Babylon was an enormous city in Isaiah’s time. His prophecy that it would be destroyed was later fulfilled, but this prophecy has greater significance for us. Babylon represents temporary worldly power. It looks unstoppable until it doesn’t. Human power, and the pride and arrogance that go with it, can crumble rapidly. God can help us weather those storms.
Chapter Outline
- Isaiah sees that a large army from a distant land will attack Babylon (v. 1-5)
- The Babylonians will be terrified (v. 6-9)
- The sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will fall as the powerful leaders of Babylon are overthrown (v. 10-18)
- After being destroyed, Babylon will sit in ruins for a long time (v. 19-22)
My Takeaways
- Don’t get attached to temporary things.
- God can help us avoid being paralyzed by the challenging experiences we face.
- The darkening of the sun, moon, and stars, which will happen before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is symbolic of the humbling of the proud.
- Turbulence can be redemptive.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Babylon Will Be Destroyed – 2 Nephi 23:1-5
Babylon
Don’t get attached to temporary things. That’s the message I hear when I read about the destruction of Babylon. A center of commerce and the capital of the powerful Babylonian Empire, the city of Babylon was formidable. The apostle John conveyed the enormity of the city’s economy with the following list of things bought and…
Burdens
Isaiah called some of his prophecies “burdens.” They described difficult times ahead. The scriptures teach us how to manage our burdens: 1. Share them with each other. 2. Don’t add to others’ burdens. 3. Accept the burdens Jesus offers us.
❖ Fear and Terror – 2 Nephi 23:6-8
Every Man’s Heart Shall Melt – 2 Nephi 23:6-8
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, every man’s heart shall melt; 8 And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be amazed one at another; their…
“My Time Is at Hand” – 3 Nephi 17:1
Near the end of the first day of the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He announced to the people that it would soon be time for Him to leave. “Behold, my time is at hand,” He said, explaining that He was returning to His Father before going to visit another group of people (3…
❖ The Sun and Moon Darkened – 2 Nephi 23:9-18
The Sun Shall Be Darkened – 2 Nephi 23:9-11
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. 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…
I Will Shake the Heavens – 2 Nephi 23:13-14
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. 14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up; and they shall every man…
❖ Babylon in Ruins – 2 Nephi 23:19-22
“Go Ye Forth of Babylon” – 1 Nephi 20:20
“The world is too much with us,” wrote the poet William Wordsworth. He meant that our lives are influenced more than we realize by the society in which we live, leaving us unable to properly perceive “things as they really are” (Jacob 4:13). As Elder David R. Stone explained: Our culture tends to determine what…
Church History Connections
Trembling Nations and Shaking Heavens
Ancient prophets foretold dramatic upheavals preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ—heavens shaking, nations trembling. Those prophecies have been reiterated in modern revelation. Though these events sound daunting, their purpose is redemptive: to awaken, gather, and bless. As Elder Renlund taught, we need not fear. We can prepare to meet the Savior with joy.
All Posts Referencing 2 Nephi 23
- Contents of the Brass Plates (1/3/2026)
- The Lord Hath Brought Again Zion (7/31/2025)
- Trembling Nations and Shaking Heavens (4/12/2025)
- Devoted to Study (3/21/2025)
- “Above the Brightness of the Sun” (1/18/2025)
- Burdens (3/8/2024)
- Hubris, Arrogance, and Haughtiness (9/9/2022)
- Babylon (11/18/2021)
- “Go Ye Forth of Babylon” – 1 Nephi 20:20 (12/31/2020)
- The Star (12/24/2020)
- “My Time Is at Hand” – 3 Nephi 17:1 (9/29/2020)
- What Is Haughtiness? (9/3/2019)
- How Does Isaiah Point Us Toward Christ? (6/1/2019)
- Which of Isaiah’s Writings Are Quoted in the Book of Mormon? (5/31/2019)
- What Is the Historical Context for the Book of Isaiah? (5/30/2019)
- Every Man’s Heart Shall Melt – 2 Nephi 23:6-8 (10/15/2018)
- I Will Shake the Heavens – 2 Nephi 23:13-14 (9/23/2017)
- The Sun Shall Be Darkened – 2 Nephi 23:9-11 (3/10/2015)