Sodom

"Christ's own words shall tell us that they are not as guilty in His sight as the Jews, who had more knowledge: 'Woe unto thee, Capernaum, for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained unto this day.' Thus Christ's own words teach us that they had not had their full opportunity. 'Remember,' Christ says of the Sodomites, that 'God rained down fire and destroyed them all.' So, if their restoration is spoken of, it implies their resurrection."

"And why should not the Sodomites have an opportunity to reach perfection and everlasting life as well as Israel, or as any of us?...Our Lord's own words tell us that although God rained down fire from heaven and destroyed them all because of their wickedness, yet the Sodomites were not so great sinners in his sight as were the Jews, who had more knowledge. (Gen. 19:24; Luke 17:29.)...Thusour Lord teaches that the Sodomites did not have a full opportunity; and he guarantees them such opportunity when he adds (verse 24), 'But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than forthee'...And if Capernaum and all Israel are to beremembered and blessed under the 'New Covenant,' sealed by the blood of Jesus, why should not the Sodomites also be blessed among 'all the families of the earth?' They assuredly will be."

"Corroborating this is Jude 7, which states that these cities are 'placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.' (NW) 'Everlasting fire' symbolizes the same thing as Gehenna, namely, second death. The destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah must be final, or Jude would not have used it to illustrate the fate of those defilers for whom 'the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever'. (Jude 13, NW)

Jude 7 shows that those ancient cities had their judgment day back there at the time of their destruction, since they are spoken of as having already undergone an execution of judgment, 'the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.' By no wresting of scripture can this be made to mean a future resurrection for slain of the Lord. No remnant was saved from those cities,...If those slain by the Lord at Sodom have no resurrection, then those slain by him at Armageddon will have none, for the former pictures the latter."

"Another judgment period is brought into view when those championing resurrection for exterminated Sodomites quote Jesus' words on a certain occasion...From this some argue that there is a future judgment, in the millennial reign, for both Sodom and these Jewish cities. If we take this expression to mean that, then it would contradict Jude's statement that Sodom had already undergone the 'judicial punishment of everlasting fire.'"

"Since Jude 7 shows that Sodom and Gomorrah became a 'warning example by undergoing judicial punishment of everlasting fire,' does that not bar the inhabitants of those cities from a resurrection? -A. C., USA. Reading only that verse, without our taking into consideration what the rest of the Bible has to say on the matter, one might draw such a conclusion. But other scriptures present additional facts that cannot be ignored if we are going to arrive at a sound conclusionÉFor it to be 'more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah' than for others, it would be necessary for former inhabitants of that land to be present on Judgment Day...So apparently individuals who used to live in that land will be resurrected.--Rev. 20:12,13."

"By saying this, Jesus showed that at least some of the unrighteous people of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah will be present on earth during Judgment Day."

"Sodom and Gomorrah were everlastingly destroyed as cities, but this would not preclude a resurrection for people of those cities."

"Jude 7 states that those Sodomites underwent 'the judicial punishment of everlasting fire,' meaning eternal destruction. (Matthew 25:41,46)"

"In this light, Jude 7 would mean that the wicked people of Sodom/Gomorrah were judged and destroyed everlastingly...It is apparent, then, that those whom God executed in those past judgments experienced irreversible destruction."

"Will such terribly wicked persons be resurrected during Judgment Day? The scriptures indicate that apparently they will not É Yes, for their excessive immorality the people of Sodom and of the surrounding cities suffered a destruction from which they will apparently never be resurrected. -- 2 Peter 2:406, 9, 10a."