The earth will be emptied, wasted, overturned, defiled, burned, and left with only a few survivors, and then it will be delivered from the curse and restored to Edenic beauty when Christ returns.
Isaiah 24 describes the Lord making the earth empty and waste, turning it upside down, and scattering its inhabitants, with no class of people escaping. The earth is defiled because of transgression, the curse devours it, and its inhabitants are burned, leaving only a few men. Les Feldick explains that the seven-year Tribulation is the travail that brings the earth to the place of delivery from the curse, and when Christ returns the earth is lifted from the curse and renovated like the Garden of Eden.
Isaiah 24:1-6 — This is the core passage Les Feldick uses to describe what happens to the earth during the Tribulation: it is emptied, wasted, overturned, defiled, cursed, and burned, with few men left.
Isaiah 13:9-10 — Quoted by Les Feldick to show that the day of the LORD will lay the land desolate, destroy sinners, and darken the sun, moon, and stars.
Isaiah 24 portrays a coming worldwide devastation. The Lord makes the earth empty and waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. No class of people escapes: as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller. The land is utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the LORD has spoken the word. The earth itself mourns and fades away, and the world languishes. The haughty people of the earth languish as well. The earth is defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed God's laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse devours the earth, and those who dwell on it are desolate. The inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. Isaiah 13 adds that the day of the LORD comes with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and destroy sinners out of it. 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 her light to shine.
Les Feldick places Isaiah 24 squarely in the Tribulation and says the seven-year Tribulation is the period when the earth finally pays off the curse that has been on it since Adam. He compares the escalating judgments to birth pains: the whole purpose of the seven years is to bring the earth to the place of delivery from the curse. During the Tribulation, the earth will be emptied, wasted, overturned, and its inhabitants burned in a tremendous holocaust, probably a nuclear effect. Yet 'few men left' shows that some will survive. Les also emphasizes that wealth will not protect anyone—billionaires won't have enough billions to buy their way out. When Christ returns, the earth will be lifted from the curse, suddenly renovated like a Garden of Eden, and the Kingdom will come on the scene. He says the earth has been under the curse for almost 6,000 years, but it will be restored to its Edenic condition before sin entered.
Isaiah 24 pictures worldwide devastation: the Lord empties and wastes the earth, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. No class of people escapes—priests and people, servants and masters, buyers and sellers all suffer alike. The land is utterly emptied and spoiled, the earth mourns and fades, and the world languishes. The earth is defiled by those who have transgressed God's laws and broken the everlasting covenant, so the curse devours the earth and its inhabitants are burned, leaving few men.
Isaiah 24:5 says the earth is defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. Because of this, the curse devours the earth and its inhabitants are desolate and burned. Les Feldick explains that the whole reason for the Tribulation is to pay off the curse and bring the earth to the place of delivery, using birth pangs as an analogy.
Isaiah 24:4 says the haughty people of the earth languish. Les Feldick comments that it won't help to be a billionaire—they won't have enough billions to be able to buy their way out of this judgment.
Les points to the phrase 'the inhabitants of the earth are burned' and says this will be a tremendous holocaust, probably a nuclear effect. He also stresses the last words 'few men left,' showing there will be survivors who somehow come through the awful seven years.
Les teaches that when Christ returns, the earth will be lifted from the curse and suddenly renovated like a Garden of Eden, as it was before sin entered. The Kingdom is coming on the scene, and the earth is restored to its Edenic condition. He says the seven-year Tribulation is the travail that brings the earth to the place of delivery.
Earth's Post-Tribulation Restoration
Les teaches that after Christ returns, the earth will be lifted from the curse and become as it was in the Garden of Eden before sin entered—glorious and beautiful.
Isaiah 24 Applied to the Tribulation
Les teaches that Isaiah 24 is dealing with the Tribulation, where the Lord makes the earth empty, waste, and upside down, and even priests and people face the same judgment.
The Curse Devours the Earth
Les reads Isaiah 24:5-6 and teaches that the earth is defiled by transgression, the curse devours it, and the inhabitants are burned in a tremendous holocaust—likely nuclear—leaving few men.
Survivors After the Burning
Les emphasizes the final words 'few men left' and teaches that some will survive the catastrophic seven years despite the nuclear-like burning.
Mayhem on Earth and Renewal at Christ's Return
Les calls the events of Isaiah 24:1-3 mayhem, then explains that when Christ returns the earth will be suddenly renovated like a Garden of Eden.
Seven Years Pay Off the Curse
Les teaches that the seven-year Tribulation is like paying off the mortgage that Satan has held since Adam, and afterward the earth is restored to its Edenic condition.
Tribulation as Birth Pangs for the Earth
Les teaches that the whole purpose of the seven-year Tribulation is to bring the earth to the place of delivery from the curse, using the travail or birth-pain analogy.
The Day of the LORD Darkens the Cosmos
Les quotes Isaiah 13:9-10 to show that the day of the LORD will lay the land desolate and darken the sun, moon, and stars.
Isaiah 24:1: Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
Shows the scope of God's judgment: the earth itself is made empty, waste, and overturned.
Isaiah 24:2: And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
No social or religious class escapes the universal judgment.
Isaiah 24:3: The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
God's spoken word guarantees the complete emptying and spoiling of the land.
Isaiah 24:4: The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
The earth itself mourns and languishes, and the proud are brought low.
Isaiah 24:5: The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
The earth is defiled because its inhabitants rejected God's laws and covenant.
Isaiah 24:6: Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
The curse results in burned inhabitants and only a few survivors.
Isaiah 13:9: Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
The day of the LORD is described with wrath that lays the land desolate.
Isaiah 13:10: For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
The heavenly lights are darkened, emphasizing cosmic catastrophe.
The earth will be emptied, wasted, overturned, defiled, and burned, but it will not be annihilated. Isaiah 24:6 says 'few men left' rather than 'no men left,' and Les Feldick says there will be survivors. After Christ returns, the earth is restored to Edenic beauty.
Because the inhabitants have transgressed God's laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant, the earth is defiled and the curse devours it. Isaiah 24:6 says the inhabitants of the earth are burned. Les Feldick describes this as a tremendous holocaust, probably a nuclear effect.
It means a small number of people will survive the burning judgments of the Tribulation. Les Feldick teaches that although the earth's inhabitants are burned, some will somehow come through the seven years.
At Christ's return, the earth will be lifted from the curse and renovated like the Garden of Eden before sin entered. The Kingdom will come on the scene, and the earth will be restored to its Edenic condition.
Watch the Teaching: What Happens to Gentiles After the Tribulation? Isaiah 24