Judgments Predicted for the Wicked

Church Educational System
The Lord said, “I will be merciful unto my people [the righteous], but the wicked shall perish” (2 Nephi 23:22). Those who oppose the Lord will witness great devastation prior to and at the Second Coming. Those “joined to the wicked shall fall by the sword” (v. 15), and “their houses shall be spoiled” (v. 16). Their children and wives will also suffer greatly (see vv. 15–16). This is Isaiah’s depiction of the great judgments that John the Revelator later saw (see Revelation 9, 11, 16–18).

Remember that the name Babylon has both literal and spiritual meaning (see 2 Nephi 23:19–22). As is the case with many of Isaiah’s prophecies, there is a dual fulfillment for this prophecy. Babylon became one of the most glorious cities of the world during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, around 600B.C. It fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C. and began a long decline. By the time of Christ, Babylon was inhabited only by a few Jews exiled by Roman decree. A hundred years later it was totally desolate and has remained uninhabited to this day.

Babylon is also the name for Satan’s kingdom, or the world (see D&C 1:16). In the great judgments that will immediately precede the Second Coming, spiritual Babylon, also known as the church of the devil or the great whore of the earth (see 1 Nephi 14:10, Revelation 17:1–5), will be destroyed and remain in utter desolation during the Millennium.

Book of Mormon Student Manual (1996 Edition)

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