How Much Can You Tolerate?

If you happened to be one of the myriads condemned to having to endure the horrors of eternal damnation, just how much could you tolerate? Could you tolerate the endless separation from love? The endless smoke and black darkness? The endless burning of flesh and stench? The endless hopelessness? The endless agony of pain and aching? The unceasing screams and groans of men, women and children as wave after wave of new torments sweep through the pain wracked bodies? The continual spewing of curses and profanity wretching out of the twisted mouths of your companions in misery? Where would this become intolerable to you? Maybe, if you are hard and tough, d'ya think you could tolerate this for an hour? A day? A week? How bout a month? Perhaps a year or two? A decade? A century? A millennium? Would it become intolerable to you after the first thousand millenniums, when you realize that you've expended no more of your sentence than the first second, indeed not even the smallest fraction of your sentence has been served, nor ever shall be? How could such a sentence be tolerable? Yet, we have these testimonies of Jesus in Matthew:

Mt 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Mt 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Mr 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Note that the phrase “more tolerable” implies tolerability in both cases. In other words, whatever judgment is being referred to here is tolerable for one and more tolerable for the other. Also note that in both cases, the judgment is given a time limit, it is “The day of judgment”. (Not the eternity of judgment.) Note also that one of those being judged is Sodom, of whom it is written,

“Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

We know that the burning of Sodom only lasted a very short time. It was hot and fast. So in this judgment, the victims received mercy as soon as they died in the form of respite from the flames. We find here in Matthew, that when the “day of judgment” arrives, it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for the religious leaders of Jesus day. Then in Ezekiel 16:46-63 it is clear that God is going to restore Sodom to fellowship with Himself, so Sodom becomes a perfect example of what eternal fire is really talking about. It would all be so much less confusing if the translators only were faithful to the meaning of the word aionios and aion. Then we would find Sodom to be an example suffering the vengeance of age pertaining fire. Everything would line up. But as it is we are left to decide that eternal doesn't mean without end or it isn't the correct word.

Anyway you slice it, we find God judging rightly, giving punishment where needed for correction and not just to be cruel. The judgment will always be just, that is, it will suit the crime and serve to restore the sinner to a place where he can be blessed.

Isa 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.