What are the courts of heaven?

Answer

The word “court” has multiple meanings in English. It can refer to “an area where a tennis or basketball game is played,” “a venue for legal cases with a judge,” or “a monarch’s assembly of officers and advisors.”

In the New Testament, “courts” is typically used in a legal context. For example, in Acts 19:38, it says, “The courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.” The term is not associated with heavenly courts in this context.

In the Old Testament, “courts” mainly refers to the temple or a specific part of it where God was enthroned. For instance, in 1 Chronicles 28:6, it mentions, “Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him.” Similarly, Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” This referred to physically entering the temple at that time. Today, many Christians interpret this as entering God’s spiritual presence, envisioning it as the “courts of heaven,” the spiritual realm where God reigns.

However, the terms “courts of heaven” or “court of heaven” are not specifically mentioned.In Scripture.

Prosperity theology teacher Robert Henderson has recently piqued interest in “the courts of heaven,” using the term in the legal sense. Henderson explains that he had long known he could pray to God as Father and as his Friend; however, he had overlooked the fact that he could also appeal to God as the Judge. Henderson argues that just as human judges preside over earthly judicial systems, God is the Judge in the Court of Heaven.

In an interview with Patricia King, Henderson shares the story of how he prayed for two years for his son Adam, who struggled with depression, and nothing was effective. He had attempted “binding and loosing,” “opening and shutting,” “every formula I had ever heard,” and “everything I knew to do,” but with no success. Then Henderson purportedly heard the voice of God instruct him, “Bring Adam to my courts.” So that is precisely what he did.

Henderson began by saying, “Lord, I bring Adam to your courts.” Then he repented for anything he believed Adam might have done wrong. Subsequently, he repented for some of his own sins concerning Adam. The entire process lasted about 15 minutes. A week and a half later, his son called to inform him that he had encountered a remarkable breakthrough from his depression a week and a half earlier. Henderson remarks, “I suddenly realized that I had accomplished in 15 minutes in the courts of heaven what I had not been able to achieve in two years on the battlefield of prayer.” Based on this encounter, Henderson concluded that the victory has already been secured by Christ and that we simply need to obtain “legal access” to the triumph. In the courts of heaven, we eliminate any legal obstacles that the enemy is exploiting to hinder God from fulfilling what He has pledged to His children.

Henderson has authored the following books, further elaborating on his “Courts of Heaven” concept within prosperity theology:

• Operating in the Courts of Heaven: Granting God the Legal Rights to Fulfill His Passion (2016)

• Unlocking Destinies from the Courts of Heaven: Dissolvin

g Curses That Delay and Deny Our Future (2016)

• Accessing the Courts of Heaven: How to Position Yourself for Breakthrough in Prayer (2017)

• Prayers & Declarations That Open the Courts of Heaven (2018)

• Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven: Removing Hindrances that Delay or Deny Your Healing (2018)

• Redeeming Your Bloodline: Foundations for Breaking Generational Curses from the Courts of Heaven (2019)

• The Cloud of Witnesses in the Courts of Heaven: Partnering with the Council of Heaven for Personal and Kingdom Breakthrough (2019)

• Issuing Divine Restraining Orders from Courts of Heaven: Restricting and Revoking the Plans of the Enemy (2019, co-authored with Francis Miles)

• Father, Friend, and Judge: Three Dimensions of Prayer That Receive Answers from Heaven (2020)

• Praying for the Prophetic Destiny of the United States and the Presidency of Donald J. Trump from the Courts of Heaven (2020)

Robert Henderson has also held a conference called “Unlocking Wealth in the Courts of Heaven.” A corollary to this is his book The Trading Floors of Heaven: Where Lost Blessings Are Restored and Kingdom Destiny Is Fulfilled (2018, co-authored with Beverly Watkins). This book aims to guide readers on how to “receive your New Covenant blessing and inheritance by accessing the trade of Calvary through the Courts of Heaven.”

Henderson’s theology and methodology present several issues.

First, Henderson assumes that, because God is called a judge, He must actually preside over a court system at least somewhat similar to a modern judicial system. Scripture does refer to God as the Judge, but it does not mention a legal system operating in heaven, let alone it being the key to fulfilling our desires.

Second, Henderson relies on extra-biblical revelation that he claims to have received. It is noteworthy that the New Testament never mentions this crucial information about accessing the courts of heaven.For 2,000 years, Christians have been praying and struggling with suffering and persecution that, according to Henderson, could have been avoided if they had simply known to approach God not as their Father or Friend, but as the Judge, and to present their cases in the heavenly judicial system. In an earthly judicial system, requests are often denied because the plaintiff did not submit the correct paperwork in the proper manner. Are we to believe that the “heavenly judicial system” operates in a similar fashion?

Third, Henderson’s concept of the heavenly courts and how we can engage with them are deeply rooted in prosperity theology. According to Henderson, wealth and healing are readily available if we only understand how to correctly request them. His theology is based on the notion that God originally granted Adam, the first man, legal authority over the earth. When Adam sinned, that legal authority was transferred to Satan. Now, God is legally prevented from taking action on earth unless individuals reclaim that authority from Satan and give it back to God. Allegedly, this process occurs within the legal framework of a genuine heavenly courtroom. Hence the subtitle of the original “courts of heaven” book: Operating in the Courts of Heaven: Granting God the Legal Rights to Fulfill His Passion. In this theology, God desires to bless us, but He may encounter obstacles on legal grounds.

Fourth, Henderson’s approach to prayer is mechanistic. In the “courts of heaven” model, prayer revolves around using the correct formula or, one might say, submitting the appropriate paperwork in the correct jurisdiction. There is no acknowledgment of “thy will be done” except that prosperity preachers are convinced that God’s will is to shower them with health and wealth. If they are not experiencing abundant blessings, there must be some technicality preventing it. Perhaps a specific formula or technique will serve as the key to unlocking the blessings. Fundamentally, this is a pagan concept.

In conclusion, when Jesus instructed His disciples on prayer by providing them with a model prayer, we

Find nothing about “the courts of heaven” or anything about health and prosperity. We do find an emphasis on God’s Kingdom coming and God’s will being done. The focus of prayer is on aligning our will with God’s. Health and prosperity are summed up in a request for “daily bread,” which is just enough to supply the needs of the day.