The Comet Line

Most of us are familiar with The Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century and used by enslaved African Americans to escape into free states and Canada. The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. The railroad was not a literal railroad, but metaphorically it was called a railroad. The slaves who risked escape and those who aided them were collectively referred to as the "Underground Railroad". Harriet Tubman was a worker on the Underground Railroad. Tubman made 13 trips to the South, helping to free over 70 people. She led people to the northern free states and Canada. This helped Harriet Tubman gain the name "Moses of Her People".

Simalarily, the Comet Line(1941–1944) was a resistance organization in occupied Belgium and France in the Second World War. Andrée de Jongh ("Dédée"), a 24-year-old Belgian woman, was the first leader of the Comet Line. The Comet Line helped Allied soldiers and airmen shot down over occupied Belgium evade capture by Germans. They were returned to Great Britain. For the allies, the rescue of downed airmen by the Comet and other escape lines had a practical as well as a humanitarian objective. Training new and replacement of air crews was expensive and time-consuming. Rescuing airmen downed in occupied Europe and returning them to duty was a priority. The motto of the Comet Line was "Pugna Quin Percutias," which means "fight without arms," as the organization did not undertake armed or violent resistance to the German occupation.

There are many instances in the Bible where people tried to seize Jesus. He did not have an Underground Railroad or Comet Line, but He was able to escape His pursuers. See John 10:39 and Luke 4:28-30. There will come a day when we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior will escape from this world and the tribulation that will come. See 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. Are you depending on a physical network to escape? The Bible offers us a surer route and safe passage eternally. It is not a route that leads to the free states and Canada like the Underground Railroad or one that will return you to Britain like the Comet Line. You will not risk being recaptured or tortured or killed when you take this route. Jesus Christ has already paid the fare and He has your ticket. Accept it now. See Romans 10:9,10. The route may be rough here on planet earth, but it will all be worth it when you reach your final destination.