did.
Before the fall, he. Created this.
Immortal with a nature. That was pure and.
We were creating the likeness and image of God, but God.
Didn't create robots. He wanted to create people who
would truly love him and want to follow him for who he is.
That's the mystery. And so Adam and Eve decide to
make the wrong choice. And because of that, the whole.
Human race has fallen into the condition that it is today, and
yet God in His mercy had. Planned even before the earth
was created, knowing that we were going to do that, that he
would send Jesus to die for us, to restore us back to the place
that we were before the fall. And you might say, well, why did
he create Satan or why is there a choice?
I don't know about you, but I'm glad that God has given me a
will and a choice because. Every day I make.
Decisions. I'm glad that I chose Cindy
Alexander 39 years ago to be my wife.
I'm glad that I had a free will to find the woman that God had
for me in this life and the special No one other.
No other woman but her for me, and me for her choosing where I
want to live. Where I want to.
Worship choosing what I want to do with my resources, choosing
what type of work I want to have a choosing how I want to spend
my days with my kids and my grandkids.
I mean, when you think about the privilege, think if you had none
of that and every day you just got up and.
You heard this voice. You're going to do this whether
you like it or not. I mean, what kind of life would
that be? That would be a bondage.
It would be a horrible existence.
But to have the. Freedom that God has given us to
choose. And yet in this situation here,
these demons are going to come out and it's going to be so
horrendous. If you remember in the Old
Testament the judgments during the time of Moses delivering the
children of Israel out of bondage to Pharaoh, the locusts
were so numerous. That people couldn't, actually.
See where they were. Gone and they.
Completely ate all the vegetation and this situation is
going to be different to them as given the power as a scorpions
of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm
the grass or the earth or any green thing or any tree, but
only those men who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads. Now we studied several weeks ago
about the 144,000 the special chosen people of God during that
tribulation. Born again Jews who are.
On fire for the Lord like 144,000 Billy grams.
Going all. Over the earth to witness and to
tell people you still can repent.
God's mercy is still available. You can still be forgiven of
your sin, and God will. Be gracious to you and that's
their job. Well, they're not going to be
touched by these scorpion like locust creatures.
They were not given authority to kill them but to torment them
for five months. So anyone who doesn't have this
seal on their forehead is fair game to these demonic beings.
So that means all the unbelievers on the face of the
earth at. This time and.
This isn't God doing this to the.
People, this is Satan and his demonic crew going out to create
torment and havoc on the face of the earth to all those who don't
know Christ. Some people say, Oh well,
whenever I die, I'm going to be done in the hell with my buddies
and and Satan and everybody. We're just going to have a good
time and party forever. It's not going to be that way.
Satan hates our guts, the Bible says.
He's come to rob, to steal, to kill.
And to destroy it says their torment was like the torment of
a scorpion when it strikes a man.
In those days, men will seek death and will not find it.
They will desire to die and death will flee from them.
It sounds like in this case it's even.
Going to be impossible to take your life.
It's going to be so. Horrible at this time when
you're on the earth. If you're an unbeliever, you
can't get away. From these scorpions.
You think, well, I'm going to stay inside all day and and wait
this out for to five months. They won't get me.
Somehow they're going to be able to get in the windows, under the
doorway, whatever. So no matter.
Where you are. You're going to get stung.
And tortured by these things. Just not.
Once you get stung once and that's it's.
Going to be a continual horrible torment.
To drive you. To your knees, but the enemy
wants to destroy you, but he can't, and you can't even find
death at this time. It says the shape of the locust
was like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads were crowned something like gold, and their
faces were like the faces of men.
They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like a
lion's teeth. And they had breastplates like
breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings was
like the sound of Chariots, with many horses running into battle.
They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their
tails. Their power was to hurt men.
Five months and they had his king over them.
The Angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
and in Greek his name is Apollyon.
That name means the Destroyer. Literally the destroyer.
The New Testament Greek word Apollyon is the one who is
destroying and again. That ties with what Jesus said
about the devil. He comes to steal and to kill
and to rob. And to destroy and.
I'll tell you he's trying to destroy.
Our lives every day. He's trying to destroy the
Church of Jesus Christ, and I'm so thankful it's not.
My job or your? Job to build the Church of
Christ, Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of hell.
Hades will not prevail against it in verse 12 one woe is past
so you we think that's bad. This situation with these
scorpion like creatures in the description John says the
apostle that they are like this in other words.
He's seeing something that he's never seen.
Before in his life, he's trying to use descriptive words to give
us some kind of insight what these creatures are like.
Because. Again, it's like nothing he's
ever seen before. Some people believe that these
will be. Fallen demonic beings that.
Are inhabiting whether it's an animal like creature or a human.
Creature Some people commentators describe it as as
perhaps men in certain types of. Suits with gas masks and the the
stinging aspect of this scorpion like creature is really a
chemical. Warfare, you know, that's coming
upon people. I mean, none of us are going to
know these things until they occur Her.
But these are descriptive terms that will one day come to pass.
And so John's saying this one was past.
Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
This is where we'll pick up where we left off the last time
we were in this book. Then the six angels sounded, and
I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which
is before the throne of God. This altar and a wonderful
picture again of the throne room of Heaven.
The 6th Angel sounds and I hear a voice from the four horns of
the golden golden altar, which is before God, saying to the 6th
Angel who had the trumpet, release the four angels who are
bound at the great river Euphrates.
So this altar is the altar. Of incense.
It stands before the throne of God and the incense, as I
mentioned, about a month. Ago is the.
Representation of the. Prayers of the Saints Incense
will be prevalent in the Kingdom of Heaven, the early Church.
Use incense. All the time.
Someone asked me why we don't use incense.
I don't know. I don't know who said not.
Use it or who? Said you know some.
People use it, think it's magic, and you know, other people use
it as. A understanding that represents
the prayers of the Saints. But it really does.
In God's Kingdom, in his worship setting.
Within the throne of. God, there's incense, and every
time the incense is sense before.
The throne of God. It represents the prayers.
Of the. Saints being lifted up to the
throne of God. Matt Redmond had a neat song.
Let the prayers of the Saints be like sweet smelling incense.
To your heart. Remember that song?
Beautiful. Song, and so it represents that
to. God, but the four horns
represent the place where the blood was applied on the Day of
Atonement for the sake of the the nation of Israel.
And so a very clear picture again of the things that are
lost in our time that will be again prevalent in the in the
Kingdom when we get there. And so he's telling this Angel
to release these angels to release what is bound at the
great river Euphrates. So the four angels and 15 who
have been prepared for the hour and day and month, and these are
evil angels by the way, and year were released to kill 1/3 of
mankind. Now the number of the army, the
horseman, was 200 million. I heard the number of them, and
thus I saw the horses in the vision, those who sat on them in
breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur
yellow. And the heads of the horses were
like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire,
smoke, and brimstone. By these 3 plagues 1/3 of
mankind was killed by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone
which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their
mouth and in their tails. For their tails are like
serpents having heads and with them that do harm.
So we we see the intensity of of this battle and what's going to
come upon the face of the earth 1/3.
I can't imagine that. Some commentators, they they
look at China and the East. And.
The river Euphrates throughout. Biblical history was.
Always recognized as a. Central place of of God's wrath,
and also of of. Of miraculous occurrences and
Israel you know the the borders of the Holy Land, Euphrates
flows near and you have the original Babylonian.
Empire that was very. Significant with the the river
Euphrates and we see in Revelation 1612 that this river
will actually be dried up. Why is it going to be dried up?
The capacity to actually travel. By tank or.
By some kind of vehicle or horses or whatever the potential
of 200 million. And there's no other nation that
could have the size of an army except that nation in the east
wiping out 1/3 of the human race.
In the Book of Revelation, Pastor Clark is taking us
through all kinds of events and happenings that are predicted
for the future. But for those who believe and
follow Jesus, there's much to look forward to in heaven with
Jesus. However, for those who are here
on earth during the Tribulation, there's all kinds of chaos that
will unfold. The Bible talks about an
Antichrist, a false prophet, and of course that evil enemy Satan.
You see how there are such clever attempts for the enemy to
disguise himself as God and even the Trinity, the true Savior of
the world is God and how he comes to rescue through his
triune nature, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. Just like Satan tried to take
over for God in heaven was cast out, Satan will try to convince
people on earth that he is the triune God to be worshipped
instead of the legitimate God in heaven.
It's an attempt, and although he will capture plenty in his
schemes, he will not win. The true God wins, and
Revelation unpacks how that will all happen in detail.
Be encouraged because there's a way out for all of this madness
that will ensue on this earth. But you don't want to wait
indefinitely to make that decision about Jesus.
We don't know when the church will be raptured, and you want
to be ready to be with Jesus. To learn more about this, head
over to calvarychapelonline.com. We're so glad you've been with
us today. And if you'd like to connect
further with this ministry, find us on Facebook or YouTube.
You can also download our mobile app at calvarychapelonline.com.
Be sure to join us for weekly services at 400 E Pittsburgh St.
Ste. 6B in Greensburg, PA 15601. This has been living waters of
grace.