VERSE 6-10 “The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. You, who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”

“These verses at first seem rather disconnected and unrelated. Without the aid of Brother Russell’s foresight relating to the harvest experiences of the Church, these verses would be impossible to interpret. And perhaps without an incident related by Daniel they would have to remain obscure. But with these helps they are one or the delights of harvest period prophecy.

The verses we have just considered detail the Lord’s work in the establishing of His power through the destruction of Satan’s empire. Verses 6 through 10 seem to represent the final stand of earth’s rulers and the ultimate deliverance of the Church. Perhaps the best way to understand these five verses is to paraphrase them before linking them to another typical event.

We freely paraphrase thus:

Verse 6 In the midst of earth’s turmoil the true Church is declaring that God is righteous in permitting the present confusion. The fact that the Church will continue to do this will result ultimately in the people’s understanding of the Lord’s power and purpose.

Verse 7 Mankind’s rulers (both civil and religious) will yet persist in pride and will force all men to conform to the dictates of church and state as they strive to retain their idol, the old order, the status quo. But to the true Church, the only way is to worship Him and not the images of man’s folly (governments and church institutions).

Verse 8 Zion (the true Church) knew that a dark night (the great time of trouble, more specifically the, the “hour of trial” Rev 3:10) was coming in which she would be threatened to cease her work (Rev 13:17). So, she was glad because she knew she was on the threshold of the peaceable kingdom and that those who threatened her were under the judgments of God.

Verse 9 Zion knew that in this final experience God would be exalted above all other powers.

Verse 10 Therefore Zion persisted in her work, hating the evil order which commanded her to stop. And when that evil order thought it would destroy Zion, it only hastened her miraculous deliverance. Thus was the Lord glorified.

Compare this, brethren, with the account of the golden image on the plain of Dura found in Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had all been examples among the Babylonians of the grace of God. Then the king set up an image (Compare Rev 13:1, 5- 17) and commanded that all conform to a service set for its worship. The three Hebrews refused and were sentenced to destruction in a fiery furnace. They were miraculously delivered after which the king exalted God above all others: “There is no other God that can deliver after this sort.” Dan 3:29

VERSE 11 and 12 “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”

It seems probable, then, that Psalm 97 includes all the pertinent details of the closing days of the old order and of the final experiences of the Church in the flesh. In its closing verses the Psalmist shows the character of the order to come: Light in place of darkness; gladness in place of trembling; and rejoicing for all. But we are Zion! And this (knowledge) is our present joy, ahead of the world of mankind! Yea! We have heard! And we rejoice because of Thy judgments, O Lord!”

“At present “clouds and darkness” are round about the earth’s new King and the people of the world do not realize the meaning of events which have been precipitated by his second presence. But concerning the Lord’s own people, that is those who are “NOT in darkness, that that day should overtake them as a thief” in the night, the Psalmist wrote: “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound (who can distinguish the heavenly message from the deceiving message of Satan): they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.” (1 Thess 5:4; Psa 89:15) Yes, already the light of the Lord’s second presence, shining out from the throne, is rejoicing their hearts.

 Meekness, humility, righteousness, sincerity, and a hungering after the truth are essential if we are to be in the right attitude of heart and mind to see and appreciate this great and glorious fact of the Lord’s second presence, and that he is already establishing his long-promised kingdom.

“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness [the joys of the truth now due] for the upright in heart“.