The Cross of Christ - Triumphant Until The End!

If you remember the television series called Branded with Chuck Connors, you will remember the opening scene in which Connors was stripped of all his insignia from his Army uniform. He was the sole survivor at the battle of Bitter Creek and was accused of being a coward, abandoning his unit. It was a powerful scene, as the commanding officer walked around him and ripped each insignia off, then taking his saber, breaking it in half, and throwing it outside of the gate. Connors then walks out slowly, a defeated man.

I share this because this is the picture the Lord gave me as we looked at Colossians 2:15 (He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him). The word disarmed means to "strip off." At the cross, Christ disarmed the spiritual powers, stripping them of their insignia of rank. Christ triumphed over his spiritual enemies, winning divine triumph over the cosmic powers.

This victory is ours too. Satan is a defeated foe and the battle is won. We persevere against Satan's "parting shots" at us, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated. As the Message Bible translation so aptly shares with us "He's wild and raging with anger; he hasn't much time and he knows it (Revelation 12:10).