Chapel and Conference
Messages

Dr. Tim Little spoke to students about God’s anger, that it is against those in opposition to Him, and it is coming on the Day of the Lord. He asked the students if they believe that God’s wrath is just and fair, aimed at sin. He also reminded the students that they are spared from God’s wrath at salvation, given grace despite deserving the wrath that condemns.

Scripture TextsIsaiah 13:1-13; Romans 3:21-25; Romans 12:1-2

Main Points or Ideas

• The Structure of Isaiah 13–14 – The oracle concerning Babylon spans Isaiah 13–14 and divides into four sections. Little argues from his doctoral dissertation that Isaiah 14:12 refers not to Satan but to the Antichrist — Israel's eschatological enemy — and that the passage describes a future, literal destruction of Babylon, a regathering of Israel, and a taunt against the one who sought to annihilate God's people.
• The Scene: God's Army Versus the Nations (Isaiah 13:1-8) – A multinational force gathers on the mountains in opposition to the Lord, while God musters his own army — one that comes from the ends of the heavens and is described as holy, mighty, and exalting of God. The purpose of this army is to execute God's anger. When this heavenly force arrives, every hand goes feeble and every heart melts; there is nothing the forces of this world can do in opposition.
• The Wrath of God Described (Isaiah 13:9-13) – The Day of the Lord is described as cruel with wrath and fierce anger, coming to make the land desolate and destroy its sinners. The destruction is not instantaneous but agonizing — like the pangs of a woman in labor. The root cause is human sin and evil, for which God's just judgment falls.
• The Gospel Response: Propitiation and Holy Living – The wrath described in Isaiah 13 is the very wrath that every sinner deserves. Romans 3:21-25 presents Jesus as the propitiation — the wrath-removing sacrifice — by whose blood believers are delivered from this penalty. Romans 12:1-2 then calls believers to present themselves as living sacrifices, motivated not by guilt but by the mercies of God. Meditating on what we deserved and what we received should fuel holy living.

ConclusionEschatology is not merely an academic subject — it puts all of life in perspective. The believer who truly grasps the wrath of Isaiah 13 and then recalls the grace of Romans 3 has every reason to live a holy life, not out of obligation, but out of gratitude for being delivered from a judgment they fully deserved.