Oh, boy, here we go again, back into Isaiah. An interesting application from Isaiah…even though Isaiah knew the ultimate outcome...that the nations would bring about the suffering of God’s people, he continued to preach against sin in Judah. Often as Believers we may know that our witness for Him may fall on deaf ears, we should still continue to witness. Our job is to witness, He takes it from there.

Again in Isaiah 13 we have a foreshadowing of a prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord’s wrath.  (see the book These Last Days for explanations concerning the Day of the Lord)The prophecy of the judgment against Babylon is a multi-layered prophecy.  While it is prophetic of the day of the Lord, it was literally fulfilled with the defeat of Babylon.   There is mention made in this chapter about the land being desolate, the stars of heaven and their constellations not showing their light.  They will be obscured because of the heavy smoke from the burning of the earth.

Speaking of the people during the Day of the Lord,
Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.
The closer to delivery, the more frequent and more intense the labor pains are for a woman in labor.  This is how it will be as time gets closer to the Day of the Lord.
1Th 5:3 
People will say, "We have peace and we are safe." At that time destruction will come to them quickly, like the pains of a woman giving birth. And those people will not escape.

Babylon will never be inhabited again according to Isaiah's prophecies.  Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild but was unsuccessful.  Look what happened to him!

Isaiah gives us a glimpse into Satan’s plans through the king of Babylon. More details concerning Satan are found in Ezekiel 28 .

The Lord gives an admonition through Isaiah in Chapter 21,
"Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees."  and "...let him be alert, fully alert."

This admonition is not just for the nations of Old Testament times.  It is equally relevant today.  If we don't make this personal and relevant, then the Old Testament is just a history book.

Along with a reference to "Babylon fallen" in Isaiah are several in Revelation.

Rev 18:2
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

Babylon is used in analogy to represent the false church during the last days. Unclean and detestable birds are analogous to false teachers in the church.  Before the false church becomes a haunt for demons and evil spirits, there must first come a “falling away” or a rebellion. The Christian church will become apostate before it becomes the false church.  The seeds of disbelief and unfaithfulness in the church began in Babylon in Nimrod's day. 

II Th 2:3
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

What does this mean for us?  We must be on the alert, prepared, and ready.  The "labor pains" are becoming more frequent and more intense as we near the last days.