The Court in Heaven

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.