Isaiah Chapter 13 [KJV]

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1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. Burden of Babylon – The doom of Babylon. HG714:3

Mystic Babylon, Christendom. D26

Verses 1 to 13 are a description of the time of trouble. R5735:4

The extravagant language used in respect to the fall of Babylon was made extravagant because the divine testimony had reference to mystic Babylon more particularly than to literal Babylon. R2372:5; HG64:1; HG520:5


2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. Lift ye up a banner – The standard of the gospel of truth, divested of the traditional errors that have long beclouded it. D40

Upon the high mountain – Among those who constitute the true embryo Kingdom of God. D40

Exalt the voice – Earnestly and widely proclaim this truth. D41

Unto them – The bewildered sheep of the Lord's flock who are still in Babylon. D41

Shake the hand – Motion with the hand--let them see the power of the truth exemplified, as well as hear its proclamation. D41

That they – The true sheep. D41

Go into the gates – Realize the blessings of the truly consecrated. D41

Of the nobles – The heirs of the heavenly Kingdom. D41


Exalt the voice – The voice of our Returned Lord, the voice of Present Truth. See Isa. 52:8
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. Of a multitude – Of a tumult. D21

In the mountains – Kingdoms. B146

A great people – Contending for real and fancied rights and liberties. B146

A tumultuous noise – "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." (1 Thess. 4:16) B145, B147

Mustereth – He gathers the nations and assembles the kingdoms to pour upon them his indignation, even all his fierce anger. (Zeph. 3:8) D528

Host of the battle – Hosts of the time of trouble. A324; B146; D528


In the mountains – In the Kingdoms (of Christendom.)

The kingdoms of nations gathered together – Joel 3:2

The LORD hosts mustereth the hosts for the battle – "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Rev. 16:16
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. To destroy – Nevertheless his judgment will be for the world's deliverance; for he wounds to heal. R1869:3

6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: Every man's heart – Every mortal's heart. D21

8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Be amazed one at another – Wonder every man at his neighbor. D21

Shall be as flames – Red like flames shall their faces glow. D21


9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Day of the LORD – The Day of Jehovah, which will accomplish the destruction of Babylon. R1352:6

The day of judgment divides into two parts. First, a "time of trouble"; and, secondly, a morning, driving away the mists of superstition. This text is fulfilled in the first of these portions. R268:4, R34:6*

Cruel – Direful. D21

Wrath – "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." (Rom. 1:18) R350:4*


10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Stars of heaven – The apostles. D591

The sun – The Gospel light, the truth, and thus, Christ. D590

And the moon – The light of the Mosaic Law. D590

Not cause her light – Symbolic of a spiritual night. R268:4, R35:1*


11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. For their evil – In aggrandizing the few, heedless of the cries of the poor and needy. D149

Of the terrible – Of the tyrants. D22


12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. A man more precious – The lives of multitudes will not then be sacrificed. D149

A man's life. D45


13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. Shake the heavens – The powers of spiritual control. A318

And the earth – The present organization of society. C229; A323; D46


14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. And Babylon – Verses 16 to 22 evidently referring to literal Babylon. R2372:5

Symbolic of mystic Babylon. R5092:2

The glory of kingdoms – Likewise, mystical Babylon, the great ecclesaistical kingdom, is exalted to power and dominion and backed, to a considerable degree, by the kings of the earth, the civil powers. D25


20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. The wild beasts of the desert – Compare with Isa. 34:14

Doleful creatures – Doleful is Strong's 255 (used here only), taken from 253 which is translated as 'Alas.' Thus these are mourning, much like that described in Rev. 18:9-19.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
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