(Isa. 13:13–14)
This verse, which notes cosmological changes that will affect the earth at the time of Christ’s second coming, is partially quoted or paraphrased in Doctrine and Covenants 21:6 and 35:24. It was also quoted by Oliver Cowdery. (See Messenger and Advocate, Apr. 1835, 111–12.) … Beginning with verse 14, Isaiah seems to describe the literal conquest of Babylon by the Medes, although this also appears to be a dual prophecy including spiritual Babylon.”
(Monte S. Nyman, Great Are the Words of Isaiah, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980], 82–83.)
“The earth will be removed out of its orbit in the present solar system and given a new location. It shall “remove” out of its “place.” … But at the time of Christ’s coming it will apparently be the intention of the Lord to return the earth to its original environment. To do this quickly would require that the earth be returned to Kolob faster than the speed of light. Such a phenomenon would seem to fit the words of the Lord in this verse. He said he would shake the heavens, and the earth would remove out of her place. Of course the earth’s present place is about 30,000 light years out from the center of our galaxy. To pull the earth back toward Kolob in a very short time would give the appearance of all the stars falling from heaven as earth went rushing by… .
The earth will be as a chased roe (which is famous for its fleetness and tremendous speed). This implies that the planet will not only be moved out of its place, but it will flee back toward Kolob at a fantastic speed. The Lord says the earth will be like an abandoned sheep which no man takes up or claims. For the earth to seem to be running loose through the night sky will be a terrifying experience for those who are then living upon this planet. Many will perish. The hearts of many will fail them because of their terror.
Here is the way the Lord describes these coming events in a modern scripture: “For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble AND REEL TO AND FRO AS A DRUNKEN MAN; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree” (D&C 88:87; emphasis added). No doubt this is exactly what it will seem like for all those living on the earth. The planet will be moving too fast for the light of the sun to reach it; in fact, the prophetic writings suggest it will have departed out of our present solar system altogether. The light of the stars will go rushing past, giving the impression that they are falling.
As we have quoted earlier, the Lord goes on to say, “And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people” (D&C 88:91). The Lord says that as this period of commotion commences, every man will hasten to get home to his own people and flee into his own land.”
(W. Cleon Skousen, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times [Salt Lake City: Ensign Publishing Co., 1984], 266–68.)
When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven … When man fell, the earth fell into space, and took up its abode in this planetary system … This is the glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return again unto the presence of the Father.
(Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17:143.)
It may be that the changes on the earth, of which Isaiah spoke, will cause the heavens to appear to move above the inhabitants of the earth as if the stars in the heavens are actually falling. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that “it shall appear to man on earth as though the stars in the sidereal heavens are falling. And in addition, as here recorded, some heavenly meteors or other objects, appearing as stars, will fall ‘unto the earth.’ Indeed, the events of that day shall be so unprecedented and so beyond human experience, that the prophets are and have been at an almost total loss for words to describe those realities pressed in upon them by the spirit of revelation (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:486.)
(Craig J. Ostler, Voices of Old Testament Prophets: The 26th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 71.)