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| 1 The burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen: |
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
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| 2 'On a high mountain lift ye up an ensign, Raise the voice to them, wave the hand, And they go in to the openings of 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
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| 3 I have given charge to My sanctified ones, Also I have called My mighty ones for Mine anger, Those rejoicing at Mine excellency.' |
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| 4 A voice of a multitude in the mountains, A likeness of a numerous people, A voice of noise from the kingdoms of nations who are gathered, Jehovah of Hosts inspecting a host of battle!
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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
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| 5 They are coming in from a land afar off, From the end of the heavens, Jehovah and the instruments of His indignation, To destroy all the land. |
To destroy – Nevertheless his judgment will be for the world's deliverance; for he wounds to heal. R1869:3
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| 6 Howl ye, for near [is] the day of Jehovah, As destruction from the Mighty it cometh. |
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| 7 Therefore, all hands do fail, And every heart of man doth melt. |
Every man's heart – Every mortal's heart. D21
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| 8 And they have been troubled, Pains and pangs they take, As a travailing woman they are pained, A man at his friend they marvel, The appearance of flames their faces! |
Be amazed one at another – Wonder every man at his neighbor. D21
Shall be as flames – Red like flames shall their faces glow. D21
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| 9 Lo, the day of Jehovah doth come, Fierce, with wrath, and heat of anger, To make the land become a desolation, Yea, its sinning ones He destroyeth from 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*
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| 10 For the stars of the heavens, and their constellations, Cause not their light to shine, Darkened hath been the sun in its going out, And the moon causeth not its light to come forth. |
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*
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| 11 And I have appointed on the world evil, And on the wicked their iniquity, And have caused to cease the excellency of the proud, And the excellency of the terrible I make low. |
For their evil – In aggrandizing the few, heedless of the cries of the poor and needy. D149
Of the terrible – Of the tyrants. D22
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| 12 I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir. |
A man more precious – The lives of multitudes will not then be sacrificed. D149
A man's life. D45
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| 13 Therefore the heavens I cause to tremble, And the earth doth shake from its place, In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts, And in a day of the heat of his anger. |
Shake the heavens – The powers of spiritual control. A318
And the earth – The present organization of society. C229; A323; D46
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| 14 And it hath been, as a roe driven away, And as a flock that hath no gatherer, Each unto his people they turn, And each unto his land they flee. |
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| 15 Every one who is found is thrust through, And every one who is added falleth by sword. |
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| 16 And their sucklings are dashed to pieces before their eyes, Spoiled are their houses, and their wives lain with. |
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| 17 Lo, I am stirring up against them the Medes, Who silver esteem not, And gold they delight not in it. |
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| 18 And bows dash young men to pieces, And the fruit of the womb they pity not, On sons their eye hath no pity. |
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| 19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, The glory, the excellency of the Chaldeans, Hath been as overthrown by God, With Sodom and with 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
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| 20 She doth not sit for ever, Nor continueth unto many generations, Nor doth Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds lie not down there. |
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| 21 And Ziim have lain down there, And full have been their houses of howlings, And dwelt there have daughters of an ostrich, And goats do skip there. |
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| 22 And Aiim have responded in his forsaken habitations, And dragons in palaces of delight, And near to come [is] her time, And her days are not drawn out! |
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