*** This is not an article, but the notes to the first half of our video presentation on the Underground Railroad: What is it and how does it work? The second section was actual "nuts and bolts" teaching on the UR and how to participate, etc. That part is only available by getting the videotape, since it was more dialogue and instruction using the whiteboard. The videotape is a little over an hour I think: http://lazarusunbound.com/undergroundrailroad.shtml ***

The Underground Railroad

Posted by Michael Bunker
editor@lazarusunbound.com

“O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 21:12).

December 7, 2004 – Most people are aware of the Underground Railroad mainly as a mechanism created for, and used by, slaves prior to the War Between the States, to escape to freedom in states that had abolished slavery.  But the Underground Railroad in America in the mid 1800’s was only a single example of a larger concept that is both Biblical and historically Christian.

Definition:  An Underground Railroad is most often not physically underground, nor does it often make use of railroads.  An Underground Railroad is generally a lose affiliation of individuals, many who do not know one another and who may or may not know any information about the persons they are assisting, who work together in an unofficial and unorganized way to secure or bring about the protection, defense, and/or freedom of a particular party.  An Underground Railroad generally and historically comes to exist during times of distress or persecution against a particular “type” of person or group – and usually involves people from outside that particular type or group who assist in helping the persecuted party seek protection or freedom.  While Underground Railroads are a peculiarly Christian idea, and have been used throughout the Church age to protect and defend Christian people, other, non-Christian Railroads have existed in the past, some even to protect and defend wicked evildoers who sought to escape the arms of justice (such as the Nazis who escaped through the Roman Catholic “ratlines” to exile in other countries).

The Underground Railroad as a concept and as a system is not confined by the preconceived notions which seem to be forced upon us by the most prominent example (black slaves escaping slavery).  Many tools and mechanisms are used to secure freedom for the afflicted and those in danger, and the actual instances and examples can differ widely and in every conceivable detail.

While the Bible is replete with stories that can be used for the basis of understanding the Biblical nature of the Underground Railroad (UR), a few examples will help us get our bearings.

“deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire”

Lot and Sodom:  The earliest example of this type of system is found in the story of Lot being brought out of Sodom.  If you will remember, Abram interceded with the Lord and prayed that the lives of any righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah would be spared.  The Lord said (in Genesis chapter 18:32) that He would spare the cities if there were ten righteous men to be found there.  The Lord sent two angels to Sodom, and at first we see the “underground” at work as Lot, who believes that the two angels are actually men, tries to save the “men” from being raped and killed by bringing them to safety in his house for the night.  Later, we find that it is Lot and his family that is at risk.  Please note that in this story, Lot was willing to do whatever was necessary to secure the safety and protection of the men in his home – even offering his two innocent daughters (verse 8 of chapter 19) to be raped by the wicked crowd.  Eventually Lot and his family are secreted out of Sodom before the inevitable destruction of that wicked city.

The Hebrew Midwives:  The Hebrew Midwives were ordered by the King of Egypt to kill any sons born of Hebrew women.  But the midwives feared God (Exodus 1:17) and “did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive”.  The midwives lied to Pharoah and told him that before they could get to the Hebrew women to help in the birth, the children were already born.  Because of their fear of God, and of their willingness to do whatever was necessary (including lying to Pharoah) to save the male children of the Hebrews, “God dealt well with the midwives” (Ex. 1:20) and, “because the midwives feared God… he made them houses” (Ex. 1:21).  Pharoah, in anger, ordered that all the males be “cast into the river”.  Moses mother hid him 3 months from the authorities (Ex. 2:2).  She cast him into the river, albeit in a boat (Ex. 2:3).  The daughter of Pharaoh saved the child, even though she new he was a Hebrew male (Ex. 2:6), and that she was breaking the law.  Pharaoh’s daughter brought Moses into his household, obviously deceiving Pharaoh who did not know that Moses was a Hebrew (Ex. 2:10).

Moses Flees from Pharaoh:  Moses slays an Egyptian in defense of a Hebrew (Ex. 2:12) and is not only NOT punished by God, but is protected as he flees from Pharaoh who plans on killing him.  Moses delivers the daughters of the priest of Midian from the hands of the shepherds (Ex. 2:1() so that they can draw water.  Later, of course, Moses delivers the children of Israel from Egypt and Pharaoh according to the command of God.

The Spies:  Joshua sent out spies to reconnoiter Jericho which he intended to destroy.  The spies went to Rahab’s house as their headquarters.  The King ordered Rahab to bring the two spies to him (Joshua 2:3), but Rahab disobeyed the King and hid the spies and lied to the King (Josh. 2:4).  Rahab is rewarded for her “kindness” and fear of God and all of her family is saved alive (Josh. 2:14).

In the New Testament, there are numerous examples of how, as persecution grew, the Underground Railroad flourished:

1.)   From the beginning when the Apostles refused the commands of the Sanhedrin to cease preaching in the name of Christ,

2.)   The exodus of much of the Church from Jerusalem at the martyrdom of Stephen,

3.)   The attempts made by the Church to flee and hide from the Persecution by Saul,

4.)   Saul is brought into the Underground upon his conversion on the road to Damascus.  He is protected by the disciples at Damascus, and he was also vouched for by Barnabas before the other Apostles (Acts 9:27).  He is secreted out of Damascus by the Underground as he is lowered over the wall in a basket by the disciples at night (9:25).

5.)   Gentiles were brought into the “Underground” in Acts chapter 10 and 11 when Cornelius and his family are saved.   Specifically, in Chapter 11, we read where the Underground is functioning after the persecution begun by the martyrdom of Stephen (verse 19) and that only the Jews were being proselytized.

6.)   We have the divine jailbreak in Chapter 12 of Acts after the persecution and slaying of James.  Peter is broken out of jail by an Angel and returned to the Underground Church.

There are many, many more such examples of the Underground Railroad working throughout scripture.  We have even more examples from the times of the early Church; from the escape of the Church from Jerusalem prior to the destruction of that city in 70 a.d., to the UR in and out of Rome, to the Catacombs under the city where the Church hid out, worshipped and prayed.

Everywhere where persecution raises its ugly head, the Underground Railroad is there to protect God’s true Church and His will and work on this earth.

We, however, live in a day where the “church” is apostate; the people live in fear of both their government and their own shadows, and where there is virtually no TRUE fear of God left in the people at all.  The modernist apostate “church” ignores and violates every commandment of God, but insists that ANY resistance to tyranny, ANY disobedience to government, ANY lie told for God’s glory according to Biblical standards and for the protection of the elect, is a violation of the command to not “bear false witness” (which in itself had to do with cases argued before a magistrate, and nothing whatever to do with the topic at hand).  The modernist Christian will lie to himself, lie to his church family, lie to his boss to get off early, lie to his mother-in-law, lie to his children (about Christmas, the Easter Bunny, etc.), lie even to GOD… but won’t dare even consider that God has used his mighty heroes of the Faith (you will find Moses and Rahab mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews chapter 11) to deceive magistrates and authorities in order to protect, defend or strengthen His people.

The very nature of an Underground system is based in secrecy and the practice of confounding the enemy.  The UR succeeds precisely because it is not organized and because it is designed to confound those who would destroy it.  In fact it is peculiarly characteristic of the UR that it is unorganized, and that it confounds the wise (just as the Bible says about the foolish things that are chosen for this purpose, 1 Cor. 1:27).  While it is true that some UR operations are complex and require great skill and organization, it is precisely because MOST of the operations of the UR require no skill and minimal organization that the system succeeds.  Generally, God calls on His people to be willing to “deliver him that is spoiled” and to relieve the afflicted, and to defend the defenseless, and to operate out of a profound fear of God.  These motivations alone qualify God’s true children for the Underground Railroad, and help us to do what is right in times of persecution.

Many of you have read stories of the Underground Railroad in history and how it has worked to save millions of God’s children from the claws of despots and tyrants.  As I write this, a movie is going to be opening very soon entitled Hotel Rwanda.  It is the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a wealthy Rwandan hotel owner who protected and eventually saved thousands of predominantly Tutsi Christians during the Genocide in that country that saw the murder of over 800,000 men, women and children.

Maybe you read about Corrie Ten Boom or Anne Frank when you were a child or you might be familiar with the Underground resistance movement that developed into the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II.  You might have studied the Underground Railroad that succeeded in secreting slaves out of the South before the War Between the States; and in reading these accounts, maybe you asked yourself if you would be willing to sacrifice your life in order to save others.  Sadly, in the world today there are few within professing “christendom” who will even entertain the thought that these things may be required of them.  To them, Government is good – no matter what (despite what the Bible says about it) - and is to be obeyed regardless of the consequences.  Just as many (if not most) of the “christian” pastors in Rwanda turned their flocks over to the Genocidaires to be slaughtered, most modernist religious leaders will consider themselves to have acted honorably and decently when they turn their own flocks, individually and corporately, over to the tyrannical government to be used as engines for the fascist machines.  Modern pastors, priests, reverends, preachers and so-called “christian” teachers have already prepared their people for slavery by participating in the wholesale colonization of their minds; by teaching them traditions instead of truth, and mindless servitude rather than heroic, revolutionary resistance to worldliness.  Syncretism rules in the apostate “church” and separatism is ridiculed and mocked.

Nevertheless, the Underground Railroad exists today, and it will exist until Christ comes back to avenge Himself against His enemies.

Patterns of Godly resistance to tyranny:

1.     Rebuke and Correct

2.     Flee

3.     Fight, only in defense of life, liberty or property as commanded by God.

The Underground Railroad overlaps #2 and #3.  By protecting and delivering those that are “spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor”, we are both fleeing from, and fighting against, tyranny.  We are also serving the tyrant, because if we are successful, the persecution and/or other crimes against God’s children will not be reckoned on their account.

Godly servants have been rebuking and chastising this tyrannical system biblically for many decades.  The system currently being implemented particularly by the government of Amerika, but also by the other governments in the world, consists of ubiquitous surveillance, tracking, silencing of enemies, destroying dissension, infiltrating any group which may resist, assimilating the harlot “churches”, controlling and tracking all monetary transactions in violation of the plain teaching of the scriptures, and violating in every manner the God-given freedoms of men and women; all in the name of peace and security.

We have also called on God’s children to flee from Sodom, and to “come out of her” before it is too late; but the Babylonian Captivity of the Church continues, and the minds of the people who call themselves “christians” are colonized beyond all human attempts to reason with them.  Those who have an ear to hear and eyes to see will be responsible for their own part in obeying God’s command to deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor.

We pray that God’s elect will wake up to their responsibilities and begin to act by the motivation of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in ways that will prepare the way for God’s Underground to survive and thrive in the coming days.

Michael Bunker

 
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