9. What does the apostle Paul say concerning this? “When they shall say, Peace and safety; _then sudden destruction cometh upon them_, ... and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:3. NOTE.—When Christ comes, the righteous will be delivered and taken to heaven, and all the living wicked will be suddenly destroyed, as they were at the time of the flood. For further proof see 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 6:14-17; 19:11-21; Jer. 25:30-33. There will be no general resurrection of the wicked until the end of the one thousand years. This will leave the earth desolate and without human inhabitant during this period. 10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time? “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was _without form, and void_; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, _there was no man_, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the _fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down_ at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.” Jer. 4:23-26. NOTE.—At the coming of Christ the earth is reduced to a chaotic state—to a mass of ruins. The heavens depart as a scroll when it is rolled together; mountains are moved out of their places; and the earth is left a dark, dreary, desolate waste. See Isa. 24:1-3; Rev. 6:14-17. 11. How does Isaiah speak of the wicked at this time? “It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and _shall be shut up in prison_, and after many days shall they be visited.” Isa. 24:21, 22. 12. How long is Satan to be imprisoned on this earth? “I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and _bound him a thousand years_, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.” Rev. 20:1-3.