By:Denny

I’ll be “marking off” my 71st birthday on the calendar on September 6th. I guess I’m supposed to correctly say, “celebrating”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the years and memories I’ve had. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways. However, I find it difficult to celebrate a body that doesn’t work like it used to, and I’m frustrated with my mind that often can’t instantly recall stored information and memories at will. It seems to be the normal condition of all who walk the pathway called “The Golden Years”. There are times when I can’t remember the conversation I had with my wife last week, but she sure does.  I’ll go to get something in another room, and when I get there, I can’t remember what it was. I’m about to speak a thought and before I can, it vanishes. To go to a store without a list means I could buy stuff that wasn’t needed, and not remember what I really went for until I get back home. So far, I can still remember where that is, which may not be a laughing matter for some. I’m not quite there yet. The other day I was minding my own business when out of nowhere and without permission, my mind recalled a memory from a cartoon I saw from my childhood. I chuckled as I let it replay itself over and over in my head. It was a Looney Tunes cartoon called “A Star is Bored” from 1956 featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam. You can see it for yourself by clicking on this link or going to this address online.: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3umr98 The basic storyline is that Daffy is jealous because Bugs is a movie star and gets all the attention. He learns that the casting director is looking for a “double” to do the stunts for Bugs. Daffy takes the position thinking he will upstage Bugs and get all the accolades. There are several scenes and takes where Bugs is about to experience disastrous harm. The director yells, “Cut, bring in the double”, and the action stops. Daffy Duck, dressed in a rabbit costume, exchanges places with Bugs Bunny. The director then yells, “Camera, action, roll ‘em”. The scene resumes and concludes with Daffy experiencing the brunt of being shot, falling, eaten by a big fish, and an exploding airplane crash. Of course, nobody ever died in any of those old cartoons, but not so in real life.  At first, I thought it was just my mind wandering off on its own like it often does, until the Holy Spirit began to speak and impressed me to write this analogy.

Definition of Substitute – to put in the place of another, to put in exchange for. We live in a world of substitutes. We substitute margarine for butter, aspartame for sugar, soy products for many things, corn syrup for maple syrup, and artificial flavorings to replace the real thing. Artificial Intelligence is the next big substitute on the horizon. We have fake grass, plants, flowers, wood, leather, fur, hair, fingernails, eyelashes, and news. We have substitute teachers, and plastic has taken the place of many things that used to be made of metal. Many want to substitute wind and solar energy for coal, oil, and natural gas. If they have their way, we’ll all be driving electric cars or riding bicycles. Facebook has replaced time that could be spent doing more productive things. Good has been exchanged for evil and truth for lies. Don’t like who God created you to be? No problem! Snip, snip, a few hormone shots, and abracadabra! You can now compete in women’s sports, wear their clothes, and use their bathroom. The pursuit of pleasure and acquisition of material possessions has become an idolic artificial substitute for God. We live in a generation that has substituted the guidance of God’s word, the Bible, and are led by their feelings instead of the Holy Spirit. Sinful mankind seems to be oblivious to the impending disaster that looms ahead, much like Bugs Bunny in the cartoon. But where is the double? In Genesis 3:15, immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and “sinful” became the condition of all mankind, God himself promised He would send in a “double” someday. The entire Old Testament foretells the coming of that double through prophecies, revealed in types, symbolisms, and demonstrated through situations in the lives of many.

Many actors and actresses do their own stunts these days, but it wasn’t always that way. A stuntman in the glory days of western movies could make a pretty good living. All you had to do was get shot and fall from a second story balcony, jump off a 100’ cliff into a river, get your horse shot out from under you at a full gallop, survive a saloon brawl being hit by a chair or thrown through a glass window, be blown 25’ feet into the air by dynamite or gunpowder, run into a blazing fire to rescue a damsel, endure being tortured by Indians or a stampede of cows or  buffalo, and other things similar to the kind of perilous dangers we nonchalantly face and take for granted every day while driving on the freeway. LOL. For a “double” to effectively take the place of the star character, they must disguise themselves to look like them and play their part so well that no one can tell the difference.

Picture in your mind that you are acting in a movie which takes place in Roman times. You are falsely accused of having committed crimes against Ceasar, and they bring you before the judge to stand trial. Before even hearing the evidence, the jury pronounces you guilty and worthy of the death penalty, which back then was crucifixion. The judge reluctantly submits to their request and the soldiers take you away. They take you to a place where they will first whip you. Just as a soldier with the whip in hand raises it to strike the first blow of forty, which will rip the flesh from your back, the director yells, “Cut, bring in the double!” You exit the set and are replaced by a man who remarkably is disguised to look just like you. The director yells, “Quiet on the set, camera, action, roll’em!” The scene continues with the double taking every torturous blow of the stinging whip. The double is then led away and forced to carry his own cross to a place where he is crucified along with two other criminals. The scenes are horrific, and as you stand offset and watch the double play out his part, you realize that was supposed to be you. The last line the double has is, “It is finished!” The director yells, “That’s a take, print it.” “Let’s call it a day and resume shooting tomorrow.” You are so caught up in the scene that you suddenly realize everyone else has cleared the set. But wait a minute, the double is still on the cross, and that doesn’t look like fake blood. You approach the cross and look up at the lifeless body of the double and in disbelief and shock you realize he is dead. They literally killed the double who took your place. It’s then you notice a sign placed at the top of the cross with the name, “Jesus”. Every movie ends with a listing of actors, and the characters they played.  In the above scenario there are only three main characters. God – the director,  You – the accused, and Jesus – as Himself. Oh, I failed to mention, the title of the movie is called, “The Great Exchange” and it really did happen.

Galatians 4:4 says that at the exact right time, God sent His son Jesus as our double. Philippians 2:7 in the Living Bible says that He, Jesus, disguised Himself taking on the form of man. The Pharisees didn’t recognize Him, neither did His own brothers and sisters or the people in His hometown where he grew up, but Simeon and Anna did. (Luke 2:25-38) Nearly 600 years before Jesus appeared on the scene Isaiah prophesied this. Isaiah 53:4-6, (NKJ) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed. Romans 5: 6-8, (NKJ) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus took our sins upon Himself dying as a double in our place. Do you believe that? Your eternal destiny is at stake here. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. For those who in this life have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, i.e. double, there is no fear of God’s wrath, but only joy of spending eternity with Him in Heaven. When those unbelievers who have rejected, belittled, mocked, or denied Christ’s sacrifice for their sins stand before Him on that day, it will be too late, and God won’t say, “Cut, Bring in the Double!”. As the angels take them away from His presence forever, they won’t be laughing as they realize this isn’t a cartoon. Badit, badit, badit, That’s All Folks!