You Have Heard It Said: “No Eye Has Seen…”

You Have Heard It Said…

Eye has not seen and ear has not heard nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Cor. 2:9 (ESV)

This passage is often quoted when attempting to evoke a sense of grandeur and awe concerning heaven – or eternal life as seen in this quote from an article in Relevant Magazine.

“Yes, heaven is going to be wonderful and it is worth being looked forward to. After all, isn’t looking forward to something one of the most enjoyable parts of the actual event? So let’s do ourselves a favor and instead of dreaming about our future spouses or dream homes or the things we are going to do during our retirement, let’s allow ourselves to dream of heaven.

Then we should let those thoughts fill our minds because no matter what we can imagine, heaven will surpass every expectation. As 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” I’m getting excited for eternity- are you?” 

Clearly this writer is sincere and trying to encourage us to look heavenward. But let’s look at the entire passage and see if there is not yet a richer understanding in this truth.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”– these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:6-14 (ESV)

We see here that Paul is speaking of a secret wisdom that the rulers of this age did not understand – for “Eye has not see and ear has not heard…” However, he then clearly states that this secret wisdom has been revealed to us by the Spirit. They could not see for they did not love Him, but we have seen and heard because we love Him! He is not hiding Himself but rather is seeking those in whom He can show Himself strong. He has given us His Spirit that we might “understand the things freely given to us by God.”

Only those who are natural do not see because the matters being spoken of here are spiritual – the “seeing” and “hearing” is spiritual. In other words the secret wisdom of Christ’s death and resurrection is foolishness to the natural mind. But those who love Him see and hear the wonders of what He has prepared for us in Christ.

Beloved we must realize that we do see and hear. That the wonders of Christ are ours to behold and know in this life. For the beauty and wonder of “heaven” is not the street of gold, or the gates of pearl – but Christ in His fulness – which is indeed something to look forward to – but can be seen today in one another! Indeed it is for our glory that God revealed Christ to us so that He might live in us and be expressed through us. 

For although He will not share His glory with another, He has birthed us into Himself through Christ that we might share the glory of the Father by the Spirit through the Son – for we have been brought into the fellowship of the Godhead. But if the enemy can trick us into thinking we cannot see and hear – and that all we can do is imagine – then we remain immature and ineffective. Remember John’s words…

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life–

the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us–that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 Jn 1:1-3 (ESV)

What does this passage reveal – without sight and hearing we have no proclamation! Beloved we have seen and heard, as is testified by our salvation and transformation. And as we are built together into a habitation of God we see and hear still more of Him. The more we see and hear, the more we proclaim and the more He is manifest.

Lord, continue to open our eyes and ears that we might know you more!