Commenting on Rev. 20:2, Dr. Adam Clarke says: “Probably no such time shall ever appear, in which evil shall be wholly banished from the earth, till after the day of judgment, when, the earth having been [pg 349] burned up, a new heaven and a new earth shall be produced out of the ruins of the old, by the mighty power of God; righteousness alone shall dwell in them.”—Clarke's Commentary, edition 1860.
9. When is the “man of sin,” or “mystery of iniquity,” called also “that Wicked,” to come to an end?
“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thess. 2:8.
10. How long was the little horn of Dan. 7:25 to make war with the saints?
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Dan. 7:21, 22.
11. How will the day of the Lord come upon the world?
“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thess. 5:2-4.
Note.—There will be but two classes in the world then: those in darkness, who are looking for a time of peace and safety, and those not in darkness, who are looking for the day of the Lord,—a day of waste and destruction,—the coming of Christ and the end of the world. See Jer. 7:1-19; Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1.
12. What will some who are in darkness say when they hear about the Lord's coming?
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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 the creation.” 2 Peter 3:3, 4.