Stephen Spaulding sees a clear line of thinking and action running from the Bible's patriarchs and prophets through the life and teachings of the Anointed One, Christ. He continues to trace this line through the apostle Paul's calling and career as well as his visionary writings and on to the future reality which the apostle John portrays at the end of his book of Revelation. He calls it his own, new baseline―primary sum up―of the great commission. It is quite simple and stark. He summarizes it as “obedient nations.” That simple phrase, according to Spaulding, encompasses most of what we as Christ's followers have been involved within mission for the past century, but also much more.