Expert: Marilyn - 2/17/2011

Question
what does this mean, I just cant figure it out. John 16:11 "and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned"

Answer
Hello Pete;

I interpret this verse in the context of other passages. For example, Colossians 2:15 says, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

How did Jesus disarm them? He disarmed them by paying for sin and rising from the dead. Jesus' gift of salvation removes from satan the power of condemnation which binds people up with all sorts of grief, disabling emotions, addictions etc. and prevents them from living for God or sometimes even living at all. And Jesus resurrection takes from death the power to separate people from God.

In John 16:11 Jesus announces that satan is condemned. Satan probably thought Jesus was being ridiculous to say such a thing because he had already set in motion plans to kill Jesus just as he had killed every other prophet of God. (Either he did not understand that Jesus was truly God in the Flesh or He was so insane he could not alter his method of operation.) He'd shut up every other prophet and continued to run the world mostly however he wanted to run it.

Little did he know, he was playing into God's Hand. He would be killing the only truly innocent Man ever born on planet earth and therefore have committed his first unlawful killing of a human being. All previous killings were lawful in that all previous humans were sinners and deserved death. He also did not realize that Jesus would come back more powerful and glorious than before unleashing the Holy Spirit Who would be able to be in all believers in every location throughout planet earth thereby extend God's reach beyond that of one Man, Jesus.

In John 16:11 Jesus announced Satan as condemned and then He went on to make a laughingstock before all the angels and any human beings who eventually came to understand what He had done.

Sincerely,

Marilyn