Reposting these few posts from the last few days so as not to be lost in the shuffle ...
*********************
Matthew 24:43-44
Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in.
Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.
The kingdom and the culture is guarded by the parousia, without which cardboard castles will fall. The house of faith can be seen as the interior work of the believers. We are the masters of our own house. The keepers of our temples.
Hebrews 3:6
but Christ, as Son over his house, whose house are we, if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.
Mark 13:34
it's as a man gone out of the country, having left his house and given to his bondmen the authority, and to each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper that he should watch.
Matthew 7:24
Whoever therefore hears these my words and does them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock;
Does it seem odd that in this parable Christ Himself typifies the thief?
1 Thessalonians 5:2
for ye know perfectly well yourselves, that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief by night.
2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements, burning with heat, shall be dissolved, and the earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.
Revelation 3:3
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and keep it and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know at what hour I shall come upon thee.
Revelation 16:15
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked, and that they may not see his shame.
The Lord, unlike a common thief, has announced His arrival and comes not to cause loss but to cause a blessing. What is reinforced in the parable is that He may come at any time. I think we all are aware of when our own deeply guarded house has been broken into by the Lord. Even the foundations have been shaken and with fear and trembling we have had to rebuild on higher truths.
************************
Colossians 2:2
That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,
Emotions of love for God as the mystery is revealed. Knowledge that is one with the mind of Christ. Eventually that will result in the full knowledge of Christ.
Ephesians 3:9-12
..to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. This is so God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. This is according to His eternal purpose accomplished in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
That which is unsearchable means that it's untraceable, previously not made known. These are not doctrines. They are announcements of His riches for us, His Body; Christ as light, truth, life, holiness, righteousness. Things He has for us, the accounts of what He has attained for us.
Paul deemed himself to be the least to receive the grace to be an ambassador of the mystery. Paul's gift was unique but the grace to achieve maturity is for all.
Ephesians 2:4-8
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
*************************
Bitterness of the Old testament isn't the same as Christians are meant to experience bitterness in the New Testament.
The old testament refers to "the angry discontent of a rebellious person" resulting from the "poison venom of the serpent".
Look at these results from a search of Strong's Concordance on the word bitter or bitterness in the Hebrew
4751 mar mar or (feminine) marah {maw-raw'}; from 4843; bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly:--+ angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, X great, heavy.
4805 mriy mer-ee' from 4784; bitterness, i.e. (figuratively) rebellion; concretely, bitter, or rebellious:--bitter, (most) rebel(-lion, -lious).
4846 mrorah mer-o-raw' or mrowrah {mer-o-raw'}; from 4843; properly, bitterness; concretely, a bitter thing; specifically bile; also venom (of a serpent):--bitter (thing), gall.
There are other references in the OT but these are the usual meaning. There is, however, only 4 meanings for the same words in the NT.
When bitterness is spoken of in the NT believer it refers to a bitter and violent piercing and makes no mention of anger, discontent or rebellion.
4087. pikraino pik-rah'-ee-no from 4089; to embitter (literally or figuratively):--be (make) bitter.
4088. pikria pik-ree'-ah from 4089; acridity (especially poison), literally or figuratively:--bitterness.
4089. pikros pik-ros' perhaps from 4078 (through the idea of piercing); sharp (pungent), i.e. acrid (literally or figuratively):--bitter.
4090. pikros pik-roce' adverb from 4089; bitterly, i.e. (figuratively) violently:--bitterly.
It seems to me that satan can still bite the new creation of believers, sometimes using those closest to us to inflict the pain.
Jesus' saving grace saves us from the anger, discontent and rebellion but not from the pain involved from the poison inflicted on tender hearts, made more tender from association with Jesus. Jesus' compassion always shone through His pain, but no doubt Satan inflicted serious poison on His soul, probably more than any other.
It also helps to see and prove His overcoming to the new creation ...
**********************
The secret to not let the poison set in is to not harbour anger either good or bad, but to clean the slate with God each and every night. Ephesians 4:26
Be angry, and do not sin. Quoted from Psalms 4:4. By NT standards, anger can be either good or bad, depending on motive and purpose. Paul may have been sanctioning righteous indignation, anger at evil. This type of anger hates injustice, immorality, ungodliness, and every other sin. When such anger is unselfish and based on love for God and others, it not only is permissible but commanded. Jesus expressed this righteous anger
Matthew 21:12 Mark 3:5 John 2:15
Even righteous anger can turn to bitterness, so should be set aside by the end of each day. If anger is prolonged, it may become hostile and violate the instruction of Romans 12:17-21