I first ran across the seven-mountain teaching while helping to refine a translation of it into Korean for a North Korea ministry here in the States. I was taken back a bit at how confident the writers were that this was of God, that we were to accept it with no questions asked.

Something I cannot find in Scripture I will question, until I am satisfied that my questioning is meaningless or vain. I certainly do not want to be found having come against the Spirit of God by a hard heart that cannot hear truth. But neither do I want to be a watchman who was standing on the wall and allowed an enemy soldier to slip by me on into the camp.

Actually there is a seven-mountain prophecy in the book of Revelation. It is a picture of the kingdoms of this world and their future status. We can only hope and pray that the promoters of this new dogma are not in any way related to John’s vision. But there are some similarities.

Loren Cunningham of Youth With a Mission and Bill Bright of [the former] Campus Crusade for Christ were the originators of a list of seven spheres of influence which, it is affirmed, Christians must conquer if the world is to come to Christ. I say “the former” above because the Crusade has decided to drop “Christ” from its label. We can also hope and pray that this move is not related to the new strategy.

The seven areas of conquest are said to be the family, the church, education (worldwide), the media, arts and entertainment, economy/business, and government. This at least is Cunningham’s list. Bright’s was said to be quite similar, and upon discovery of this similarity both men, and Francis Schaeffer with them, decided that they had heard from God. For decades now, this theory has been circulating around the world.

In short, the idea is that we are to conquer by our influence, not by guns and such, and salt down the world in such a major way that when Jesus comes we will be able to present to Him a perfect world, filled with His grace, one that pleases Him.

Even elementarily educated believers know that this “dominion”-style theology is nowhere taught in God’s Word. The picture there is of a world gone absolutely mad, about to destroy itself when Jesus comes to save the very elect from being wiped out. In the Biblical teaching, salt and light and living are all indeed to be presented to a lost world, but most will reject it in favor of other gods and the pleasures of the flesh. God’s people, far from being kings of their various mountains, will be hated of all nations, as was Christ Himself.

Jesus was offered all these mountains of the world by Satan himself, and flatly turned them down. He certainly does not call His people to accept what He refused. With one fiery blast of judgment on His return, the Kingdoms of this world will become , with no help from me, the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

The world does not have to be “Christian” for Jesus to come. It has to be helpless and hopeless. It’s getting quite close to that now. Our intercession may indeed cause the Lord to wait a while longer, but rest assured He is not holding back because His people are not CEO’s and Movie Stars and Presidents.

Of course God’s people are lifted up! Of course God has His way of infiltrating societies! But never does He set this goal before His people as a plan of action. Never. The unchanging plan is to go and preach the Gospel into every nation. Those who believe will be saved. Those who do not will be damned. I’m not running for Governor to make that happen. I don’t have to run the local bank. Wherever I am, I am to be faithful. If He lifts me up, He does.