“but what did Jesus say in Matthew 12 to His disciples?”
Is the “binding” a once and for all thing or on a case by case basis?
Mat 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting
Mar 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
That’s an interesting question. If binding has to do with the spread of the gospel among the ethnos, and the effect of this unfettered spread is that the elect will come to faith in Christ, then certainly the binding can be viewed on a case by case basis, as far as individuals are concerned.
However, I think what Jesus was getting at was that there is something that gets the ball rolling, so to speak, and that is outlined in Matthew 12. I believe it has to do with the very real personal confrontation between Jesus and the forces of darkness.
One interesting fact seems to be that the sort of intense demonic activity we read about in the NT has all but vanished from the world. (There may still be pockets here and there.) As the gospel goes out, the forces of darkness flee from its influence.