WHAT JESUS DID TO THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS ON THE CROSS
Col. 2:15
Morning Meditation 3/5/15
Verse 15 says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Satan has been tied in with man’s problem from the beginning. There is controversy when and how he came into being. We all know he is here. He was involved in man’s fall in the Garden temptation. He is given a qualified control for now in this world. He is even called the “god of this world” in 2 Cor. 4:4. He is called the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). He is allowed to oppose the work of God relative to the gospel in this age. So the conclusion is that Jesus did not only overcome the barrier of the law for man to be saved but also,
THE BARRIER OF SATAN
Not only does one’s own old sin nature weaken him so that he cannot meet God’s holy standards in order to be saved, Satan stands in the path and uses all his skills to keep the unsaved in that condition and the saved hindered in his Spiritual growth and obedience to the Lord.
Jesus, during His personal ministry, exercised His power over demons. There is a record of one of the episodes in Matthew 12:22-29. He healed one possessed with a devil (demon) which had made the man blind and taken his ability to talk away. Jesus healed the man of his demonic imposed illnesses and the man received his sight again and was able to talk. This caused people to begin to identify Jesus with the Messianic promises. The Pharisees could not have this so they had to explain how Jesus could have such power. They said, “This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils.” How did Jesus answer this? He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 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.”
Jesus exercised power over Satan and his kingdom during His personal ministry. When He died on the cross He defeated him for every person who would believe in Him as Lord and Saviour. Let’s look at the text.
Paul says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers . . .” The word “having spoiled” translates “apekduomai” and is a word made up of three words. First, the preposition “apo” which means, “separation from a source, of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed.” Second, the preposition “ek” and means, “out of, from, away from.” Then third we have the primary verb to which these prepositions are attached, “duo,” and means, “to go into, enter, go under, be plunged into, sink in. It is used in the NT of the setting of the sun.” The verb form is an aorist middle participle. This means what happened was at a point of time, i.e., the cross. The middle voice means the subject (Jesus) acts Himself and is benefited by the action. What did the action accomplish? Let’s put the definition together. He entered (duo) Satan’s domain, He sunk in Satan’s domain, He was plunged in Satan’s domain, He went to the SOURCE (apo) and struck at the source of the problem and moved it OUT (ek) and the sun set that day on Satan’s kingdom! Amen! It is an aorist tense and means that in that once-for-all-act on the cross He did Satan in permanently. Hallelujah! Someone hold my mules!
The words “principalities and powers” tell us that Satan’s kingdom is organized in ranks. The word “principalities” translates “arche” and means “the beginning, and then the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader.” It is evidently a reference to “leaders, i.e., those who lead others.” Satan is not omnipresent like God but he is well organized and has a network of demons in charge and myriads of lesser demons under their command. The word “powers” translate “exousia” and means, “power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, leave or permission, the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege).” Satan has volition and limited authority given him by God and he has dispensed his authority to those under him in an attempt to rule the world. Satan will make his final doomed attempt to rule the world through the antichrist. Jesus entered his kingdom and bound him at the cross and historically determined his end. The reason I use the word historically is because his end was determined the moment he sinned against God as recorded in Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:13-19. But Jesus is the Victor over Satan and his kingdom literally, and it was worked out historically. Jesus walked away from the empty tomb with the keys of death and hell rattling in His hand. Amen and amen!
Paul says, “He made a shew of them openly . . .” The words “he made a shew” translates “deigmatizo” and means, “to make an example of, to show as an example.” It is an aorist active indicative verb. The aorist tense looks at the whole event, i.e., His death, burial and resurrection. What did Satan have that he used to control man and continually intimidate him? This is brought out in Hebrews 2:14-17: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Jesus did what He did in the open. He said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17-18). The greatest act of faith that Jesus made as a man is laying down His life with absolute trust in the Father to raise Him from the dead after three days and nights. The greatest exercise of power over the kingdom of darkness was made at the cross because here is where Satan and his kingdom were defeated. Jesus said in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
The words “triumphing over them in it” are words that openly herald the victory He obtained at the old rugged cross. The words “triumphing over” translates “thriambeuo” and means, “to triumph, to celebrate a triumph.” It is from the root word referring to a hymn sung in festal processions in honour of the god Bacchus (Strong’s in Online Bible).. It is an aorist tense verb. The aorist tense is a point of time divorced from time and perpetuated forever. Hallelujah! The death, burial and resurrection stands as the flag of victory waving over a broken and defeated enemy and all his kingdom. Jesus is Victor! The christian life is a life of celebration of a victory already won over the enemy. It may seem at times like a struggle against an enemy not yet defeated but that is not true. I enter into His victory over Satan and his kingdom and HE walked away from the cross and the empty tomb a ROYAL VICTOR and we as Christians have the right to operate in His Name and wave the FLAG OF THE CROSS in his face and there is nothing he can do about it. He is a defeated foe. And the only victory a man will every have against Satan is when as a believer he enters by faith into His victory. My Lord and My God, what a Saviour!!!
Jesus removed the barrier of Satan and his kingdom at the cross. With the gospel we can rob Satan’s kingdom any time one of his subjects believes the message of the gospel (Col. 1:13).
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
