Psalms 104:35, commentary and pictures

Let sinners be consumed out of the earth means they will be destroyed, reduced to ashes and brought to an end, and let the wicked be no more means they will cease to exist so completely as though they had never been. It is David's Spirit-inspired prophetic prayer asking for the sin that mars creation to be blotted out, not yet fulfilled while sinners still live on earth but to be answered when no sinner remains. That final punishment is complete extinction of being and the second death, the entire destruction of both soul and body with no remedy and no resurrection, which is eternal death and not endless conscious suffering, torment, or immortal existence in misery. The prayer will be answered when the wicked are burned up in the lake of fire, leaving only holy beings alive in God's universe, for wickedness ends by utter destruction of the transgressors and not by conversion of every wicked being, so that righteousness alone is immortal. Then sin and sinners will exist nowhere in the universe and the cleansed, purified earth will be the peaceful eternal inheritance of the righteous alone, and in view of that glorious cleansing the psalmist calls the soul to bless the Lord and all to praise Him.

Words and Psalm Setting

In the verse, consumed means destroyed, reduced to ashes and brought to an end, not merely harmed or punished while remaining alive. To be no more means to exist no longer and to cease to exist. The wicked will be consumed from the earth and cease to exist so completely as though they had never existed, no longer remaining on the earth, and then the verse turns to praise of the Lord.

The verse closes the psalm with an exhortation for the soul to bless Jehovah. The psalm reveals Jehovah as the great Creator and Upholder whose care sustains all His works and expresses His care for all of them. It is a historical psalm pointing to God's wonderful deliverances, which were wrought through Jesus Christ, the Angel of God's presence who was with His people.

The verse closes praise of God's creation made by His own power and creative hand — mountains, valleys, seas, skies, sun, stars, winds, trees, flowers, birds, and rivers — with a call to bless the Lord and praise Him. He lifted the mountains high, spread the seas and vales, and set the sun and countless stars in their orbits. He remains present and near in them today as when the world began, speaking in winds, leaves, flowers, trees, birdsong, and running waters. There He sends messages of love and tender care, stirring growth and giving coolness, gladness, and melody, so that He may be found everywhere by looking with faith.

Prayer and Promised Answer

The verse is David's Spirit-inspired prophetic prayer that sinners be consumed from the earth and the wicked be no more, asking for sin that mars creation to be blotted out. Its fulfillment means the wicked will cease to exist and wickedness will come to an end, leaving God's universe clean and free from sin's curse. In view of that day the psalmist calls the soul to bless the Lord and all to praise Him, with closing praise expressing joy over the resulting world without wickedness and the happy time when all then living join in praising God.

The prayer has not yet been fulfilled, since sinners have continued to live on earth, but it will be answered when a time comes when no sinner remains on earth. To be no more means to exist no longer. The prayer will be answered when the wicked are destroyed in the lake of fire and burned up, leaving only holy beings alive in God's universe. That burning purifies the earth so it becomes peaceful and righteous, inhabited by the righteous alone, with the whole universe free from sin and sinners.

Wickedness ends through the utter destruction of the transgressors, not through the conversion of every wicked being, so that righteousness alone is immortal. The verse shows the final exercise of the power of Jesus' name in wiping sinners and the wicked from the earth, just as powerful in judgment as in conversion, sanctification and salvation, with not one sinner escaping. Once that destruction is done redemption is completed, every creature in heaven and on earth and in the sea gives blessing and honor and glory and power to God and the Lamb, and the whole universe rings with unspeakable joy and eternal glory without a single discord.

Nature of Final Punishment

The verse sets forth the final fate and experience awaiting the wicked as utter destruction, that sinners are consumed out of the earth and the wicked are no more, ending their existence on earth, after which praise is given to the Lord. To be consumed from the earth and to be no more means they ultimately come to an end and are utterly destroyed.

That final punishment is complete extinction of being, the second death, an entire destruction of both soul and body in hell for which there is no remedy and no resurrection, leaving the wicked out of existence. It is destruction and extinction, not continued immortal existence in suffering. This outcome stands together with the death of the soul, the destruction of both soul and body, and a burning that leaves neither root nor branch, in which those consumed from the earth cease to exist.

Their destruction is complete and ends their existence, and it is not endless conscious suffering, endless torment, endless misery, or continued immortal existence in suffering. The verse does not teach eternal conscious misery but points to final destruction rather than endless torment. The wicked are destroyed rather than kept alive in endless misery or endless life in misery, and there comes a time when they will no longer sin or suffer.

Eternal punishment is eternal death, not living forever in torment. The righteous are faithful and law-abiding and receive eternal life through Jesus Christ, while the wicked are sinful and lawless and receive death as the wages of sin. In that joy that sinners are consumed from the earth and the wicked cease to exist, their final destruction brings a time when they will no longer sin or suffer.

Cleansed Universe and Praise

The verse looks to the final removal of sin and sinners, when sinners are consumed from the earth and the wicked are no more. That removal leaves God's earth cleansed from sin and His universe clean and free from sin's curse. The plague of sin is wiped out forever and what mars creation is blotted out. It is a time when sin no longer exists anywhere in the universe. Then God's universe is free from sin and sinners, with no sinner remaining on earth.

When God's purpose for the earth is fulfilled, the cleansed and purified earth becomes peaceful and righteous. It is inhabited by the righteous alone and becomes their eternal inheritance. The wicked have been burned up before that inheritance is entered.

In view of that coming cleansing the soul is called to bless the Lord and all are called to praise Him. The destruction of sinners as the end of their existence on earth turns directly to praise of the Lord. That closing praise is joy over the glorious cleansing and over the resulting world without wickedness, when wickedness is ended and the righteous praise the Lord. Once that destruction is done redemption is completed in a happy time. Then every creature in heaven and on earth and in the sea gives blessing and honor and glory and power to God and the Lamb. The whole universe rings with unspeakable joy and eternal glory without a single discord, as all then living join in praising the Lord.

Prophecy and Last Events

The verse stands as prophetic testimony that the living wicked who remain on the earth at Christ's second coming will be destroyed, consumed from the earth so that the wicked will be no more. It is applied to the approaching divine vengeance that will destroy sinners and remove both sinners and wickedness from the earth. It belongs to the end of the great conflict, when sin and sinners are no more.

The same cleansing is connected with the earth waxing old like a garment, for as the earth ages weaknesses appear in nature. Those weaknesses bring increasing storms, uncertain seasons, and destructive earthquakes. These calamities are signs that the earth's final pangs will soon be over.