The only entity on earth that has power to break strongholds of the enemy's domain is the Church. The cross was a surprise to the enemy. What looked like defeat gave us the power, authority, and weapons to defeat the enemy throughout the ages.

While we have always had this authority, in the past few decades we have come to a greater understanding of the spiritual warfare that is necessary to see the power of the strategies and structures the enemy has in place destroyed. The Church must now war to come out of its status quo and into the "new". The "new" is not a different message of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but a new structure that presents that Gospel to a lost and dying world. Just as the structure was new in the first century, it is being "reformed" to meet the needs of the world in the 21st century. We must change into a vibrant, fire-filled army that marches forward.

This call to advance forces us to understand the issue of overthrowing Thrones of Iniquity. Satan's objective is to block the plan of God by gaining legal access and by establishing his legal right to control an area. Satan gains access into an area the same way he gains access into an individual's life or into a family line-through sin. Satan's goal is to escalate individual or family sin into corporate sin. When corporate sin enters into our assigned boundaries, we need to be aware of how that sin can build a throne of iniquity and how we, positioned in God's Army, have the authority to dismantle it. Sin has created a break in God's purpose or order. Since these breaks have occurred, Satan has taken advantage to gain an upper hand and begin to establish his influence in an area. From that place of influence, Satan can actually build a throne upon which he is seated in a territory. Revelation 2:13 says, "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is."

Once a breach or gap has formed, Satan has a throne from which he and his assigned hierarchy can rule. This throne is built on the corporate iniquity in that area and is actually linked with worship of that area. Remember, Satan wanted to exalt himself to become like God so that he would be worshiped. In exalting himself, Satan is attempting to draw all people to his counterfeit "light." Satan knows that all people were created as vessels of worship and, whether or not they realize it, they will worship something. The simple fact is that either they are worshiping the true and living God, or they are worshiping Satan and his demonic forces, either overtly or through sin (whether they be of omission or commission). It is this "worship" of corporate sin that builds the throne on which Satan is seated. It is from that throne that demonic forces work to perpetuate the sin and establish the throne of iniquity to an even greater extent.

In the book, The Future War of the Church, which I wrote with Rebecca Wagner Sytsema, we state the following: "All iniquity on earth is actually working from a satanic system of worship meant to usurp God's authority and keep lost souls in darkness to the truth of the gospel. Just as godly worship is made through sacrifice (e.g. the sacrifice of Jesus which reconciled our relationship to God, and then our own sacrfice of praise-see Jer. 33:11 and Heb 13:15) Satan's system of worship is also based on sacrifice" (p.105). In Worship Warrior: Ascending in Worship, Descending in War, John Dickson and I share much about the worship wars.

Sacrifice has great spiritual power. A good example of this can be found in 2 Kings 3 where Moab rose up against Israel in rebellion. In verse 24 we read that Israel attacked the Moabites and were winning the battle, not only driving the Moabites back, but taking Moabite cities along the way. However, the Moabite king, seeing that he was being soundly defeated in battle, took his oldest son who was to inherit the throne and killed him, offering him "as a burnt sacrifice along the wall" (v. 27). This hideous act of sacrifice caused Israel to retreat. Who ultimately benefits from the sacrifice of sin? Satan and the forces of hell. Just as our sacrificial giving unlocks resources to advance God's covenant plan, sacrifices to Satan release demonic hordes into an area. Therefore, it is through this sacrifice of sin that Satan sets up a system of worship-in fact, Revelation even says there is a synagogue of Satan. "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" Rev. 2:9. Another primary way that Satan maintains his system of worship in an area is through a confederation of people within an area. Even though we are not warring against flesh and blood, the demon forces in an area are usually inhabiting a group of people that have aligned themselves with them through idolatrous worship, forming a church-like entity, a system of worship, or a fellowship that is aligned around Satan. This confederation would include such things as witch covens, churches of Satan, and pagan or Wicca worship. Demonic forces actually use these people to perpetuate keeping an entire area in darkness.

We see a clear example of this in Acts 16 where Paul casts a demon of divination out of a slave girl. Paul's actions were not meant to merely set one girl free of demonic torment, but were meant to bring the gospel into a territory held captive by the spirit that inhabited her. In his commentary on the book of Acts called The Acts of the Holy Spirit, C. Peter Wagner explains how the spirit of divination in this girl was actually a powerful Python spirit that was a strongman of Satan in the area. He writes: "This episode of strategic-level spiritual warfare would affect the whole city of Philippi. ... [This deliverance] turned out to be a major public display of the power of God over the power of Satan, and the territorial spirit over Philippi was thoroughly embarrassed. The strongman had been bound in the name of Jesus. The way had been opened for the gospel to spread and for a powerful church to be planted" (p 405). We were recently in an apostolic leadership meeting with apostles from around the world when Dr. Jay Swallow shared about going into the Sioux territory of the Dakotas and stopping at the "gates" of the region and declaring that it was time for the forces over that region to move out of the way for God's Throne to be established. Before he did this, five to seven suicides per month were occurring. Since that time, it has been one year without a suicide in that territory.

This is the time to deny spiritual forces that are aligned with Satan's purposes. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." This is the time to dethrone powers in this region. Psalm 94:20 says, "Shall the throne of iniquity, which devise evil by law, have fellowship with you?"

How do we do this? How do we look this level of demonic forces in the face and rebuke them? This is where we get back to boundaries and to our proper covenant place. When God gives the Church in a city the right order of government and gifting, and the Church begins to come into the proper order, we then have the authority to dethrone the thrones of iniquity that rule in our cities. Many times in Scripture, people mixed the worship of God and idols. He is not a God who tolerates mixture. Therefore, He said to Israel, "I will destroy your high places and your altars shall be desolate" (see Ezek. 6:3, Num. 33:52). The Lord showed the Israelites that they would need to drive out any form of worship within their boundaries that did not lead them to Him. If they did not, this form of worship would deplete their faith and cause them to lose their spiritual and physical blessings.

We find in biblical times that Josiah was a great example of dethroning thrones of iniquity. We also find that Jezebel, Ahab, and their successor, Athaliah, were all dethroned from their influence in the earth realm in Israel. God is calling intercessors to arise now. He is calling strategic intercession to align with apostolic authority in the earth realm. When this occurs, we will see a modern day dethroning of Satan's power from nation to nation throughout the 40/70 Window. We will also see God's throne established and His Kingdom advance.

In Luke 11 we find the model prayer. This is really a prayer and a cry for the Kingdom of God to come. The Lord's prayer in the Ampli. ed Version begins, "Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as it is in heaven." God needs to build His Kingdom in our hearts, families, churches, cities, states, and nations we are a part of. He longs for His Kingdom rule to reside in the earth realm. Therefore, we must have a mentality of the Kingdom and the throne and rule of God to be victorious in days ahead. The Kingdom of God is already here in the earth realm, but it is not here in its fullness. In a sense it is already, but it is not yet. It is here today, yet it is still to come in the future. Therefore, in order to see God's Kingdom come in its fullness, we must understand how to pray and position ourselves for the future.

Get ready for a great shaking. Through intercessory prayer, prophetic declarations, and apostolic execution of God's plan, nations of the 40/70 Window are about to change. Thrones of iniquity are going to fall. We are about to see a tremendous shift in Worship throughout the world as God's Throne is reestablished and the Church rises into a new glory.