Jude tells us in his short letter that Sodom is under the judgment of “eternal fire” (verse-7). It is obvious that the fire that destroyed Sodom is not still burning, so it seems ludicrous to describe it as eternal fire. The fire lasted as long as there was fuel to burn. The word translated eternal is aionios (G166) and would be better translated as age-lasting or simply age, depending upon the context requirement. It has to do with an unknown period of time. It cannot be measured until it is completed. Paul uses the word to describe the length of Philemon’s life in Philemon 1:15. Certainly we should be able to conclude that Onesimus, Philemon’s slave who escaped and whom Paul had brought to Christ and is sending back to Philemon—certainly—this man could not be Philemon’s slave forever. First of all, ultimately we all are Christ’s. We belong to him, not to one another. So, the same word used for eternal fire in Jude merely means however long it takes before Philemon expires in the flesh, or until he decides to set Onesimus free, which is Paul’s obvious hope.
In any event the prophet, Ezekiel, has something additional to say, as it pertains to Sodom’s fate. Notice what Ezekiel says concerning the ultimate fate of not only Sodom, but also Samaria (the 10 tribes of Israel to the north of Judah) and Judah, herself:
Ezekiel 16:48 KJV As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters… (53) When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: (54) That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. (55) When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
The grace of God cannot be measured. When we think we have it all figured out, God lays one on us like this. This will occur in a single day—national repentance in a moment. Who ever heard of such a thing? Well, it was predicted in the prophets, and Paul’s conversion, itself, is a graphic picture of what it will be like. The Apostles saw Jesus alive in his un-glorified body with its scars and wounds from his crucifixion. Paul saw Jesus in glory. He saw him in the light that no one could approach (1Timothy 6:16), Light dwelling in LIGHT, and he was blinded by the experience. Paul, the persecutor, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, became Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles!
Jesus says he makes all things new (Revelation 20:5). He predicted that this would occur. We read it where he judges the cities in which he proclaimed the Gospel and did so many miracles, yet they did not repent. Therefore, in the judgment it will be more tolerable for Sodom (Matthew 11:23-24). By comparing this verse with Ezekiel above we are able to conclude that the judgment ultimately restores Sodom to her former state.
It certainly is a wonderful thing to be able to conclude we have nothing to fear from God. His love is endless, and he will not be defeated in his work to save us. It is not a matter of merely forgiving us; Jesus had to win our salvation as our substitute. Later, as each age of resurrected people repent in the presence of their Lord, they will be judged, just as we are today, not in the sense that they could lose their salvation, but in the sense of how they will share in their inheritance that comes from the mercy of Christ their Savior. What a wonderful God we serve, in that he does not hold his anger forever (Micah 7:18-20).
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Smoodock's Blog 
2 responses to “The Restoration of Sodom”
Don’t you think that when Paul says, “…that you might receive him forever…” [Phm 1:15] he was speaking of eternity and not just the length of this life? Paul is refering to the fact that before Onesimus derserted Philemon he did not have eternal life but now, because Paul shared the Gospel with him, Onesimus will spend eternity with Philemon in heaven.
Well, many things could be read exactly the way we wish them to be taken, especially if we already have an opinion of how a particular word should be used. However, if one considers the context, Paul is discussion Onesimus as Philemon’s property. The very reason he sends him back is because the Law dictates that if you find your neighbor’s lost property, you must return it. This is what Paul is doing. Since a runaway slave could be punished, Paul mentions that perhaps he departed for a season, that he could be received for “ever” or as long as one lives or wishes to have him, because now that Onesimus is a Christian, he would consider serving Philemon the same as serving Christ. Therefore, the implication is he would never run away again.
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