Colossians 2.15-The Father Triumphed Over Satan's Kingdom Through His Son Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday January 17, 2016
Colossians: Colossians 2:15-The Father Triumphed Over Satan’s Kingdom Through His Son Jesus Christ
Lesson # 55
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (NASB95)
“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities” is composed of the following: (1) verb apekduomai (ἀπεκδύομαι), “when He had disarmed” (2) noun archē (ἀρχή), “the rulers” (3) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (4) noun exousia (ἐξουσία), “the authorities.”
The verb apekduomai indicates that the Father “stripped” the kingdom of darkness of their armor and weapons and thus their power.
The verb apekduomai functions as a temporal participle which would indicate that “while” the Father eradicated the Jewish Christian’s condemnation due to not keeping the Law perfectly prior to their conversion, He also “simultaneously” disarmed the kingdom of darkness.
This verb is in the middle voice and functions specifically as an indirect middle which indicates that “for His own benefit,” the Father disarmed the kingdom of darkness.
“The rulers” is the noun archē (ἀρχή), which refers to the highest rank of angels in the kingdom of darkness.
“Authorities” is the noun exousia (ἐξουσία), which refers to the rank of angels who are subordinate only to the archē, “rulers.”
“He made a public display” is composed of the following: (1) verb deigmatizō (δειγματίζω), “He made a public display” (2) preposition en (ἐν), “public” (3) noun parrēsia (παρρησία), “public.”
The verb deigmatizō pertains to causing someone to suffer disgrace or shame and here it refers to the Father causing the angelic rulers and authorities from the kingdom of darkness to suffer disgrace and shame through His Son Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and session at His right hand.
The noun parrēsia means “public” since it pertains to an evident or public known manner and is the object of the preposition en, which means “in” since it functions as a marker of manner.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates the Father caused the angelic rulers and authorities from the kingdom of darkness to suffer shame “in public” through His Son Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and session at His right hand.
“Having triumphed over” is the verb thriambeuō (θριαμβεύω), which means “to lead in a triumphal procession” someone since it pertains to demonstrating in a public manner one’s successful conquest of the enemy.
The participle form of this verb is a participle of means which would indicate that the Father caused the angelic rulers and authorities from the kingdom of darkness to suffer public disgrace “by” causing them to be led in a triumphal procession.
“Through Him” indicates that Jesus Christ was the means by which the Father led the kingdom of darkness in a triumphal procession.
Colossians 2:8 Don’t stop making it your habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each and every one of you captive through empty, deceitful philosophy based upon the tradition produced by human beings, based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system, which are by no means based upon to the teaching originating from Christ. 9 The reason for this command is that in Him, the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell in bodily form. 10 Also, by means of your union and identification with Him, each and every one of you as an eternal spiritual truth exist in the state of being made complete, who is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in the state of being the head over each and every ruler and authority. 11 Furthermore, because of your faith in Him, each and every one of you was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, by means of the removal of your body composed of that which is flesh, by means of this circumcision which is specifically your identification with the Christ. 12 Specifically each and every one of you were buried with Him by means of the baptism which is essential and superior. Correspondingly, by means of which each and every one of you were raised together with Him by means of your faith in God the Father’s exertion of power who caused Him to enter into the state of being raised out from the dead ones. 13 In other words, even though each and every one of you existed in the state of being spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, specifically because of the uncircumcision which is your flesh, He caused each and every one of you to be made alive together with Him. Simultaneously for His own glory, He graciously forgave each and every one of our transgressions for the benefit of each and every one of us. 14 Specifically, He caused the cancellation of that which was against each and every one of us, namely a certificate of debt which is according to a written code of laws, which was continually existing in the state of being opposed to each and every one of us. To be more explicit, He eradicated it, removing this partition by causing it to be nailed to the cross. 15 Simultaneously, for His own benefit, He disarmed the angelic rulers as well as the angelic authorities. He caused them to suffer disgrace publicly by causing them to be led in a triumphal procession through Him. (Author’s translation)
The apostle Paul in Colossians 2:15 brings to a conclusion his reasoning as to why the faithful Christians in Colossae must continue to obey the command he issues them in Colossians 2:8.
Paul asserts that the Father through His Son Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection has taken Satan and the kingdom of darkness captive and has publically disgraced them just as a Roman general would do so during the Roman triumphal procession.
He asserts in Colossians 2:8 that Satan and his kingdom are behind the false teachers in Colossae but they have been defeated by Christ Paul asserts in Colossians 2:15.
Satan and his kingdom were seeking to take captive the Colossians through the false doctrine communicated by the Judaizers and yet Christ has taken them captive and so it would be foolish for the Colossians to adhere to the teachings of the Judaizers which originates from the kingdom of darkness.
Jesus Christ who they are identified with in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father has defeated the kingdom of darkness.
He accomplished this through His death and resurrection and has publically disgraced them taking them captive when He ascended into the third heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.
So Satan is trying take the Colossians captive and yet he and his fellow non-elect angels are the real captives.
Through this figure of irony, Paul is actually not only complimenting Christ but reminding the Colossians that they are in union and identified with the victor over Satan, namely Jesus Christ.
In Colossians 2:15, Paul has in mind the Roman triumphal procession since its language conjures up images of prisoners of war being led naked through the city as a display of the victor’s triumph and the losers’ humiliation and defeat (cf. 2 Sam. 10:5; 1 Chron. 19:4f.).
Not only was the enemy disarmed but they were also stripped of their clothing in order to humiliate them.
Thus, Paul is teaching the Colossians with this temporal clause that through His Son Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and session, the Father stripped the kingdom of darkness of their armor and weapons and thus their power.
Christ’s death and resurrection defeated Satan and his kingdom in that the works of the devil involved enslaving humanity to himself through sin and Christ’s death resolved the problem of sin and thus defeated Satan who used sin to enslave humanity to himself.
The resurrection vindicated Jesus and demonstrated that the Father had in fact accepted His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross as a substitute for unregenerate humanity as the payment for sin.
The ascension of Jesus Christ publically disgraced Satan and his fellow fallen angels since those human beings who trusted in the Lord and were housed in Paradise in Hades were led to the third heaven by Jesus Christ as the spoils of victory.
His session at the right hand of the Father was a public demonstration and vindication of Jesus Christ in the throne room of God that He is victorious over Satan.
This statement in Colossians 2:15 also reveals the fulfillment of God’s promise to Adam and Eve which is recorded in Genesis 3:15.
There are two triumphal processions taught in the Scriptures: (1) Ascension of Jesus Christ after the resurrection. (2) Second Advent of Christ.
Paul in Colossians 2:15 uses the Roman military triumph to teach the Colossians that Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension and session at the right hand of the Father defeated Satan and his kingdom.
Their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father provides them the victory over Satan and his kingdom and when the Colossians appropriate by faith this union and identification with Christ, they will experience this victory in time.
The Romans would honor a victorious general with a triumphal procession through the city of Rome, in which captives and other spoils of battle were put on public display and so in the same way, God the Father honored the Lord Jesus Christ as victor in the angelic conflict with a triumphal procession.