<p>16:6 <i>And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia<em>- </em></i>Paul writes to the Corinthians of how he had been given areas in which it was potentially possible for him to preach in (2 Cor. 10:13), and he didn&rsquo;t enter into those areas which had either already been preached in, or which were another brother&rsquo;s responsibility. This seems to suggest that God does indeed look down from Heaven and as it were divide up the world amongst those who could preach in it. This is why Paul perceived that he had been &lsquo;forbidden&rsquo; from preaching in some areas e.g. Macedonia and yet a door was opened to him in Achaia. Likewise he felt he had been forbidden s.w. to preach to Rome until the time of Rom. 1:13. This language is allusive to the way in which the Lord forbad Israel to conquer certain areas on their way to the promised land (Dt. 2:37). The point is, between us, our preaching is a war of conquest for Jesus, pulling down strong holds and fortresses as Paul put it; or, as Jesus expressed it, taking the Kingdom by force, as stormtroopers. How the Spirit achieved this 'forbidding' isn't clear, although the same word is used in 1 Thess. 2:16 about how Jewish opposition 'forbad' Paul preaching to Gentiles. But even this, for which the Jews were culpable, was used by the Spirit in the bigger picture of God's purpose.</p>