No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived

The Bible states that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has conceived the things that God has prepared for those that love him.” I’ve heard this quoted many many times. Often in reference to heaven or some future life that is so good that we can’t even image it. 

But the truth is, this mystery is not so mysterious at all. It’s been answered in the text before and after this common quote.  

First notice that it’s all written in past tense: No eye has seen, no ear has heard. 

Now, let’s read the whole verse: 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.” Notice it starts with “But” some translations use “Therefore” So this means we need to look back to see what the “Therefore” is there for.  So let’s read the whole thing:

(NKJV) 1 Corinthians 2:1, And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2, For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3, I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4, And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Spiritual Wisdom 6, However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7, But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9, But as it is written:

            “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

            Nor have entered into the heart of man

            The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

10,       But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.

Here is a quick, easy to read, explanation on what the secret is:

Verses 1-5: The author, Paul, only came to talk about Jesus Christ Crucified. No other knowledge is needed. Absolutely nothing, nada, zero, zilch. 

Verses 6-8: The mystery was past tense, previously hidden. If it was not hidden, society would not have killed Jesus. 

Verse 9-10: Before Jesus hung on the cross, it was impossible to imagine, think of, hear, or see that Jesus dying on the cross was the path God had chosen to save his people. And God has now told us.

That’s the secret. That’s the “mystery of the ages” “the answer to the universe” “the answer to the question ‘why are we here’ ” Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. 

If this makes no sense to you, then read and contemplate the verses again.  Or consider that maybe you have heard the verses used out of context sooo much that this teaching might be very challenging to grasp. Or consider what verse 14 says: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them” 

Thanks for reading and please leave any comments below.