HELL IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
Hell is no laughing matter. Discover why Jesus warned so often about judgment, why our culture makes light of hell, and why knowing Christ is the only hope of salvation.
“Go to hell.”
“What the hell?”
“Hell must have frozen over.”
“I’ll see you in hell.”
We hear these expressions almost every day. They are spoken in anger, used as jokes, quoted in movies, sung in songs, and repeated so often that most people never stop to think about what they are saying.
Now think about heaven.
Have you ever heard someone say, “Go to heaven,” as an insult?
Have you ever heard someone joke, “Heaven must have frozen over”?
Of course not.
For some reason, our culture treats heaven with a certain respect while turning hell into a punchline.
Why?
Perhaps because Satan has accomplished one of his greatest deceptions. If he cannot convince people that judgment is not coming, he can at least convince them not to take it seriously.
Jesus certainly did.
No one in Scripture warned more about judgment than Jesus Christ. He did not speak of it as a joke or something to laugh about. He spoke of it as a reality that every person should prepare for.
Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14)
Notice what Jesus said.
Many are already traveling the broad road that leads to destruction. They may laugh about hell today, but they are walking toward a day when they will stand before the One who warned them.
The final judgment has not yet taken place. That day is still coming. But every person is moving toward an appointment they cannot avoid.
The writer of Hebrews says, “And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
That is why making light of hell is so dangerous.
When people joke about hell, they stop fearing the judgment of God. They treat His warnings as though they were nothing more than stories meant to frighten children.
But Jesus never treated them that way.
He came to save us from the judgment our sins deserve. That is why He went to the cross. His warnings were not spoken to drive people away, but to call them to repentance while there was still time.
Imagine standing before Jesus Christ on the day of judgment with a Bible tucked under your arm.
You attended church.
You knew the stories.
You could quote Scripture.
Others assumed you were a Christian.
Yet none of those things can save you.
Then you hear the most terrifying words anyone could ever hear:
“I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23)
Jesus did not say, “I knew you once.”
He said, “I never knew you.”
Knowing about Christ is not the same as knowing Christ.
One day, every joke about hell will end.
One day, every excuse will disappear.
One day, every one of us will stand before Jesus Christ.
The question will not be whether you owned a Bible.
The question will not be whether you went to church.
The question will not be whether you called yourself a Christian.
The question will be this:
Did you know Jesus Christ, and did He know you?
Hell is no laughing matter.
Neither is the gospel.
Today is the day to repent, believe in Jesus Christ, and follow Him while there is still time.
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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler
This work may be shared for ministry or personal use, but please credit the author when doing so. © Dean Butler | The Other Side of Amen | All rights reserved.
