WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 20, 2026
TOPIC: HELL IS NOT A JOKE!
BY T. O. BANSO
“So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking” (Genesis 19:14 New King James Version).
Hell is not a joke! Unfortunately, many people crack jokes about it. We even tell people to go to hell! Many think that hell is just a creation of some writers of the Bible. Sadly, some preachers, who warned people about hell in the past, no longer believe that there is hell. They’ve become atheists or former preachers!
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 that 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 destroy the city. Verse 14 says, “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking” (New King James Version). Note this: “He seemed to be joking.” However, Sodom and Gomorrah were razed by fire. The columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace (verse 28). The fire was not anything near hellfire. But it was not 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). Matthew 18:8-9 also records this. Note the expression “Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
There is debate among Bible scholars about whether the worms and fire are literal or metaphorical. While some say they are literal physical descriptions, others say they are metaphors for the eternal punishment that awaits sinners after death. This is a needless debate, for the Bible does not leave us in doubt that hell is not a place of comfort but a fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is unimportant whether the worm or the fire is literal or metaphorical. Hell is real, and it will be too late after death for anyone who dismisses it to admit the truth.
When Jesus says in Mark 9:45-48 to cut off your hand or foot, or pluck out your eyes if they will cause you to sin, so that rather than being cast into hell, He did not mean that you should do so literally. Jesus only used hyperbole to stress the need for people to take drastic actions against any sin that will take them to hellfire, no matter how painful. This is important because hellfire was not originally prepared for human beings but for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). But sinners will end there, not because of the gravity of their sins, but because they refuse to repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
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 repent of one’s sins and accept Jesus as one’s Lord and Saviour; then, live according to His Word (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9; James 2:17). 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! It is a place of eternal torment or everlasting fire. The worms there do not die, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Isaiah 66:24).
There are different views about hell, but it is real—a place of conscious and endless torment and separation from God. The rich man in Luke 16:19-31 went to a place of eternal torment after death. The torment was too much for him. The final abode of anyone who fails to repent and turn to God, through Jesus Christ, is hell. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour now.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must repent of your sins and confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: O Lord of the harvest, send out workers into Your field for the harvest of souls; touch the hearts of sinners to respond favourably to the message of salvation and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. I will not spend my eternity in hell, in Jesus’ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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