Mat 10:15 Truly I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha on the day of judgment, than for that city.

"More tolerable" is anektoteros (the "more" version of anektos), which "bearable" or "sufferable."

"Day of judgment" is hemera (day) krisis. Krisis is the interesting term because its primary meaning is "separating," "distinguishing," "choice," and "decision." It also means a "turning point," which is the source of the meaning of "crisis" has in English. Only secondarily does it means "judgement" as in a court judgment.

While we have come to read lines like this as referring to the Last Judgment, in the Greek there is no article to distinguish this as "the day of judgment."

Christ is describing the level of suffering that we face when our lives reach a turning point. That turning point can be huge, such as when the separation from life, or merely a decision that we have to make. The suffering of Sodom and Gomorrah was relatively simple: a quick though painful death. Christ is saying that they are burdens that are less easy to bear. Certainly this is true for burden that continue for a lifetime rather than ending our life.

I do not see this verse simply as the threat of damnation. The question is, "What could be worse than the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah?" Because of their earthly destruction, are these people somehow spared in the afterlife? Questions of levels of damnation aside, certainly, their rejection of God was fairly absolute.

I see Christ's statement here as more practical, as sympathy rather than condemnation. When people reject Christ's message, they are condemning themselves to a sad life, which is less bearable than a quick death. They are depriving themselves of support and wisdom in ALL their days of crisis. This is the evil that Christ addresses in all his statements. The Greek term translated as "evil" that Matthew most commonly used to reflect Christ's words is poneros, which means "oppressed by toil" or "in a sorry plight" not malicious evil (kakia). This is the judgment that people willingly choose for themselves with they turn their back on Christ.