This is my second installment of four on this study of earnest prayer—which are excerpts from my book Principles of Prayer.
Eklenesteron. This word has basically the same meaning as ektenos, except with this word the intensity of earnestness is greater. The word appears in the New Testament only in Luke 22:44, where it describes the way Jesus prayed just before His trial and crucifixion: “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Here it seems that the reason why He prayed so earnestly was because He was so grieved and distressed over the thought of His crucifixion—where he would suffer and pay a horrible penalty for the sin of the whole world. But take note that His prayers were not weak as to feel sorry for Himself. No, His prayers were strong. As…
A general description of woke, in Wikipedia, is “being alert to racial prejudice and discrimination. It later came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism.
Perhaps a more specific definition more adapted from the left-wing movement is this: Wokeism is a movement to indoctrinate people into believing that white people are oppressors and that they need to “wake up” to that reality (from Beyond Biden).
I’m sure that if we were to interview ten different people on the street and ask them what wokeism is, that we would get ten different answers. Wokeism is a fairly new (or changing) concept and there is probably a lot of confusion about it. But we should know this: it is a concept and a movement that is Marxist, and it is being taught in our universities. And the movement is growing and it is evil and immoral; and it is against all that we know to be good, moral and right.
For this post I will take nine excerpts from chapter six of the book Beyond Biden, by Newt Gingrich on the topic of understanding wokeism. I am sure that Gingrich has done his homework on this subject—he has forty-six end notes on this chapter alone. Here goes…
What is wokeism?
Wokeism is a toxic stew of left-wing philosophies that have merged into a self-perpetuating eruption of destructive nonsense flowing down from our universities into our K-12 classrooms, corporate boardrooms, and government centers. (Please read on.)
The woke [those that believe in and teach wokeism] don’t care about truth, only about the advancement of their narrative.
Critical theory teaches the woke (those that are just getting into this movement) that there is a hierarchy of oppression in the world. At the top sit straight, white Christian men. They have the most of what the woke call “privilege,” and because of that, their opinions should be dismissed.
Anyone who expresses opinions that do not fit into the woke narrative is declared to have an inauthentic voice or having internalized oppression/racism.
The woke believe racism pervades all of society, affects all our institutions and policies, and manifests itself in every single interaction we have as a people. As a result of this mindset, the woke see racism everywhere and feel compelled to “call it out” so it can be dismantled. (So, I suppose this is the basis for the rioting and what we call the great reset.)
The idea of “whiteness” is a key concept for the woke and they want white people to become hyperaware of their racial identity. On this idea, a speaker of The Yale School of Medicine’s Department, Dr. Aruna Khilanani said, “White people are out of their minds and have been for a long time. She then bragged about cutting most white people out of her life. (This sound like Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago.)
Ibram Kendi stated explicitly that schools should be used as centers of indoctrination rather than education. He argues that teachers must teach their students anti-racist ideas. However, as an anti-racist scholar said, “I am white. White people can never be anything but oppressors…Being complicit with racism is something that we as white people just are.
The woke define whiteness in purely negative terms and then force white people to identify with that negativity. This, said Newt Gingrich, is cultlike behavior and is the first step in brainwashing.
Wokeism claims that American ideals (such as hard work and merit) are a lie since it is part of the white culture.
My Conclusion
You know, after pondering all this, the main idea I get from wokeism is that it is very childish and immature behavior. It is like what a group of misbehaved children would think of saying and doing to some other kids that they are mad at. They have no moral compass. They are just striking out, expressing their anger, saying: you got me so now I’m gonna get you. But the only real solution for all of us is to cry out to God for help. God alone will heal our wounds. He will give us a new heart and a new life so that we can all live together in harmony, black and white and brown together.
I am writing a book now on THE TRIBULATION. I have written the first chapter entitled Leading Up to the Tribulation, and I presented six points: 1) Dealing With, Or Not Dealing With The Aftershocks Of The Rapture; 2) Setting Up A Global Government; 3) Seeing The Beginnings Of A New Global Religion; 4) The Ezekiel Invasion; 5) The Rise Of The Antichrist; and 6) World Peace, Temple Preparation And The Peace Covenant.
I will be blogging these points as I go. Here is point number two.
SETTING UP A GLOBAL GOVERNMENT
As the world tries to deal with the aftershocks of the Rapture, key leaders of many countries will begin to meet together to find global solutions. And we know, according to Scripture, that the world will come to a unified agreement on the establishment of a new global government—as well as a new global religion. It is likely, however, though many ideas will be discussed and agreed upon, that the new government won’t actually begin until the commencement of the signing of the peace accord with Israel, which will mark the beginning of the Tribulation.
There is no way of knowing the details of what will be discussed when the key leaders come together, but the topic of a new global government will probably be the most immediate. Under this major topic they will likely discuss and seek to make decisions on a global currency, the form of government and controls of the government.
It seems that the world has already made huge strides with currencies, or with many new methods of payment, especially with credit cards and also by bank transfers. I don’t see that there will be any problems with converting to a global currency or maybe with on credit card used by all.
As far as the government itself, most bible scholars agree that the new world government will be a revived Roman Empire. Biblical proof of this is taken from three Daniel passages.
Daniel 2:32-40. This passage gives us the familiar story of king Nebuchadnezzars’ dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it. He saw in his dream a huge statue of a man with a head of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron and feet of both iron and clay. Along with Daniel’s recognition of the four different world kingdoms, scholars now recognize these kingdoms as such: the head of gold as Babylon, the silver breast and arms as Medo-Persia, the belly and thigh of bronze as Greece, and the iron legs and feet as Rome.
Our focus in these last days are on that forth empire of Rome, and particularly on the feet which, in the dream, were made of a mixture of iron and clay. The strong legs of iron we reason represents the early historic Rome, and the feet represents the revived future Rome. And we must take note that since the feet are of that mixture, that the coming revived Roman empire will be somewhat weaker than the early Rome.
Daniels 2:41-42. From these verses the writer of Daniel does not say that there are ten toes on the feet of the statute, but we can make that assumption. Hence, we may surmise that the ten toes symbolize the same as the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7:24, which, as we are told, represents ten kings—ten kings that are in our future and which will be a part of the future Roman empire.
Daniel 9:26. In this verse we see a timeline of events from the Messiah’s death to the beginning of the Tribulation. Our focus is now on the phrase “and the people of the prince who is to come.” “The prince” here refers not to Jesus but to the Antichrist, the “he” in verse 27. “The people” of the prince are the Romans, because, according to history, they destroyed “the city and the sanctuary” (Jerusalem and the temple).
So, we see from this passage that the Romans are called “the people of the prince,” which are the people of the Antichrist. Hence, this gives us proof that the Romans will be revived during the days of the Antichrist.
Now besides this evidence of the Revived Roman Empire, there is also evidence that its government headquarters will be located in the European Union. Here are…
Seven Reasons why the European Union will becomeThe Revived Roman Empire
1. The EU has the dimensions of an empire in the same area of the old Roman Empire.The EU presently has 28 countries and it has the goal of enlisting a total of 50 countries, including North Africa, North and South America, and Israel.
2. The EU has a power structure that will work for the Antichrist.They have a federalist ideology that is divided between a strong undemocratic central authority and individual units. Hence, it would be very easy for them to give way to a dictatorship and also to set up ten main divisions of power—which will happen in the Revived Roman Empire under the Antichrist (Dan. 2:41-42; 7:24; Rev. 17:12).
3. The EU is preparing its people for the Antichrist. In the last few years, they have been using devious means to make the nation states less autonomous, less powerful, and more willing to be controlled by a central leader.
4. The EU has a goal to unite the world in peace.This goal fits well with what the Antichrist will accomplish during the first few months of his reign.
5. The EU has peaceful plans for Israel. It is in their plans to offer Israel free trade, protection and peace. This Israeli friendship may be the key element confirming the EU as the Revived Roman Empire.
6. The EU’s conflicts of authority. we are seeing a growing problem in the EU between the central power and the weaker national powers. It seems to me that the conflicts have to do with allowing too many people of different cultures to enter their countries without properly vetting them. In any event, this problem matches well with what we see in Daniel 2:431-43: the problem with the iron and the clay.
7. There are some reports that the EU is moving closer to a ten-nation federation. The ten toes and the ten king’s prophecy are coming into view.
This is our twenty-sixth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study.
Luke 11:53-12:3
53 When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.
12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
Observations
In verse 53 and 54, the reason why the Pharisees were so angry at Jesus is because of Jesus’ earlier rebuke of them—His “woes” on them. And so, they were plotting against Him to catch Him off guard. But Jesus, being always on guard, was more concerned with His disciples that they be on their guard against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He knew that they were always hiding something, they were always not being truthful. And so, He told them that in the judgment everything will come out, all that is hidden will be made known.
Application
We are always to be on our guard against unbelievers like the Pharisees. People like them are always hiding something; they are always whispering something. They are not to be trusted. But in the end, everyone will find out the truth. No one will get away with anything.
According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, this Greek word “[comes] from a verb which means to ‘stretch out the hand,’ thus it means to be stretched out.” In prayer, it conveys the idea of praying fervently, without ceasing and not relaxing in effort. This kind of prayer is a continuous prayer of straining and stretching to gain the answer.
Ektenos is found only twice in the New Testament. In Acts 12:5, it is used to describe the kind of prayer the church prayed for Peter, who was kept in prison. In this verse ektenos has been translated at least four different ways. The NIV and the RSV translate it as “earnestly praying” and “earnest prayer for him was made.” The KJV translates ektenos as prayer “without ceasing,” the NKJV as “constant prayer,” and the NASB as prayer being made “fervently.” I’m not sure which one of the translations is the…
I have been reading the book, Beyond Biden: Rebuilding the America we Love, by Newt Gingrich. I have to hand it to Newt for learning and understanding all the stuff he has put in his book, especially about wokeism and racism and critical race theory, etc. It is so complex to wade through it all. And it has its root in Marxism; and its goal is to destroy America. I feel so sorry for all the black people who are so taken in by it all. They have already gone through enough. Now it seems that they are forced to go through it all over again.
America is not a racist country. But we are now being told that everything in America is racist and that it all has to be torn down and “built back better.” This is why they are endeavoring to rewrite our language—because everything we say and do is embedded with racism. For example, the term hiking, baseball, Star Wars, specialty coffee, classical music, the candy industry; those terms they say are racist. And we have to get rid of them. I suppose they are thinking that if black people are not substantially involved in those things, the terms can’t be anything but racist. And so, anything where there has not been an equal involvement between blacks and whites is racist (but I’m sure there is more to it than that).
But for those who tear it all down, aren’t they also being racist? And if we do tear everything down and build it over, won’t all the new terms and ideas and culture be a new racism? Can man in his sinful nature get rid of the sin of racism? No! Only God who is perfect can do that. Man needs a new heart, a new self, which will come only through a conversion, only through redemption through Jesus Christ. He will redeem us from our old sinful racist nature. Then, for the first time we can know how to overcome racism and how to be whole. And then when we sin again, we can know where to go to find forgiveness.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things past away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Good news for Trump and all freedom loving people. Devin Nunes will resign from Congress at the end of the year and will be the CEO of the new Trump media organization. It will be called Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG). I saw the following article on a Fox News site:
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., will resign from Congress at the end of the year.
Fox News has confirmed that Nunes plans to leave, with a source saying the lawmaker “got a job offer that he can’t refuse” as CEO of a newly established Trump media organization.
“Trump Media & Technology Group today announced that Congressman Devin G. Nunes has been selected to join the Company as Chief Executive Officer,” the organization said in a statement. “Mr. Nunes will be leaving the U.S. House of Representatives and will begin his new role as Chief Executive Officer of TMTG in January 2022.”
Donald Trump, Chairman of TMTG, commented in the statement: “Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader. He will make an excellent CEO of TMTG. Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great.”
Nunes became one of the most outspoken defenders of former President Donald Trump, being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump just two weeks before the inauguration of President Biden.
Trump praised Nunes’ “courageous actions” in being a vocal critic of special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, crediting him with helping “thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president.”
“Devin’s efforts led to the firing, demotion, or resignation of over a dozen FBI and DOJ employees,” the White House said in a statement at the time. “He also forced the disclosure of documents that proved that a corrupt senior FBI official pursued a vindictive persecution of General Michael Flynn — even after rank and file FBI agents found no evidence of wrongdoing.”
The veteran lawmaker in 2018 released the “Nunes Memo,” which alleged federal surveillance abuses by the Obama administration’s Department of Justice.
“He had the fortitude to take on the media, the FBI, the Intelligence Community, the Democrat Party, foreign spies, and the full power of the Deep State,” the White House statement said.
Nunes will next be at the head of Trump’s yet-to-released social media platform, TRUTH Social.
Trump announced the launch of the social media platform in October, which is slated for full release in 2022.
“I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech. We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable,” Trump said in a press release at the time.
“I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. I’m excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech. Everyone asks me why doesn’t someone stand up to Big Tech? Well, we will be soon!” he added.
Nunes was first elected to represent California’s 22nd congressional district in 2003. He served as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019 and remains the top Republican on the committee.
The California lawmaker would have been next in line to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after the retirement of Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas., if the GOP were to regain control of the House after the midterm elections.
I really like Devin Nunes. He has a very serious and determined look about him. And he is also a great guy. You can just tell; he will be good for the new Trump organization. But more importantly, he will be good for America, because he has what it takes to bring Big Tech to its knees—to bring them in line. Big Tech is what is behind the Great Reset, and they are also the villain behind our voting problems and much of our freedoms. They must be stopped and I know that Nunes will help with that effort.
It is my opinion that there will be a few years between the Rapture and the Tribulation in order to set up everything that is needed for the seven-year Tribulation. Of course, we know that God can do anything in His wisdom to make things work according to His plans. And so, He can fix it so that the Tribulation will start immediately after the Rapture if He chooses. However, it seems more logical to me that there will be a period of time between the Rapture and the Tribulation. In my next few posts we will look at six events that I think will take place before the Tribulation—things that I think will need to happen before the signing of the peace covenant, which will mark the beginning of the Tribulation. The first is…
Dealing with the Aftershocks of the Rapture
During the first few days, weeks and even months after the Rapture people will be too shocked and saddened to do much of anything. Disturbing emotions of fear will be common. Many will have no idea what happened—why so many have disappeared. Some will just sit in their homes in shock. Others will go for long walks to try to figure out what happened. Hopefully, a few will turn to God in prayer and find salvation.
Along with fear there will be panic, anger and sadness. The grief and sadness will probably come first over the loss of loved ones, especially over missing children; all young children will be discovered as missing. Before long anger and panic will set in, especially at God for allowing whatever happened to happen.
Who knows how long these troubling emotions will last? For those who have more earthly treasures and large families, their suffering will be the worst.
After the most immediate effects of the Rapture are experienced, the next consequence may be rioting and looting. More than likely, only the worst types (thugs and criminals) will engage in this behavior; but there will probably be enough of them to overwhelm the police so that the National Guard will need to be called out. It is my guess that this kind of behavior will continue for some time, since all Christians will be absent.
We can’t foresee how much of an institutional collapse there will be; but undoubtedly, law enforcement, hospitals and the military will be stretched to the limit and put under a great strain.
Also, with true Christians being noticeably absent, I think the world will definitely see a moral collapse like never before. People everywhere will undergo a kind of panic of not knowing who to turn to for help. But the most wayward ones will probably be glad in the Rapture, knowing that they will be freer to do evil—and so lawlessness will increase on the earth.
This is our twenty-fifth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study.
Luke 11:37-44
37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.”
Observations
The Pharisee noticed right away that Jesus did not wash his hand before meal time. Yes, growing up we all were taught that we should wash our hands. But that is not as important as having a clean heart and mind. And tithing is also important, but not as important as loving God. And the way people see us and respect us is also important, but the way God sees us is most important. And it should be important to us to always be cleansed of sin and to have a right relationship with Him.
Application
Beware of people who are like Pharisees, who always look to impress others, but care not what God thinks. They care about how they look on the outside, but inside they are dead, dead to God.
Stephen Nielsen 