西二15　　既将执政的和掌权的脱下，神就把他们公然示众，仗着十字架在凯旋中向他们夸胜。

　　提后一10　但如今借着我们救主基督耶稣的显现，才显明出来。祂已经把死废掉，借着福音将生命和不朽坏照耀出来。
　　毫无疑问，主耶稣以铜蛇的身分钉十字架，是要对付撒但，魔鬼，古蛇。借着以铜蛇的身分钉十字架，祂打伤了古蛇的头（创三15）。这样，主耶稣就废除了那掌死权的魔鬼（来二14）。基督在祂的人性里，并借着祂在死里的工作，废除了撒但。所以，基督不仅代替被蛇所咬的堕落之人受死，并且废除了魔鬼（新约总论第三册，二八一页）。

　　Col. 2:15 Stripping off the rulers and the authorities, He made a display of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

　　2 Tim. 1:10 But now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.

　　No doubt, the Lord Jesus was crucified as the brass serpent in order to deal with Satan, the devil, the old serpent. It was through being crucified as the brass serpent that He crushed the head of the old serpent (Gen. 3:15). In this way the Lord Jesus destroyed the devil, who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14). In His humanity and through His work in His death Christ has destroyed Satan. Therefore, Christ died not only as the Substitute of fallen men, who had been bitten by the serpent, but also to destroy the devil. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 772)

　　〔在歌罗西二章十五节〕我们看见，基督在十字架的工作里，使神得以将执政的和掌权的脱下，把他们公然示众，并仗着十字架在凯旋中向他们夸胜。这节所说执政的和掌权的，是执政和掌权的天使。……示众，原文意展示，或陈列，含公开羞辱意。神在十字架上公开羞辱了那些执政掌权的邪恶天使，仗着十字架在凯旋中向他们夸胜。仗着十字架，或，在祂（基督）里面。
　　实在地说，基督的十字架是宇宙的中心。神创造诸天、地和宇宙中亿万的项目以后，天使长背叛了，许多天使跟从了他。这天使长成了撒但，他的跟从者成了诸天界里邪恶的执政者、有能者、掌权者。后来，神创造的人堕落了，也成了有罪的。至终，基督，成为肉体的神，上到十字架作工，以完成救赎。基督在十字架上的时候，有许多事情发生。那时十字架是宇宙的中心。救主、罪、撒但、我们和神都在那里。神审判罪的时候，邪恶的执政者和掌权者也在场，并且非常活跃，群集在钉十字架的基督四周，紧紧围逼。他们若没有紧紧围逼，神就无法将他们脱下。脱下，指明执政的和掌权的非常接近，像我们的衣服和身体那样接近。神既将执政的和掌权的脱下，就把他们公然示众，羞辱他们，并向他们夸胜。
　　歌罗西二章十五节描绘在基督钉十字架的时候所进行的争战。基督在钉十字架的时候，作工要完成救赎；父神也在作工，要审判罪。在那同时，执政的和掌权的也忙着企图阻挠神与基督的工作。本节说到夸胜，含示争战；这指明争战在激烈进行着。基督作工要完成救赎的时候，执政的和掌权的来干预，紧紧围逼基督。但那时神将他们脱下，……公开羞辱他们。基督在祂死里的工作使这一切发生。
　　在提后一章十节保罗告诉我们，基督借着祂在死里的工作，把死废掉。废掉，原文意思也是使其失效，使其无有，除去，废除，取消，废弃。基督借着祂废除魔鬼的死（来二14），把死废掉，使其失效。把死废掉，意思不是把死除去，乃是使其无效。死不会被除去，直到千年国以后，才被扔在火湖里（启二十14）。死是主最后所要毁灭的仇敌（林前十五26）。虽然死还没有被除去，然而借着基督在十字架上的死，死已被废掉，这乃是事实（新约总论第三册，二八三至二八四页）。
　　参读：歌罗西书生命读经，第二十三篇。

　　[In Colossians 2:15] we see that in His work on the cross Christ caused the rulers and authorities to be stripped off, to be made a display of openly, and to be triumphed over in the cross by God. The rulers and authorities spoken of in this verse are the angelic rulers and authorities....The Greek word for "made a display" means [to] show or exhibit in the sense of putting to an open shame. God openly shamed the evil angelic rulers and authorities on the cross and triumphed over them in it. The Greek words translated "in it" refer to the cross, but they can also be rendered "in Him," referring to Christ.

　　In a very real sense the cross of Christ is the center of the universe. After God created the heavens, the earth, and billions of items in the universe, an archangel rebelled and many angels followed him. This archangel became Satan, and his followers became the evil rulers, powers, and authorities in the heavenlies. Later, the man created by God fell and became sinful. Eventually, Christ, God incarnate, went to the cross to work for the accomplishment of redemption. While Christ was on the cross, many things took place. At that time the cross was the center of the universe. The Savior, sin, Satan, we, and God were all there. While God was judging sin, the evil rulers and authorities were present and were very active, swarming around the crucified Christ, pressing in very closely. If they had not pressed in closely, God could not have stripped them off. The words "stripping off" indicate that the rulers and authorities were very close, as close as our garments are to our body. By stripping off the rulers and authorities God made a display of them openly, putting them to shame and triumphing over them.

　　Colossians 2:15 portrays the warfare that took place at the time of Christ's crucifixion. In His crucifixion Christ was working to accomplish redemption, and God the Father was working to judge sin. At the same time the rulers and authorities were busy in the attempt to frustrate the work of God and Christ. The reference to triumph in Colossians 2:15 implies fighting; it indicates that a war was raging. While Christ was working to accomplish redemption, the rulers and authorities came to interfere, pressing in close to Christ. But at that very juncture God stripped them off,...putting them to an open shame. Christ's work in His death caused all this to take place.

　　In 2 Timothy 1:10 Paul tells us that through His work in His death Christ nullified death. The Greek word translated "nullified" also means make of none effect, bring to naught, do away with, abolish, annul, discard. Through His devil-destroying death, Christ nullified death, making it of none effect. To nullify death does not mean to remove death but to make it of no effect. Death will not be removed until it is cast into the lake of fire after the millennium (Rev. 20:14). Death will be the last enemy destroyed by the Lord (1 Cor. 15:26). Although death has not yet been removed, it is none the less a fact that it has been nullified through Christ's death on the cross. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 774-775, 773-774)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 23