Love and Laughter and Peace Ever After

 

The White Cliffs Of Dover

Songwriters: Walter Kent / Nat Burton

Sung by Vera Lynn

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

I'll never forget the people I met
Braving those angry skies
I remember well as the shadows fell
The light of hope in their eyes

And though I'm far away
I still can hear them say
Bombs up
But when the dawn comes up

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

 Dennis Edwards

Here’s another song expressing the longing of man for peace. It was written during the time of war in 1942 to encourage the soldiers and the population of Britain under attack by the Germans. However, the allied victory over Germany in the war did not bring forth or fulfill the beautiful imagery expressed in the song. If it did, it was only for a moment. Mankind was soon back to its wars. However, the Bible tells us that one day there shall be peace on earth for a thousand years.

We read in the Old Testament that the whole world shall break into singing when Christ begins His Millennial rule. “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”[1] God's love and truth will flow down the mountain as we find expressed in imagery of Joel and Isaiah.

 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord.” [2]

 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”[3]

God will enlighten the hearts and minds of all men for a thousand years of love and laughter and peace ever after. We read in Revelation that the angel “laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."[Revelation 20:2-3]

“And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of he dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”[4]

But even that peace, sad to say, will be broken and shattered. God will release the Devil who had been bound during that time, those thousand years, to go and once more to tempt and to deceive the nations, those nations that had lived and grown under Christ's millennial rule. Many will depart from their new found faith and reject the truth they had seen and lived. They will gather themselves against the beloved city and God will be justified in His destruction of them.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”[5]

Apostle Peter describes a similar picture of the future: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.”[6]

 After the destruction of the surface of the earth by fire, the Great White Throne Judgment shall take place. All the souls whoever lived who were not followers of Jesus shall be raised from the dead and judged by their works. Those whose good deeds were greater than their bad deeds shall be given eternal life and an opportunity to continue to learn to love God and others. Those whose names were not found in the Book of Life shall be cast into Hell.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works…And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”[7]

Then God will create a new Heaven and a new Earth and He will come and live with man.”And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”[8] New Jerusalem, the City of God, shall descend out of Heaven and God's people will dwell with Him. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”[9]

In the midst of the city is the River of Life. “An he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” On the sides of the river is the Tree of Life. Every month a different fruit grows on the tree and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations of unbelievers who live outside the city on the newly created new Earth. “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations.”[10]

Those nations will still be in the process of healing spiritually from their sins and shortcomings and will still be in the process of learning to believe and to willing love and serve God and others. Until one day they too may be allowed to enter the city and eat the fruit from the Tree of Life and God's wonderful experiment will have been completed, without defeat. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”[11]

We will learn to love God and one another. There will be a happy ending which will have no end. For those that choose to love God and others will have no end but a glorious future without end and beyond our wildest imaginations. “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the hearts of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”[12]

Finally, we will experience that love and laughter for ever after in God's world of peace. But you don't have to wait until then to know if you will partake of these wonders. Accept the supernatural love God is offering all mankind through Jesus Christ right now. It's just that simple. He's just that wonderful. Fall into arms of Jesus, today. He loves you and wants to wipe away all your tears, sorrow, pain, and worry and transform you into a new creature,[13] filled with His love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.[14] Try Him. He yearns for relationship with you, and He won't disappoint you.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaaK5-WEzyk&ab_channel=OldSongs%27Lyrics

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[1] Isaiah 55:12.

[2] [Joel 3:18]

[3] [Isaiah 2:2-3]

[4] [Revelation 20:4-6]

[5] [Revelation 20:7-9]

[6] [2 Peter 3:10-14,17] 

[7] [Revelation 20:9-13, 15]

[8] [Revelation 21:1] 

[9] [Revelation 21:2-3]

[10] [Revelation 22:2]

[11] [Revelation 22:14]

[12] [1 Corinthian 2:9]

[13] [2 Corinthians 5:17]

[14] [Galatians 5:22-23]