THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Thus declares the Lord: when I render you a forsaken city, akin to desolate towns that are no longer inhabited, I will bring upon you chaos, envelop you with numerous waters, and cast you down alongside those who descend into the pit, an eternal people. I will place you at the ends of the earth, akin to ancient wastelands, alongside those who enter the grave, so that you shall be uninhabited. I will reveal glory in the land of the living, and you shall not rise again in the realm of the living; I will lead you to ruin, and you will cease to be. They will seek you but will not find you forever, says the Lord God.
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When I make you, O Tyre, a perpetual wasteland, paralleling other cities that are entirely devoid of life, I will pour forth the abyss upon you, and many waters will obscure you, perhaps symbolizing the multitude of adversaries. I will conscript you to join those who descend into the pit, where we read in the Psalms, "They shall enter into the underworld of the earth; they shall be delivered into the hands of weapons; they shall become part of the fox" (Ps. 62:10-11), to the eternal people, a place filled with weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
You will be stationed at the extremities of the earth, where the ancient serpent resides, akin to old deserts devoid of remembrance and brimming with eternal punishment. You shall not rise again in the land of the living; it is written: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5), and again, "I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalms 114:9). Thus, you will be brought to destruction and will no longer exist, aligning with another Psalm's assertion: "You shall weaken me, that night, before I depart and I am no more" (Psalms 38:14).
This should not be construed as meaning that a being who ceases to exist faces eternal punishment. Rather, it indicates that one who lives for God is described in Scriptures as non-existent. Esther voiced against idols, "Do not, O Lord, deliver Thy sceptre to those who are not" (Esther 4:17). Indeed, she prayed to avoid being betrayed to those who, while having an existence, were devoid of virtues and the living God.
It is significant to note that Tyre is sought by the one who came to find and restore what was lost (Luke 19). He leaves ninety-nine sheep on the mountains to pursue one lost sheep. Similarly, a woman searches for her lost drachma, finds it, and summons her neighbors to celebrate together (Lk. 15). If the seeker cannot find Tyre, it is not due to any failing on the part of the seeker, but rather the fault of those who flee from the hand of the good Shepherd.
"You shall no longer be," says He, forever. According to the Hebrew שָׁנָה (lolam) and the Greek αἰών, it signifies an age. As Isaiah states, Tyre will be restored in seventy years (Is. 23). The term 'age' refers to the span of human life, defined biblically as seventy years: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; or if by reason of strength they be fourscore years" (Psalm 89:10).
The allegorical insights regarding Tyre may also be applied to those entangled in the trials of this age, subjected to the depths of despair and removed to the underworld where the presence of the Holy Spirit is no longer felt. Of them, it is written: "When the wicked comes into the depth of wickedness, he will not care" (Proverbs 18:3). Afterward, they shall not dwell among the living but will be annihilated, ceasing to exist in the eyes of God.
These reflections are often misconstrued by those who contest the eternal punishment of the wicked and perverse, who, despite being sought by God, remain unfound and consequently cease to be forever. This fate results from their own choice, leading to the loss of Him who declares, "I am life" (John 14:6).