Different ambush predators use a variety of means to capture their prey, from the long sticky tongues of chameleons to the expanding mouths of frogfishes.Īmbush predation is widely distributed in the animal kingdom, spanning some members of numerous groups such as the starfish, cephalopods, crustaceans, spiders, insects such as mantises, and vertebrates such as many snakes and fishes. Nocturnal ambush predators such as cats and snakes have vertical slit pupils helping them to judge the distance to prey in dim light. The predator then uses a combination of senses to detect and assess the prey, and to time the strike. The ambush is often opportunistic, and may be set by hiding in a burrow, by camouflage, by aggressive mimicry, or by the use of a trap (e.g. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey using sheer speed or endurance, ambush predators avoid fatigue by staying in concealment, waiting patiently for the prey to get near, before launching a sudden overwhelming attack that quickly incapacitates and captures the prey. This Advent, let us recover this reality that gives strength and purpose to our Christmas celebrations.Predator that sits and waits for prey to come to itĪ female goldenrod crab spider ( Misumena vatia) ambushing the female of a pair of mating fliesĪmbush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Christ came to fight and overthrow Satan, our oppressor. And yet, His mission was not cute and cuddly. God came to us as a baby, the most trustable, vulnerable and humble creature possible. Jesus is the aggressor and the hunter, and He went to war to fight for our liberation from sin and death. Jesus on the cross is not the hunted, and He is not a helpless victim. Jesus allowed Himself to become man and succumb to death so He can get into hell, beat Satan, and liberate us from inside. Like the Trojan horse, his humanity is His disguise. Jesus appears utterly helpless, but He is engaging the enemy in battle. Jesus was sweating blood, arrested, slapped, judged, stripped, scourged, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross. He seems invisible, even helpless, while in reality He is in charge of the situation until it is time to free sinners from Satan’s power. Jesus on the cross is the ultimate ambush predator. During an Exorcism or Deliverance, a Priest orders the demon(s) to “Go to the foot of the cross, so that Our Lord may do with you as he wills.” The foot of the cross is where the battle was won. Scripture teaches us in Colossians 2:15 that “ Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in Him.” The reference to disarming the principalities and powers is the legions of demonic spirits (Eph 6:12) that Christ conquered on the cross. Satan fell prey to the trap set for him in a manger decades earlier. As Jesus dies, Satan is shown screaming, looking upward and parts of him flying off, showing his own defeat. The movie shows the savage, animalistic scream from Satan from the pit of hell when he realizes what the Lord has accomplished for us and for our salvation. The Passion of the Christ shows the moment that Satan realized that Christ, with his death, defeated him. Scripture tells us in Luke 4:34 that the demons ask Jesus “ What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” When Christ died on the Cross, Satan thought he had won. The devil knew that Jesus was healing people and casting out demons. Jesus became one of the very creatures Satan despised and waited 33 years to launch his final attack.
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