The Court of Heaven August 2020
There is a court in Heaven where God sits as the Judge and
in this court are books.
[Dan 7:9 NASB] "I kept looking Until thrones were
set up, And the Ancient of Days took [His] seat; His vesture [was] like white
snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne [was] ablaze with
flames, Its wheels [were] a burning fire.
[Dan 7:10 NASB] "A river of fire was flowing And
coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And
myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.
Written in these books are the words of God. Truths that are
forever. One of these books is the Book of the Living. The Book of the Living
records the details of the life of each living person before they were even
formed in the womb. The events of each day and the destiny of each person is
recorded in the Book of the lives of Human Beings.
[Psa 139:16 NLT] 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was
recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had
passed. (Day of my life, Hebrew, yā-mîm yuṣ-ṣā-rū; = days fashioned for me)
Another
book is the Book of Tears.
The Book of Tears records the pain of broken hearts and crushed
spirits. God watches over His children. He knows their pain and sorrows and
moves with compassion, comforting, protecting, healing, rescuing them from
trouble, and providing for His own.
[Psa 56:8 NLT] 8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears
in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
[Psa 34:17-20 NLT] 17 The LORD hears his people when
they call to him for help. He
rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the
brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19 The righteous
person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. 20 For
the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!2 Kings
20
The things promised in these books are often thwarted in
this world. So many people are not living the life God intended for them. Many
are living in pain, sorrows, bondages, and lots of troubles. This is because we
live in a fallen world and we have a spiritual enemy that seeks to steal, kill,
and destroy. But Jesus came to turn all of this around and He often uses His
people in the process. This is where the court in Heaven comes into play.
[Jhn 10:10 NASB] "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly.
God is a righteous judge and judges with equity and He
judges both the righteous man and the wicked man.
[Psa 7:11 NASB] God is a righteous judge and a God who has
indignation every day.
[Psa 9:8 NASB] And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will
execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
[Psa 96:10 NASB] Say among the nations, "The LORD
reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with
equity."
[Ecc 3:17 NASB] I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous
man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is
there.
In this court, there is an accuser, Satan.
[Job 1:6 NLT] One day the members of the heavenly court came to present
themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.
[Job 2:1 NLT] One day the members of the heavenly court came again to
present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.
[Zec 3:1 NLT] Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high
priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel's right
hand, making accusations against Jeshua.
Jesus is the advocate for those standing before the Judge.
There is also a counselor in the courtroom, the Holy Spirit.
[1Jo 2:1 NKJV] My little children,
these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we
have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
[Rom 8:34 ESV] Who is to condemn?
Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the
right hand of God, who
indeed is interceding for us.
26 But the Comforter
(Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy
Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place,
to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He
will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance)
everything I have told you.
We step into this courtroom when we take our concerns and complaints
to God in prayer, and when we pray as intercessors for others.
[Psa 55:17 ESV] Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
[Psa 64:1 ESV] To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my
complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
[Psa 102:1 ESV] A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is
faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!
[Psa 142:2 ESV] I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble
before him.
[Lam 3:59 NASB] O LORD, You have seen my oppression; Judge my case.
When we stand before the Judge, we first need to deal with
ourselves. If we have not dealt with our sin and our part in the complaint, we
should not expect the Judge to hear our case. We know that we are covered by
the righteousness of Christ, but we need to make sure that we have confessed,
repented, and asked the Judge for forgiveness and cleansing of anything that
might hinder our prayers and intercession.
[2Ch 6:23 NASB] then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants,
punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the
righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
[1Pe 3:7 NKJV] Husbands, likewise, dwell with [them]
with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as
[being] heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Now we are ready to present our petitions to God the
Judge. The basis of our case must be
what is found in “the books”. In the books are found God’s law, His promised life
and destiny of each individual, our pain and sorrows, His promises made to His
people, and His plan for the history of the world as revealed through the
prophets.
In
the big picture, God made covenant promises to His people Israel. They
guarantee Israel a permanent national existence, perpetual title to the land of
promise, material, and spiritual blessing through the Messiah, and through the
Messiah, they guarantee gentiles a share in these blessings. The land promises or blessings are given in
the Palestinian covenant. The promises
of a perpetual kingdom are given in the Davidic covenant and the redemptive and
spiritual blessing are given in the New Covenant. Taken together these constitute the Abrahamic
covenant.
God also promises to send a Messiah, a Savior, to save mankind
from their sin.
[Luk 2:11 ESV] For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
[Act 5:31 ESV] God exalted him at his right hand as Leader
and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
[1Jo 4:14 ESV] And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
God promised to establish His kingdom on the earth and to
rule and reign on the earth for 1000 years, then create all things new.
He also promised to
heal the brokenhearted, set captives free, release those that are bound, heal
the sick, deliver those that are tormented by demons, and to be a source of joy
and peace in the midst of the storms of life.
[Isa 61:1 ESV] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to those who are bound;
[Isa 61:2 ESV] to proclaim the year of the LORD's
favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
[Isa 61:3 ESV] to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to
give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead
of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be
called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be
glorified.
[Gal 5:22 ESV] But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
[Jhn 16:33 NKJV] "These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Based on God’s promises and plans, when we take others'
problems before God in prayer, we are essentially taking their case before the
Great Judge seeking righteous judgments, justice, and release of God’s promises
as written in the books. What often happens is that we do not see the issues
resolved. Where is the blockage? What hold over those we are praying for does
the accuser have that keeps them in bondages, that keep them from living the
good plan for their lives that is written in the books?
[Jer 29:11 NASB] 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the
LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
The first issue is do they belong to God or the devil? If
they are “of the world”, then Satan has a claim on their lives. The first step
in setting them free is to get them into the Kingdom of God by accepting Jesus
as their Lord and Savior. Then we look for issues that give the devil rights
over them. Things that give the devil a place, foothold, or opportunity to
control and/or torment them, things like sins of many kinds, hardness of heart,
sensuality, impurity, deceitful desires, falsehoods, anger, and any works of
the flesh.
[Gal 5:19 NKJV] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
[Gal 5:20 NKJV] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
[Gal 5:21 NKJV] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries,
and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time
past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[Eph 4:17 ESV] Now this I say and testify in the Lord,
that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
minds.
[Eph 4:18 ESV] They are darkened in their
understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is
in them, due to their hardness of heart.
[Eph 4:27 ESV] and give no opportunity (place, foothold) to the devil.
There are other things that create
barriers that hinder one’s relationship with God, keep us from hearing Him, and
things that give the devil opportunities and rights to keep us in bondage. These are things that work to prevent prayers
from being answered.
Basic strongholds are often
established in the areas of unbelief, fear, manipulation and control,
addictions, hatred, self-worth, anger/rage, bitterness, unforgiveness, sexual
sin and perversion of all kinds, and occult involvement of all kinds. These
open doors for the enemy to build strongholds that can destroy a person’s life.
These strongholds get into a person’s life through sin (especially hidden sin),
ancestrally passed down issues (sins), soul ties, occult involvement, curses,
unforgiveness and revengeful emotions, traumatic events, and a life or history
of dysfunctional friends, families and role models.
Dealing with these issues
involves confession and repentance of sin, giving and receiving forgiveness,
cutting off ancestral sins and curses, cutting off unhealthy soul ties,
renouncing occult involvement or beliefs in any form, replacing word curses
with God’s truths and blessings, and dealing with the pain and lies believed
from past traumatic events. The legal authority to do these things is given to
us by Jesus (praying in Jesus' name). The power to enforce these things is
given to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
In the court of heaven, as these accusations and works of
the devil are resolved and the barriers removed, our advocate the Lord Jesus
moves, and court orders are issued to set the captives free, heal, and bless
those we have taken to the court of heaven. All along the way, our “counselor”
the Holy Spirit is directing us in the process. Knowing how to “litigate” (take a claim or a
dispute to a court of law) in the court of Heaven is essential to being
effective intercessors for ourselves and for those we are praying for.
When it comes to praying for the world around us we must
know the “master plan” as revealed to us through the prophets of the Bible.
Knowing the plan, we can pray according to the plan. Taking an issue or request
to the court of Heaven that is not in accord with God’s master plan will be
futile even though it may feel or sound right in our own eyes. In our world
today of much chaos, confusion, and uncertainty, it very easy to pray for our
desires and plans. Knowing God’s plan, trusting the plan, and praying the plan
will bring great blessings and success to our prayers.
In the end, we are just praying God’s will for individuals and
His great plan of the ages for all mankind. Let’s step into that great court in
Heaven and be part of the answer to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray:
[Mat 6:9 NKJV] "In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
[Mat 6:10 NKJV] Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as [it is]
in heaven.
[Mat 6:11 NKJV] Give us this day our daily bread.
[Mat 6:12 NKJV] And forgive us our debts, As we forgive
our debtors.
[Mat 6:13 NKJV] And do not lead us into temptation, But
deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
