Before a region opens to the Gospel, however, the strongman of Matthew 12:29 must first be bound: “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (See also Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21–22.) The strongman may be a demonic principality that rules over a certain geographic area, leading a horde of demonic principalities that influence the affairs of people.
