Hi all,
They say Federal agents being trained to spot counterfeit money first study every aspect of real money. When they know the real very, very, well, they can easily spot the counterfeit.
That’s how I am approaching this study on the ‘courts of heaven’ teaching. For the first half I will focus primarily on the true, so that by the time I get to describing the elements of the ‘courts of heaven’ teaching, you’ll already know in your spirit and mind it is counterfeit.
What are the basics of the ‘courts of heaven’ teaching?
The ‘courts of heaven’ depict prayer as working within a modern criminal justice system of the West/Europe. The premise is the Father is the judge, Jesus is our attorney, Satan is the prosecutor, and we are to bring our cases before the ‘courts of heaven’ for a proper judgement. It is a formula based system of prayer for laying out a legal case, like a criminal court today.
It says Satan has access to the Father, before whom each case is heard. It further states some believers who have died act as a council of heaven. (More on these later in the series)
Related book subjects by the founder of the ‘courts of heaven’ appeal to every fear or desire a person may have. They include; ‘operating in the courts of heaven’, ‘foundations for breaking generational curses’, ‘prayers and declarations that open the courts of heaven’, ‘heavenly witnesses; partnering with the council of heaven for personal breakthrough’, ‘issuing divine restraining orders’, ‘receiving healing from the courts of heaven’, ‘unlocking destinies from the courts of heaven’, ‘the trading floors of heaven (unlocking wealth)’, and so on.
Understand this about the grace of our Father and our Lord.
The Father and our Lord will do what can be done to help innocent and well meaning believers who are desperately searching for answers, but are caught up in this error. An answered prayer through a formula such as this is not an endorsement on the teaching, it is instead a reflection of the grace of the Father helping one of His children in a time of need.
In the same way a pastor who is having a secret affair may pray for someone and they are healed, the Lord healed for the person’s sake, not because of, nor as an endorsement of the pastor.
The Bible is an oriental book. The Father is an oriental king. Jesus is oriental. This is key to understanding the first use of ‘court’ in the Bible.
Far East and Middle East are the East – the Orient. The courts of kings are oriental courts, not a 21st century democracy-based court system. For classification in study, Europe and the Americas are ‘occidental’, while Israel and the Middle East are ‘oriental.’
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100: 4-5
An oriental court as mentioned in Psalm 100 above, refers to the area around a king’s throne. You come through the gates and enter the courts of the throne. The word ‘court’ in Hebrew means ‘enclosure’, referring to the area around a throne or palace. In the OT inner courts and outer courts are mentioned. It does not mean a modern court system, but the area around a throne.
Oriental customs: Abraham to the gospels and beyond
These include bowing either at the waist or kneeling on the ground in respect to someone in authority. In the west we shake hands. In the orient they bow at least at the waist. In Genesis 18:2 Abraham bowed before the Lord as He and 2 angels materialized so the Lord could allow Abraham to intercede for his nephew Lot and the people of Sodom. The 2 angels later went ahead in chapter 19 to rescue Lot and his family.
In Matthew 2: 11 the wise men fell down in worship before baby Jesus. In Acts 10:25 the Roman Cornelius ‘fell down at his feet’ before Peter and ‘worshipped him.’ Indeed, Philippians 2: 10 says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is all oriental.
Consider the oriental way of transporting a king.
Many of us have seen movies, books, art, or historical depictions from China, Japan, India and so on where emperors and important officials are seated on a chair platform. Usually the chair platform has curtains or veil, and is carried on poles on the shoulders of attendants.
This is exactly how the Ark of the Covenant was carried by the priests, as commanded by God. We can see this in I Chronicles 15, where the rings on the sides of the ark had poles placed through them, and then Levites lifted the Ark and carried it on their shoulders.
I mentioned this passage
Because it explains why Uzzah died when he steadied the ox cart in II Samuel 6: 6-8. David had improperly and ignorantly brought the Ark on an ox cart. After Uzzah died, David did his homework and found God’s instructions. He then had the Levites carry the Ark properly. The rings on the sides of the Ark had wood poles placed through them, and Levites used those poles to carry the Ark on their shoulders. See Exodus 25: 12-15, 27. Exodus 27: 6-8.
The way Israel transported the Ark of the Covenant is a type of the heavenly. Ezekiel experienced the Father on His throne flying towards him in Ezekiel 1. He describes the burning cherubs carrying the throne platform on their shoulders, taking Him wherever He wished. (Ezek 1: 15-28)
Those who have direct access to an oriental court (throne) include the family and children of the king, friends, elders or advisors, and spiritual leaders.
If you have read the book of Daniel you understand Daniel had just such a position in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. We see Esther and her husband the king, and Joseph (and his brothers) in the royal court of Pharaoh. In Israel and Judah we see the prophet Samuel before King Saul. We see Isaiah ministering to King Hezekiah and Jeremiah ministering to King Zedekiah, and so on. Prophet, priest, and king ruled and advised Israel throughout its history.
Yes, the Bible is an oriental book, and the Father’s throne is part of an oriental court.
We are family, so we have access, and no one may accuse us before our Father the King. A royal (oriental and occidental) court is an extension of a king’s household. Those allowed and welcomed before the king include the king’s family and nobility, as well as spiritual leaders. It also includes attendants who are not royal.
We will pick it up with children of oriental kings next week.
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
