Living Waters of Grace, March 30, 2026

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

Revelation 9 · chapter mention

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 1 · chapter mention

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

Revelation 9 · chapter mention

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.