The Courts of Heaven

Compiled by Lilian Schmid from Robert Henderson and Ian Clayton writings on the subject.

Why go to a Heavenly Court

Have you been praying for years on a matter without seeing circumstances change? Have you been robbed
of something and you don’t seem to be experiencing justice? Then maybe it is time you looked into having
your case heard in the courtroom of heaven. Below are some initial thoughts and principles for accessing
heaven’s court. It is not something to be done lightly, but with due diligence and prayer. I encourage you to
look into this further.

Who Do We Come Before

Our Father in Heaven has many roles and we approach him differently as to which role He is fulfilling at that
particular moment. When God is in court as our judge, we come before Him in awe. The truth is that God
judges out of love. He is a God of love.

Petition the Courts of Heaven

• The Holy Spirit may specifically invite us to bring a particular matter to the courts of
heaven. This may come as an impression or arise out of our realising that we need
something settled.
• We may simply find ourselves brought to the courts of heaven, eg in a vision.
• Faith is the currency for the court of heaven.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you which matters are to be brought to the courts of heaven,
when and with whom. He is our paráklētos, “who intercedes on our behalf as an advocate
in court”. We come to seek the intervention of God as our Judge.
• As a judge, He will determine present circumstances and answers to our prayers under the
governmental system of heaven.
• There is a difference between a prayer and a petition. Prayer covers all aspects of requests.
A petition is defined as a formal written request to a court requesting judicial action on a
certain matter ie petition in prayer is a legal presentation before the Judge, requesting a
verdict from Heaven’s Court.
• Hebrews 4:13-16, Luke 18:1-8, Ephesians 6:18

Make your petition specific by asking:

• In what areas are you seeking justice?
• What results are you specifically seeking?
• On what basis? Is there legal precedent through God’s word?
• What adversary is preventing you from receiving justice?
• Whom are you seeking justice for?
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Intercession:
(Representing Others in the Courts of Heaven)

• A high priest is one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the
heavens. Hebrews 7:24-26
• We all have direct access to the Holy Spirit who lives to intercede for us in the courts of
heaven.
• The Holy Spirit seeks those on earth who will stand before God on behalf of others to
discern, identify and bring the legal accusations of the enemy under the blood of Christ
and invite his rule in their region, nation etc.
• You are a Lawyer in heaven’s sight. The word “intercessor” is actually another word for this
profession. The Holy Spirit is the greatest intercessor ever. He lives in you. He intercedes
through you with groanings too deep for words.
• As a lawyer, you are called to organize your case, and present your case before His Throne.
That’s what a lawyer does, at the invitation of the Judge. Further, through the precious
blood of Jesus, your vindication has already been secured.

Court Room Etiquette:

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what to do in the courts of heaven.
When we enter a court room on earth, there are certain requirements/etiquette to express honour and
maintain atmosphere of respect, order, security and awe. We are responsible to engage protocol.

• We dress appropriately.
• We are prepared & ready.
• We stand in respect when the Judge enters/leaves.
• We are required to bow to the magistrate or judge.
• We sit and be silent until we have permission to speak.
• You address the Judge honourably as ‘Your Honour’.
• We direct all remarks to the bench not to the opposition.
• We are uncompromisingly ethical.
• We ask for a verdict/ruling in our favour.
• We don’t continue any arguments when the case is over but respect the Judge’s ruling.
Like a courtroom on earth, we follow the above requirements/etiquette the same in the courtroom of
heaven.

• Ask Jesus to deal with anything ungodly in you before you enter.

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• We enter God’s court rooms, where He sits in judgement to hear and respond to our
prayers. When we step into God’s court room we bow in deep awe and reverence before
the holy righteousness of God. We are silent until we have permission to speak.
• Isaiah 43:26“let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.”
• Your Judge is the Ancient of Days because many of the “justice issues” we face personally
and regionally are generational. They are the by-product of misguided choices from
previous generations. As the Ancient of Days, God sees all days and can render judgment
to deliver you from the encroachment of generational bondages.
• God will review your case. When the court sits, the books, or scrolls, are opened. God will
review your petition in light of the past, present and future. You can ask Him to review the
scroll of your “Book of Life”—including past generations, to annul covenants with death
and darkness that have given access to demonic powers holding your bloodline captive.
• Always be specific and always ask for a verdict in your favour.

Facing the Accuser:

• When we enter the court room we may have to face the accuser, who does the work of a
prosecutor in the heavenly court system. He is at work before God day and night and will
seize on anything not covered by the blood of Christ and use it as legal ground for
legitimate accusations against us that block our access to the mercy of God.
• The sin identified by the accuser may be ours or associated with the request we bring. For
example there may have been a covenant, oath, bondage made in previous generations of
a family that give legitimate access to the enemy. The enemy’s accusations should not lead
us to feel unworthy and turn away from God’s mercy. Use the accusation as useful
conviction of sin and surrender these matters quickly to Christ.
• God will not force our will or override legally binding vows, contracts or covenants that we
have made, or that have been made on our behalf by previous generations of our family
etc.

God’s Rapid Judgement:

• God is longing to grant mercy so, once legal objections are dealt with, He will rule
immediately.
• There is no need for plea and argument before God in his court room. We simply hand him
our need and circumstance, seeking his perspective and ruling. As Jesus said in the parable
of Luke 18:8, God will “see that she gets justice, and quickly.”
• When God has ruled on a matter in the court room we do see rapid outcomes on earth.
• As in earthly courts, a supplicant subjects themself to the decision of the court. We must
abide by God’s decision – even though it may not be what we anticipated.

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Leaving the Court Room:

• Etiquette in an earthly court room requires lawyers to face the judge, bowing as we leave.
Similarly, as we leave the heavenly court room, we seek the face of our God to
acknowledge with honour and gratitude our faith in his vindication and blessings.
• We will not feel the need to pray on the matter anymore – we can now leave this with
God.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to Incorporate into Your Week

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses
to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our
relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of
these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s
voice. Enjoy!
Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc., please make sure that
it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3)

1. Children / Families Activation: Have paper and crayons/pencils/textas handy. Ask everyone
to close their eyes and imagine they are at a park with Father God. Get them to ask God
which area of the park He wants to take them to and play with them. Get them to ask
Father God to tell or show them something that He would like them to know. Explain that
when they are ready, they can open their eyes and draw where on the park they were with
God. Encourage them to share or write what it was that Father God told or shared with
them.
2. Group Activation: Have people pair up. Give everyone a minute to ask God what fancy
dress outfit He would love to dress their partner in and why. Just go with the first image
that comes to mind. Ask God to explain why that image. After a minute, share with your
partner.
3. Beginner Activation: Imagine a plane flying overhead with a banner trailing behind it. Look
at the banner – what has God written on it just for you? Why? Look again, what has God
written on it for someone else? Why and whom has He written it for?
4. Intermediate Activation: Sometime this week go into a clothing shop, and ask God to
highlight an item of clothing. Go up to that item and touch it. Prophesy over that article of
clothing and the person who is going to buy it. Speak God into their life and decree and
declare favour, goodness, integrity etc over the person who buys this article of clothing.
5. Advanced Activation: Open a newspaper and ask God to highlight a headline to you. Ask
God whom the statement in the headline applies to and why? Prophesy/decree it over that
person. Then read the newpaper article that the headline applies to. Ask God to show you
what He would have you pray re that subject. Decree and declare what God has shown
you.

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Types of “Courts” in the Courts of Heaven

The Courts of Heaven operate similar to the legal system we see on Earth.
Because of all the injustices happening in the world, God is releasing new revelation about gaining justice
through the Courts of Heaven. The Cross of Christ is our verdict but there are times we need to enforce this
by entering into the justice system of God. We operate in the Courts of Heaven through prayer and an
intimate relationship with the Lord.
And just like here on Earth, there is more than one type of court in the Courts of Heaven. You might be
wondering: which ones are accessible to us?
God is releasing new revelation about gaining justice through the Courts of Heaven
There are many different types of Courts mentioned in the Bible. Here are just a few that can help you
understand and get started:

1. The Court of Mediation (Reconciliation)

“Settling outside of court” in the Court of Mediation should always be our first step in the process of gaining
justice.
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18 NKJV

2. Court of Petition
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
We already operate in the Courts of Heaven when we bring our prayers and petitions to the Lord. Notice
that Paul says we need to do it with thankfulness and not a spirit of revenge.

3. The Throne of Grace

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV
Our interactions with the Lord in the Courtroom of Heaven are centered around prayer and intimacy. It is
important to approach the Lord with grace and mercy toward others and ourselves. We need to know and
have God’s heart of love (1 John 4:8).

4. The Court of Mount Zion

The Throne of Grace and the Court of Petitions are linked to this court system. Most all your interactions
take place here.
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to
thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are
written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to
Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of
Abel. Hebrews 12:22–24 NIV
Throughout the Bible, Mount Zion is a place of God’s justice and judgment. This best describes the Courts of
Heaven and how we can approach the Lord.

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5. The Court of the Accuser

There are several verses in the Bible that show Satan accusing people in the Courts. The main one is:
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled
down. Revelation 12:10 NIV
It is very important for us to not operate in the court of the accuser. It is best to learn to operate in a spirit of
forgiveness and reconciliation.

6. Court of the Ancient of Days (Supreme Court)

The highest court in Heaven is the Ancient of Days court. This is equivalent to the Supreme Court in the U.S.
As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. … The court was seated, and the
books were opened. Daniel 7:9–10 NIV
This is the highest level court and you cannot go in. You can be taken in through visions and dreams, but this
is not a place to present your case.

Which Court Do You Go In?

There are other Courts of Heaven that require greater understanding to operate in, but these are the basic
ones that are safe to operate in:

• The Court of Petitions

• The Throne of Grace
• The Court of Mount Zion
• The Court of Mediation
Always ask the Lord’s permission before operating in the Courts of Heaven.
Remember to mediate your case first and settle outside of the Courts of Heaven whenever possible, so we
aren’t unnecessarily clogging up the heavenly courtrooms.
An amazing story is told in Daniel, chapter 10, about the prophet Daniel’s perseverance in prayer. As Daniel
prayed over a period of 21 days, the Scriptures tell us there was raging conflict in the second heavens as the
enemy tried to resist the answer to Daniel’s prayer.
Many people view prayer from the perspective of Daniel the intercessor’s story. And in our prayer lives we at
times can feel like we are slugging it out with “second heavens” warfare, not realizing that we, as New
Testament believers, have an advantage that not even Daniel had.
The BIG NEWS is that, as new covenant believers, we have been given a whole different level of access
before what the Scriptures call the throne of grace, and have been told we can come boldly before that third
heaven throne room to obtain mercy and grace to help whenever we need to. (Hebrews 4:16)
We need to realize certain kinds of prayer such as petition and intercession best occur not on a battlefield
but in a court room. They directly pertain to the setting and processes that occur before the courts of
heaven and can literally be viewed as legal transactions before the Judge of all the universe.

The Protocol of Heaven is a Court Room

Protocol in a court room is different than the battlefield. Too many times we haven’t bothered to get legal
things in place first so we can get breakthrough instead of backlash.

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With that in mind, let’s look at this well-known parable about prayer from Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV):
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a
certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came
to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said
within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge
her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out
day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.”

Sources for Further Study

On the Web
Robert Henderson – (roberthenderson.org) The Courts of Heaven Parts 1-4 on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Qqu7s6Wwc
Ian Clayton –
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/companyofburninghearts/episodes/2011-10-31T10_55_42-07_00

Books
Operating in the Courts of Heaven by Robert Henderson
Realms of the Kingdom – Volume One by Ian Clayton

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