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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
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| 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
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| 3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. |
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| 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
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| 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
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| 6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. |
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| 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: |
Every man's heart – Every mortal's heart. D21
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| 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
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| 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*
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| 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*
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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. |
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| 15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. |
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| 16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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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