Isaiah writes several chapters which can be referred to as the burden chapters. They describe the judgments of the Lord on different peoples and constitute Isaiah 13-23. All of these chapters can be viewed as a type for the destructions promised for the wicked of the latter-days. In other words, the prophecies refer to the destruction of those kingdoms in ancient times and symbolize the destruction of the wicked in the last days.
The best example of all is the burden of Babylon. Babylon, or Babel is the chief city of Babylonia. It was founded after the flood by the wicked Nimrod and is the city in which the tower of Babel was built. It represented the center of Mesopotamian influence for centuries. Scripturally speaking, it represents the wickedness of the world, the kingdom of Satan, and the great and abominable whore. In this chapter, we learn a lot about how the Lord will destroy the wicked when he comes again. The unenlightened, however, see in this prophecy only Isaiah's description of the fall of ancient Babylon.