From the First to the Last — Hearing, Trusting, and the Things Not Yet Seen
Throughout our studies, we've returned repeatedly to the importance of hearing. Noah heard the warning before the waters came. The sheep recognize the Shepherd's voice. Mary recognized Jesus when he called her by name. And those who belong to YHWH (יהוה) are repeatedly called to remain faithful even when what has been promised is not yet visible.
But what does it mean to believe without seeing?
Is faith merely agreeing that something is true because someone has told us so? Or does genuine faith involve hearing, trusting, and responding to what YHWH (יהוה) has made known, even when the fulfillment remains unseen?
These questions bring us back to the difference between believing what we have been taught and placing our trust in the One who gives life.
Faith — The Assurance of Things Not Seen
Hebrews 11:1 speaks of faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The chapter then provides examples of those whose faith became visible through their actions. Read Hebrews 11:1–6.
Abel offers. Enoch walks with God. Noah prepares. Abraham goes out without knowing where he is going. Sarah receives strength concerning what had been promised.
Their experiences differ, but a relationship becomes apparent: faith is not limited to what can already be demonstrated through physical sight.
And Hebrews 11:6 connects faith with drawing near to God, believing that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him.
This brings us to the foundation of our studies. We cannot simply accept a claim because it has been repeated for generations. We must examine what Scripture reveals and seek YHWH (יהוה) with sincerity.
Faith is not the absence of questions. It is trusting YHWH (יהוה) while continuing to seek the understanding He provides.
Noah — Warned About Things Not Yet Seen
Hebrews 11:7 specifically identifies Noah's faith.
He receives a warning concerning things not yet seen and responds by preparing the ark for the preservation of his household. Read Hebrews 11:7.
Notice that Noah does not require the waters to appear before acting.
He hears, believes, and prepares.
We examined his entrance into the ark, the closing of the door, the extended preservation, and the later instruction to emerge.
His faith was not limited to one moment. It continued through the waiting.
This matters because we sometimes imagine faith as a single decision rather than a relationship demonstrated through continued obedience.
Would Noah's faith have been the same if he had heard the warning but refused to prepare?
The question brings us back to James, who examines the relationship between faith and works.
Faith and Works — What Does Our Response Reveal?
James 2:14–26 asks what benefit there is in someone claiming faith while failing to act upon it.
James describes a brother or sister lacking clothing and daily food. Someone may offer comforting words without providing what is needed.
What good is such a response?
He then points to Abraham and Rahab, whose actions demonstrated the faith they professed. Read James 2:14–26.
This brings us back to the observation we added to Post Thirteen ~ The Door and the Voice: it is not simply whether someone responds, but how they respond.
Love expressed only through words may conceal a heart unwilling to act.
John likewise tells us not to love merely in word or speech, but in deed and truth. Read 1 John 3:16–18.
Now consider Jesus' warning in Matthew 7:21–23. Some call him Lord and point to remarkable works done in his name, yet he tells them that he never knew them.
That should give us reason to examine not merely the works someone performs, but the heart and purpose behind those actions.
A person may appear religious, possess knowledge, or claim authority while lacking genuine love.
Faith is not established by outward performance alone. The response must arise from a heart seeking YHWH (יהוה).
And genuine care for others cannot be replaced by impressive religious claims.
Abraham — Going Without Knowing
Hebrews 11:8 describes Abraham obeying the call to go out toward a place he was to receive as an inheritance, without knowing where he was going.
He dwells as a stranger in the land of promise, waiting for the city whose builder and maker is God. Read Hebrews 11:8–16.
That brings us back to our previous comparison between what human beings build and the dwelling established by YHWH (יהוה).
Abraham's faith is not demonstrated by possessing the completed inheritance immediately. He continues while looking toward what has been promised.
And Hebrews 11 goes on to describe people who died in faith without receiving the fullness of the promises.
This is important.
Not seeing the promised completion during one's earthly life does not mean the promise has failed.
Nor does it mean that the faithful person has been forgotten.
Our earlier study of the Sabbath rest, the kingdom that cannot be shaken, and the appointed completion of the mystery brings us back to this distinction.
Mary — Recognition Beyond Appearance
In John 20, Mary Magdalene stands outside the tomb, grieving. She sees Jesus but does not initially recognize him.
Then he calls her by name.
She recognizes him and responds. Read John 20:11–18.
We examined this in Post Thirteen alongside our earlier Mary-and-feet study.
Mary's experience returns us to the Shepherd's words in John 10. He calls his sheep by name, and they recognize his voice.
Recognition is not presented solely through physical appearance.
This brings us back to our continuing examination of Christ's spiritual presence and the members who belong to him.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:16–17 that we no longer know Christ according to flesh and that anyone in Christ is a new creation.
Jesus also speaks of his disciples being in him and himself in them. Read John 14:18–23 and John 17:20–23.
If Christ is at work through the Spirit, should we assume that recognizing him requires the same physical experience for every member?
Mary's account invites us to consider the importance of hearing and the revealing that follows.
Thomas — Blessed Are Those Who Believe Without Seeing
Thomas initially refuses to believe the other disciples' report unless he sees the marks of the nails and places his hand in Jesus' side.
Jesus later appears and invites Thomas to examine the evidence he had demanded.
Thomas responds in belief.
Then Jesus speaks of those who have not seen and yet believe. Read John 20:24–29.
This passage has been important in our earlier study of the elect.
We have distinguished the protected Bride from those gathered afterward, and we have explored the promise associated with those who believe without seeing.
Thomas receives an appearance that answers his demand for visible evidence.
But Jesus pronounces a blessing upon those whose belief does not depend upon such an appearance.
Could this help us understand why different members are brought toward recognition through different experiences?
The account does not require every believer to have the same encounter Thomas received.
It invites us to consider the relationship between testimony, faith, and the One who gives understanding.
Paul — Witness Through Revelation
Paul provides another important comparison.
He does not describe following Jesus throughout his earlier earthly ministry. His encounter with Christ involves a heavenly light, a voice, and revelation.
In Galatians 1:11–16, Paul identifies the gospel he preached as received through revelation of Jesus Christ. He also speaks of God revealing His Son in him. Read Galatians 1:11–17.
Later, Paul says that Christ lives in him. Read Galatians 2:20.
His testimony brings us back to our examination of spiritual life and the one body consisting of many members.
Not everyone receives the same gifts, responsibilities, or experiences. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 12.
Yet the many members belong to one body.
This also connects with our earlier discussion of Apollos, the disciples' understanding before Pentecost, and the later outpouring of the Spirit.
The experiences differ, but Christ remains the source of life.
A witness need not have followed Jesus physically during his earthly ministry to bear testimony concerning him.
And this raises an important question for our continuing study: what does it mean to witness through the Spirit?
The Spirit — Guiding Into Truth
Jesus tells his disciples that he still has many things to say, but that they cannot bear them at that time.
He then speaks of the Spirit of truth guiding them into all truth and declaring things to come. Read John 16:12–15.
Luke 8:10 also speaks of the mysteries of the kingdom being given to the disciples, while Paul describes hidden wisdom revealed through the Spirit. Read Luke 8:9–10 and 1 Corinthians 2:7–10.
We have examined these connections in our study of the mystery of Christ and the spiritual body.
Understanding is not measured merely by education, religious office, or the ability to repeat the explanations of others.
It depends upon what YHWH (יהוה) reveals through His Spirit.
Yet this does not excuse us from examining what we believe. The Scriptures repeatedly call us to listen, test, compare, and remain faithful.
Faith seeks truth. It does not demand that we abandon discernment.
And a person who claims to understand everything while refusing examination should give us reason for concern.
The Witnesses — Faithful Until Death
Revelation 11 describes two witnesses appointed to testify.
Their testimony is opposed. They are killed, and their dead bodies lie in the great city spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
After three and a half days, the Spirit of life from God enters them. They stand, hear a great voice from heaven, and ascend. Read Revelation 11:3–13.
We recently compared their rising with 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, where the dead in Christ rise first.
Daniel 12 also describes Michael arising during a time of unparalleled trouble, followed by deliverance and awakening.
These accounts bring us to faithfulness through suffering, testimony, death, and the life that follows.
The witnesses' faithfulness is not presented as dependent upon escaping every hardship.
Rather, they continue their appointed testimony.
And we have already examined the distinction between those protected during one appointed period and others who undergo testing.
Faithfulness is not measured simply by whether someone avoids suffering.
It is revealed through their response to what YHWH (יהוה) has entrusted to them.
Those Who Have Not Seen — Yet Remain Faithful
Hebrews 11 recounts many who acted in faith while awaiting promises not yet fully received.
Jesus pronounces a blessing upon those who believe without seeing.
Paul describes walking by faith, not by sight. Read 2 Corinthians 5:6–7.
Peter also speaks of believers loving Christ though they have not seen him and believing in him though they do not now see him. Read 1 Peter 1:6–9.
Now remember the distinction we've preserved concerning the Bride, the elect, and the great crowd.
These groups do not automatically have identical experiences, roles, or appointed periods.
Yet Scripture repeatedly emphasizes hearing, trusting, endurance, and the promise of life.
The Shepherd recognizes his own, even when the world does not recognize them.
And the appointed work of YHWH (יהוה) does not depend upon human institutions determining who belongs to Him.
The Rest That Remains — Faith Without Possessing Everything Yet
Hebrews 4 speaks of a rest that remains for the people of God.
The passage also warns against hearing without responding faithfully. Read Hebrews 3:7–4:13.
This returns us to the double provision before the seventh-day rest, Noah's preservation before emerging, and the Bridegroom's appointed return.
Faith involves waiting without assuming the work has been completed simply because the beginning has occurred.
We have followed Christ as the First, the preparation of the spiritual body, his appearing as the Last with the Bride, and the gathering that follows.
The greater work unfolds according to the purpose of YHWH (יהוה).
What remains promised is not forgotten simply because it has not yet become visible to us.
And the completion of God's mystery belongs to His appointed time.
Where the Word Leads
We began with Hebrews' description of faith concerning things not seen.
Noah acted before the flood. Abraham departed without knowing his destination. Mary recognized Jesus through his voice. Thomas received visible evidence, while Jesus blessed those who believe without seeing. Paul testified to Christ through revelation.
The witnesses remained faithful through suffering, and Hebrews reminds us that many who lived by faith did not receive the fullness of what had been promised during their earthly lives.
These accounts return us to the relationship between hearing, trusting, acting, and waiting.
Faith is more than believing that something will happen. It is remaining faithful to YHWH (יהוה) while His appointed work unfolds.
For now, I leave one question:
Are we seeking visible proof before we will respond, or are we learning to recognize the voice of YHWH (יהוה), trusting His promises, and demonstrating our faith through how we live?
What has not yet been seen is not necessarily absent.
And what YHWH (יהוה) has promised will not fail simply because we have not yet witnessed its completion.
Threads to Follow
- Faith and the unseen: Hebrews 11:1–16; 2 Corinthians 5:6–7.
- Noah's faith before the waters: Genesis 6–8; Hebrews 11:7.
- Faith demonstrated through actions: James 2:14–26; 1 John 3:16–18; Matthew 7:21–23.
- Mary hearing and recognizing: John 10:1–16; John 20:11–18; Luke 10:38–42.
- Thomas and those believing without seeing: John 20:24–29; 1 Peter 1:6–9.
- Paul's revelation and Christ within: Acts 9:1–19; Galatians 1:11–17; Galatians 2:20.
- The Spirit revealing hidden things: John 14–17; Luke 8:9–10; 1 Corinthians 2:7–10.
- The two witnesses and the first to rise: Revelation 11:3–15; Daniel 12:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17.
- The appointed rest and the waiting: Exodus 16:22–30; Hebrews 3:7–4:13.
- The spiritual body and the mystery: 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; 15:20–52; Revelation 10:7.
Connected studies in this series:
🌿 Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️ Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.
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