To answer that question let's see what The Bible Says...
1) Wail, for THE DAY OF THE LORD IS AT HAND! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
2) A tumultuous noise of THE KINGDOMS OF NATIONS GATHERED TOGETHER! The LORD OF HOSTS MUSTERS THE ARMY FOR BATTLE.
3) They come from a far country, From the end of heaven—The LORD and His weapons of indignation, TO DESTROY THE WHOLE LAND.
4) Therefore all hands will be limp, EVERY MAN'S HEART WILL MELT, And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; THEIR FACES WILL BE LIKE FLAMES.
5) Behold, THE DAY OF THE LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, TO LAY THE LAND DESOLATE; And HE WILL DESTROY ITS SINNERS FROM IT.
6) For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
7) "I WILL PUNISH THE WORLD FOR ITS EVIL, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make A MORTAL MORE RARE THAN FINE GOLD."
8) "I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS, AND THE EARTH WILL MOVE OUT OF HER PLACE, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And IN THE DAY OF HIS FIERCE ANGER."
After reading these verses from the Bible there should be NO DOUBT in your mind that this refers to the END OF THE WORLD!
Just look at #8... If the Heavens shake and the Earth moves then that will cause massive tidal waves and flooding along the coasts of THE WORLD.
Look at #4... "EVERY MAN'S HEART WILL MELT" and "THEIR FACES WILL BE LIKE FLAMES." So this must be the END OF THE WORLD because NO MAN can survive with a MELTED HEART.
We know this hasn't happened yet because there has NEVER been a time when EVERY MAN'S HEART MELTED. Therefore, this DAY OF THE LORD is in the FUTURE... BE VERY AFRAID!
When most people read the Bible they don't read it like they would read any other book. They put on their DUNCE HATS and throw their Brains out the window! They take a verse or 2 out of context and apply it to the future. When they see pronouns such as you, we, our, us etc. they apply what is written to someone else - to themselves. They take symbolic and hyperbolic (HYPE) language LITERALLY. They twist the scripture to mean something different than what it says in order to make it fit their preconceived ideas or false doctrines they have learned.
The verses that I used above come from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 13. I copied them from the New King James version of the Bible:
1) = Isaiah 13:6
2) = Isaiah 13:4
3) = Isaiah 13:5
4) = Isaiah 13:7-8
5) = Isaiah 13:9
6) = Isaiah 13:10
7) = Isaiah 13:11-12
8) = Isaiah 13:13
Before I revealed where these verses came from you should have known NOT to be Afraid because of the 1st verse I quoted... It said that "THE DAY OF THE LORD IS AT HAND." The last books of the Bible were written almost 2,000 years ago so if "THE DAY OF THE LORD" written about in that verse was "AT HAND" THEN, it can't be for the people who are alive NOW!
Your Common Sense should have also told you that either the Prophecy was False or it wasn't talking about the "END OF THE WORLD" since the "WORLD" is still here.
All verses below are copied from the New King James Version of the Bible unless noted otherwise.
It's just like the Bible phrase "LAST DAYS"... The writer of Hebrews said that GOD had "IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON".
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, Hebrews 1:2 HAS IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Remember on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and the Galilean Believers began to Speak in Tongues? Some mocked them and said that they were drunk. Peter said this about it... Acts 2:15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. Acts 2:16 But THIS IS WHAT WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET JOEL: Acts 2:17 'And it shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS, says GOD, that I will pour out of my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
So Peter said that what happened was a Fulfillment of what the Prophet Joel said would happen in the LAST DAYS. Therefore, THEY were in the LAST DAYS - NOT US!
Peter also implied that THEY were in the "LAST DAYS" when he said that SCOFFERS would come in the LAST DAYS saying, "Where is the promise of his Coming"... 2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that SCOFFERS WILL COME IN THE LAST DAYS, walking according to their own lusts, 2 Peter 3:4 and saying, "WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
Peter went on to explain that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish... 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Do you realize that if the Lord has not returned yet then the SCOFFERS were right?
When James the Apostle was speaking about the RICH in HIS DAY this is what he said about the LAST DAYS... James 5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. YOU have heaped up treasure IN THE LAST DAYS.
Your Common Sense should tell you that the "LAST DAYS" that Peter, James and the Writer of Hebrews were talking about were NOT the LAST DAYS of the WORLD or they were WRONG!
Many Preachers are familiar with these verses about the "LAST DAYS" and they saw the Truth Train Coming. However, instead of dropping their False Futurist Doctrines about the "LAST DAYS" they claim that we have been living in the "LAST DAYS" for 2,000 YEARS!
The STUPIDITY of Mankind NEVER CEASES to AMAZE ME!
The Apostle James goes on to say to his fellow believers... James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. James 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND. James 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, THE JUDGE IS STANDING AT THE DOOR!
It should be CRYSTAL CLEAR to YOU that James believed that Jesus, who was his half-brother by the way, was Coming Soon. He told his brethren to be patient UNTIL THE COMING OF THE LORD for THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND!
I got off on the "LAST DAYS" rabbit trail so I need to get back to Isaiah 13. The phrase "LAST DAYS" actually refers to the Last Days of the Old Covenant Age. If you want more details on that then please read this article:
HOW THE BIBLICAL AGES PROVE THAT CHRIST'S 2ND COMING WAS IN THE PAST
In order to understand more about the "DAY OF THE LORD" of Isaiah 13 you must read the entire context. The very 1st verse reveals WHO the prophecy was about... Isaiah 13:1 The burden AGAINST BABYLON which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. I did not use verse 1 in my descriptive list of the DAY OF THE LORD. If I had then you would have known that it was about the Destruction of Babylon and if you knew your Bible you would have realized that it was in the past and it was NOT about the "END OF THE WORLD".
Read the entire chapter and you learn that it was the MEDES who fought against Babylon and Destroyed it... Isaiah 13:17 "Behold, I will stir up THE MEDES AGAINST THEM, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. Isaiah 13:18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. Isaiah 13:19 And BABYLON, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, WILL BE AS WHEN GOD OVERTHREW SODOM AND GOMORRAH.
In my list describing the DAY OF THE LORD the 1st verse that I used was Isaiah 13:6... "Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty." It may be a surprise to you but whenever GOD passes judgment on a nation it is called in Scripture - "A DAY OF THE LORD." In chapter 30 of Ezekiel you can read about the "DAY OF THE LORD" that came upon Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya & Lydia. The 2nd Coming of Christ WAS also a "DAY OF THE LORD".
So what did "AT HAND" really mean in Isaiah 13:6? According to my research Babylon was destroyed in 539 B.C. I don't know exactly when Isaiah had this prophecy revealed to him but we know that Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah... Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The PULPIT BIBLE COMMENTARY says that... "Isaiah probably prophesied only in the later years of Uzziah, say from B.C. 760; but as he certainly continued his prophetical career in Sennacherib’s invasion of Judaea (Isaiah 37:5), which was not earlier than B.C. 705, he must have exercised the prophet’s office for at least fifty-six years. The lowest possible estimate of the duration of his ministry is forty-seven years—from the last year of Uzziah, B.C. 759, to the fourteenth of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:5). The highest known to us is sixty-four years—from the fourth year before Uzziah’s death to the last year of Hezekiah." Therefore, "AT HAND" as used in Isaiah 13:6 meant 150-220 years. That's not what "AT HAND" means to me but that's how it was translated in some Bible versions. Other Bible versions use the word "NEAR" instead. It was translated from the Hebrew word "qarob". Click the link below for more information about "qarob".
So what is the interpretation of the "NOISE OF THE KINGDOMS OF NATIONS GATHERED TOGETHER" in Isaiah 13:4?... Isaiah 13:4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters The army for battle... According to Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary: "Cyrus’s army was made up of many different nations. Jeremiah calls it an “assembly of great nations from the north country,” Jeremiah 50:9. And afterwards mentions the kingdoms of “Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz, (i.e. Armenia, Corduene, Pontus or Phrygia, Vitring.), with the kings of the Medes,” Jeremiah 51:27-28.
Isaiah 13:5 reveals that the WHOLE LAND WAS DESTROYED... "They come from a far country, From the end of heaven—The LORD and His weapons of indignation, To DESTROY THE WHOLE LAND"... Now, you know that the WHOLE LAND is referring to Babylon but what if I had used the New Revised Standard Version in #3 of my list describing the "DAY OF THE LORD"?... (NRSV) Isaiah 13:5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to DESTROY THE WHOLE EARTH. Using the word "EARTH" is a Bad Translation for this verse. The Hebrew word translated as "LAND" and "EARTH" is "erets". Click the link below for more information:
Using different Bible versions can give you a better understanding of a Bible verse sometimes. Some people believe that it is a SIN to use anything but the King James Version. The King James Version translates the Greek word "AION" as "WORLD" instead of "AGE" many times and has caused the False Doctrine of an "END OF THE WORLD"... (KJV) Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the END OF THE WORLD? Then in Ephesians 3:21 the King James Version says, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, WORLD WITHOUT END. Amen." Is that not a CONTRADICTION?
Does the Bible actually teach an "END OF THE WORLD"? If the WORLD ENDS then that means that every living thing would DIE. GOD Promised Never Again To Destroy All Life on Earth... Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; NOR WILL I AGAIN DESTROY EVERY LIVING THING AS I HAVE DONE. Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night SHALL NOT CEASE."
The original Scriptures may be INERRANT but translations are NOT! If the Scriptures Contradict each other then we should throw our Bibles in the trash and forget about it or find another religion!
Isaiah 13:7 says that "EVERY MAN'S HEART WILL MELT" and Isaiah 13:8 says that "THEIR FACES WILL BE LIKE FLAMES"... Isaiah 13:7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt, Isaiah 13:8 And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames... Can a heart actually MELT? Maybe this is just a figure of speech that was not meant to be taken LITERALLY. I know that a heart can boil or burn. Verse 13:7 says "EVERY MAN'S HEART"! This must be Hyperbolic Language... I doubt that EVERY BABYLONIAN MAN DIED in the War and the ones that did probably didn't die because their HEART MELTED.
Isaiah 13:7 reminds me of Revelation 1:7... "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, EVEN THEY WHO PIERCED HIM. And ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN because of Him. Even so, Amen." This a favorite verse that Futurists love to use to prove that Christ's 2nd Coming has not happened yet. However, if you read the context of Revelation 1:7, you should see that it is one of those "THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE"... Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE. Therefore, "EVERY EYE" does not mean that EVERY person who ever lived would SEE CHRIST at his 2nd Coming! It does mean that "THEY WHO PIERCED HIM" would "SEE HIM". Remember, that the Resurrection occurs during the 2nd Coming of Christ so those who actually saw Christ PIERCED may have seen him in the Spiritual Realm at their Resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgment that followed. I'm quite sure that "ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH" that "MOURNED" did NOT include the Apache, Cherokee, Sioux and the other Indian "TRIBES" of North America but it did include ALL 12 TRIBES of Israel. When it comes to scripture, "ALL" doesn't always mean "ALL" and "EVERY" doesn't always mean "EVERY" and "FOREVER" doesn't always mean "FOREVER". CONTEXT is KING so be sure to study the entire context when trying to determine your interpretation!
Isaiah 13:10 & 13 use Symbolic language that's Apocalyptic and should NOT be taken LITERALLY... Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, And THE EARTH WILL MOVE OUT OF HER PLACE, In the WRATH OF THE LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger... Symbolic, Apocalyptic, Hyperbolic language is used in describing the destruction of Bozrah, capital of Edom/Idumea... Isaiah 34:4 ALL THE HOST OF HEAVEN SHALL BE DISSOLVED, AND THE HEAVENS SHALL BE ROLLED UP LIKE A SCROLL; ALL THEIR HOST SHALL FALL DOWN As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree. Isaiah 34:5 "For MY SWORD shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed IT SHALL COME DOWN ON EDOM, And on the people of My curse, for judgment... It is used at the 2nd Coming of Christ... Matthew 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; THE STARS WILL FALL FROM HEAVEN, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken... If you interpret Apocalyptic language as literal instead of symbolic then please answer the following question: How could the STARS FALL FROM HEAVEN in Matthew 24:29 if they had been DISSOLVED and FELL in Isaiah 34:4? Did GOD create more stars to replace the ones that had fallen? Did a literal sword come down from heaven and cut the Idumeans in Isaiah 34:5? I think you know that the answer is NO to those 2 questions. Be very careful that you don't make the mistake of taking something literal in scripture when it is meant to be symbolic!
When taken out of context, Isaiah 13:10 & 13 certainly seem to be referring to the WRATH OF GOD upon the whole WORLD and so does Isaiah 13:11-12... Isaiah 13:11 "I will PUNISH THE WORLD for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Isaiah 13:12 I WILL MAKE A MORTAL MORE RARE THAN FINE GOLD, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir... Bible Commentators disagree on just about everything. They disagree on the interpretation of the word "WORLD" in Isaiah 13:11. Older commentators such as Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, John Gill and John Wesley agree in their interpretation of this verse... Albert Barnes says, "By the ‘world’ here is evidently meant the Babylonian empire, in the same way as ‘all the world’ in Luke 2:1, means Judea; and in Acts 11:28, means the Roman empire. Babylonia, or Chaldea, was the most mighty empire then on earth, and might be said to comprehend the whole world." The Believers Bible Commentary by William McDonald that was published in 1995 says, "Some of these verses look beyond the Medo-Persian triumph to the day of the LORD, which will affect the whole world and which will actually involve cataclysms in the heavens." McDonald also says, "Babylon is slated to play a prominent role in the Tribulation Period. But its doom is already painted in vivid colors in Revelation 17 and 18. Before the Second Advent of Christ, all the prophecies concerning the destruction of Babylon will be fulfilled to a "T." What is unclear to us today will be crystal clear to those living at that time." From McDonald's comments it is easy for me to see that he doesn't know WHAT the Tribulation WAS and he doesn't know WHO Mystery Babylon WAS in the Book of Revelation. I have not written an article on the Tribulation yet but I have written an article on Mystery Babylon and you can click below to read it if you wish:
WHO IS MYSTERY BABYLON IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION?
The word "WORLD" is translated from the Hebrew word "tebel". Isaiah uses "tebel" 9 times in the Book of Isaiah. It can be helpful for your understanding if you will look at how an author uses a word in other verses. Of course you may have to look at the entire context in each instance so it can be very tedious.
Read the entire of chapter of Isaiah 13 and you will know for sure that the "WORLD" of the Babylonians came to an end... Isaiah 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, WILL BE AS WHEN GOD OVERTHREW SODOM AND GOMORRAH.
We know for sure that the "DAY OF THE LORD" in Isaiah 13 did NOT result in the "END OF THE WORLD" but what about the DAY OF THE LORD that is associated with Christ's 2nd Coming?
This article is too long already so I will not get into Christ's 2nd Coming now but check back later and you may see an article on it. Thank you for taking your time to read this one!