By Tope Banso
“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is going to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking” (Genesis 19:14 New Living Translation).
Hell is not a joke! Unfortunately, however, many crack jokes with it. We even tell people to go to hell!
Many think that hell is just a creation of some writers of the Bible. Even, some preachers, who had warned people about hell in the past, no longer believe that there is hell. They’ve become atheists and former preachers! So sad.
When Noah warned the people of his day of the impending flood, they must have called him a joker. How would God cover the earth with a flood that would destroy all living things He had made?
Hebrews 11:7 says by faith, Noah heard God’s warning about things he could not yet see and built the ark that saved his family from the flood. The people of his day continued to hold banquets, parties and weddings until the flood they had thought was a joke came (Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-28). They all perished. Only Noah, his family and the animals that entered the ark survived.
In Genesis 19, the angels told Lot to escape quickly from Sodom, with his family and sons-in-law, because they were going to completely destroy the city. Verse 14 says, “So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is going to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking” (New Living Translation).
However, Sodom and Gomorrah were razed down by fire. The columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace (verse 28). The fire was not anything near hell-fire. But it wasn’t a joke.
Hell is not a joke! Mark 9:45-48 says, “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched — where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire — where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” (New King James Version).
The wicked shall be turned to hell and all the nations that forget God (Psalm 9:17). The only way to escape hell is to give one’s life to Jesus and live according to His Word (John 3:16, 6:47). Revelation 21:8-9 says that the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
Hell is not a joke! The rich man in Luke 16:19-31 knew this very well, after his death. The torment was too much for him. The final abode of whoever fails to repent and turn to God, through Jesus Christ, is hell. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour now.
PRAYER POINT: O Lord of the harvest, send out workers into Your field for the harvest of souls; save them from going to hell.
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing. Please share.
(For more inspiring messages, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
▪ Banso, an Abuja-based minister can be reached at Cedar Ministry International,
cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com
Tel No: +2348155744752,+2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
