When we come to God the Father through Jesus Christ, we are enlisted into an army. Most people think of salvation primarily as a ticket to heaven—and for many, that’s where it ends. But salvation is not just access to eternity with God; it’s the beginning of transformation and the invitation to submit to Christ’s lordship over our lives. When we stop at “getting saved,” we miss the full purpose and power of what salvation was designed to do.
Yes, salvation is our entry point to eternal life with God, but that wasn’t the original or primary objective. God’s first intent for humanity is revealed in Genesis 1:26–28—to have dominion, to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish the earth, and to subdue it. Heaven is not the end goal; relationship with God is. Even in the end, Revelation 21 tells us about the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem—God reestablishing His dwelling with us. It’s about restored fellowship, not relocation.
So whether on earth or in heaven, the goal is communion with God the Father. As a result, when Jesus spoke in parables, it wasn’t just to tell stories—it was to communicate kingdom principles, divine strategies, and military secrets for those with ears to hear (Matthew 13:10–17). These were instructions for how to live under the King’s authority and carry out His will on earth.
Salvation, then, is the only way—through Jesus Christ—to be restored to right relationship with the Father. But that relationship also makes us sons and daughters, and sons and daughters are responsible for the Father’s business. That business has always been kingdom business—dominion and stewardship over the earth, as first given in Genesis 1:26.
Once we are in right standing with God, we are reinstated into our role as kingdom representatives. To fulfill that role, we must understand the King’s commands and walk in our authority. Earth is an outpost of heaven—an extended territory of God’s kingdom—where we have been charged to implement His rule.
That’s what Matthew 6:10 teaches us when Jesus instructs His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
This is why not everyone understood Jesus’ parables: they were spiritual codes, kingdom blueprints. Only those with spiritual ears—those in covenant with the King—could receive the instructions to enforce heaven’s agenda on earth. The enemy is still actively opposing that agenda. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
We are in a spiritual battle—a war Christ has already won. But now, we are commissioned to enforce that victory. Matthew 16:18 declares that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.” Gates are defensive structures—they indicate that hell is trying to hold onto territory it has no legal right to. But we, the Church, often don’t realize that Christ has already reclaimed those territories.
The enemy keeps us in ignorance, because a Church unaware of its authority will not challenge the gates of hell. But Matthew 18:18 says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In the Greek, the phrasing implies that heaven has already sanctioned the decision—we just need to enforce it on earth. That’s partnership.
God gave humanity dominion in the beginning (Genesis 1:28), and He never took it back. Even after the fall, Satan couldn’t take dominion—he had to deceive Adam and Eve into giving it up. He still operates the same way today—through lies, manipulation, and a darkened mindset. That’s why we’re told in Ephesians 2:2–3 that, before Christ, we were “children of disobedience,” walking according to the prince of the power of the air.
Without Christ, we are naturally bent toward darkness, subject to deception. And between our fallen nature and an adversary who’s actively working to steal, kill, and destroy, we’re incapable of walking in dominion unless we are born again (John 3:3–5). But once reborn, we are empowered to fulfill the King’s commands.
Through Jesus, we’ve been authorized to come against anything that does not reflect the kingdom of light—sickness, poverty, fear, confusion, depression. When we know the promises of God and the authority He has given us, we can stand in faith and bring heaven to earth. As Romans 10:8 says, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.”
Matthew 18:19–20 reinforces this: “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” Agreement with God’s Word brings kingdom results.
This isn’t about name-it-claim-it for material things. It’s about rescuing people from behind the gates of hell—liberating them from bondage, bringing healing to the broken, restoring purpose to the lost. It’s about kingdom territory.
If it doesn’t exist in heaven, it shouldn’t exist in your life. Wherever the sons and daughters of the kingdom are, the power to bring change should be present. That’s what it means to tread down, to have dominion, to subdue, to be fruitful—to reproduce the kingdom of God and extend His territory on the earth.
Christ has won the victory, and now He rules until His enemies are made His footstool (1 Corinthians 15:24–25). And then, He will hand the kingdom back to the Father. But until then, it’s our job to enforce His victory.
The ultimate goal? To reconcile everything and everyone the enemy has stolen—especially souls—back into right relationship with the Father. Because if it’s not kingdom, it’s counterfeit. And we are heaven’s authorized agents that make the difference.