And he shall destroy the wicked, and the sinners together: and they that have forsaken the Lord, shall be consumed.
וְשֶׁ֧בֶר פֹּשְׁעִ֛ים וְחַטָּאִ֖ים יַחְדָּ֑ו וְעֹזְבֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יִכְלֽוּ׃
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
However, for all those who have strayed and committed wrong, there will be ruin. This represents a third form of goodness, in which there will be no tempters or deceivers, for those who teach wickedness will be obliterated. Those who turn away from the Lord will be lost; yet, as He says, the unrighteous will be doomed.
After the births were separated, the other endured great suffering. However, all that was shameful and detestable within them was eliminated, as they engaged in foolishness, lived unrighteously, and disregarded Christ, who offers salvation, forgives sins, and justifies through grace.
The unrighteous and sinners will be shattered together. Once those deemed worthy of restoration to their intended state have been saved through judgment and mercy, the utterly wicked and those who persist in sin will be crushed collectively: some for having rejected the truth in their hearts (Rom. 1:21) and others for dishonoring God's commandments through their transgressions (cf. Rom. 2:23). Those who are lawless are those who disregard God's commands, having either turned away from them or not even begun to obey. Sinners are those who willingly choose to sin after knowing the truth (cf. Heb. 10:26). However, it is also possible that God, in His grace, breaks the old self of those He favors so they may walk in newness of life. Thus, the sacrifice God desires is a contrite spirit (Ps.
50:19). The spirit of this world, which has engendered sin, is to be broken so that the spirit of righteousness may be renewed within (cf. Ps. 50:12). The strength of the sinner is also shattered (cf. Ps. 36:17), meaning the very power of sin is rendered ineffective, so that their sin may be sought and not uncovered (Ps. 9:36). In a similar vein, it is stated: I will kill and I will bring to life, I will strike and I will heal (Deuteronomy 32:39). He will strike down the one who lives a life characterized by sin, cleansing that life, so that He may impart a new one. For this reason, both the lawless and sinners will be shattered, causing them to cease their rebellion. Those who turn away from the Lord will vanish; the sin of forsaking the Lord will no longer be committed. As reflected in the Psalm: Let the iniquity of sinners come to an end (Psalm 7:10), akin to inviting a physician to halt the illness of the afflicted or to eradicate decay through their healing skill. Yet, this cessation does not imply total annihilation; it merely means that specific actions in those who are active will be halted. Paul, while prophesying to the Thessalonians about the son of perdition, declared, “The Lord Jesus will slay him with the spirit of His mouth, and will destroy him by the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). If slaying (Aναλώσει) denotes total destruction, how can one who no longer exists be abolished? It is clear that the deceit within the lawless individual will be eradicated by the spirit of truth, thereby leading to their judgment at the return of Christ. We have often noted that it is the vices that are destroyed, not the individuals who harbor them, as seen in the verses: the way of the ungodly shall perish (Psalms 145:9), and the path of the wicked shall vanish (Psalms 1:6).
They will come back in righteousness (Isaiah 1:27), when the wicked and sinful will be crushed, and those who have abandoned the Lord will face destruction.
In the following chapter, it is articulated that on the day of judgment, the unrighteous and sinners will not receive mercy but will instead be engulfed in eternal flames. Who can endure this truth? Do you limit God's compassion, presuming to pass judgment before the day of reckoning? If it were within His will to extend mercy to the unrighteous and sinners, must He then adhere to your interpretation that prohibits such grace?
You reference Scripture, stating, "Let sinners vanish from the earth, and let the lawless be no more" (Psalms 103:35); and in Isaiah, "Lawless men and sinners shall burn together, and those who forsake God shall be destroyed" (Isaiah 1:28). Do you not understand that God's warnings can also convey mercy? He does not declare that they will be consumed by eternal fire, but instead that they will vanish from the earth and cease to act unlawfully. There is a significant difference between asserting that they will be utterly lost forever and merely stating that they will be removed from existence. Isaiah, whom you cite, claims that "sinners and lawless men shall burn together," but does not state "forever." Furthermore, when he speaks of the destruction of those who abandon God, he refers specifically to heretics—those who stray from the true path of faith and will face ruin if they do not return to the Lord they have forsaken.
In keeping with his pattern of swiftly transitioning between hope and warning, the prophet moves from the assurance given in the prior verse back to a dire warning, furthering the message found in Isaiah 1:24-25. He pronounces judgment and destruction upon the wicked and transgressors—specifically, those who embrace sin as a way of life rather than merely falling into it at times, as well as those who have turned away from the Lord, replacing the authentic faith in God with a counterfeit belief.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS