Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?
It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.
Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.
We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.
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Introduction
Ordinarily we examine the claims of cessationists and Calvinists to see if their doctrines are biblical, but we are not reluctant to take issue with errant charismatics when they go astray. In the past we have looked at
According to certain charismatics, there are actual courts in heaven. We suppose that this is what such a court might look like:
- The keys to the Kingdom
- Binding and loosing
- Covered by the blood
- The gift of sight
- Generational curses
- Praying "in the Name of Jesus"
- Speaking creates reality
Today we look at the idea of the courts of heaven.
What Are the Courts of Heaven?
Many people think that courts on earth are just human institutions. However, the reality is that courts on earth are modeled after heaven courts.
In the Bible, we see that God is a righteous judge (Psalm 96:13 & Psalm 7:11) and that Jesus is our advocate (1 John 2:1). We also see that the devil is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and that there is spiritual law and jurisdiction. Looks like a court right?
The courts of heaven are a very real place where cases are heard, and verdicts are given. Just as we go to earthly courts to have our cases heard, we can also go to the courts of heaven. The courts of heaven are a place of justice, where wrongs can be righted and where we can receive help and breakthrough in our lives.
How the courts of heaven work…
Now that you know that earthly courts are modeled after heavenly courts. You just need to know that the courts of heaven work Just like an earthly court (but courts of heaven are far much superior).
To reiterate (guys this is super important!): The devil brings charges against us in these courts. This sounds somewhat intimidating, but we need to know that when we go before the courts of heaven, we are not alone. We have the best legal team around, plus a super awesome Judge!
Lots of undocumented claims here. We won't directly dissect this person's presentation, but we will examine the concepts.
The idea is, the courts of heaven are where a Christian is supposed to make his case for healing, anointing, getting life's problems resolved, answering the devil's accusations, blessing and wealth, and obtaining answers to prayer. In this scenario it functions like the courts in western jurisprudence, including the court itself, with a judge, a defense attorney, a prosecutor, the jury, and a gallery of observers.
However, none of these features are biblically described as a place in heaven, let alone it being a place where we present our evidence for adjudication.
Court
The fundamental problem here is we make assumptions. When we hear terms like "judge," "court," "accuser," and "advocate," we think these things all correspond to our experience or idea of court. We confuse our version of court with God's.
They are not the same.
Most of the time in the OT when courts are mentioned the Hebrew word is chatser, a yard or private enclosure:
Isaiah. 1:12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?
This word always describes an area distinct and defined, but has no legal permutations. For example, the Temple had an outer court, which was the large outer area where people congregated. This is the area Jesus cleansed of moneychangers. Separated from that was smaller inner court for Jews, and interior to that was the Holy of holies, where the high priest could only enter once a year.
Kings also had courts, a defined area where servants, entertainers, and nobility would minister to the king. Think of the scene in Return of the Jedi where Jabba the Hut receives Luke Skywalker. There's a band, soldiers, mercenaries, servants, dancers, and various spectators.
That's a court in the biblical sense.
There are certainly legal proceedings in the courts of the King, conveyed by the Hebrew word reeb, which means
conduct a (legal) case, suit, usually figurative...
Reeb is found here:
Is. 3:13 The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people.
This seems to conform to people's expectation as to what court in heaven would be like; however, we need to understand that it is no small thing when He rises. Kings generally do not rise, they sit in glorious majesty, and everyone is at attention. Likewise, the Lord as King is in His throne room, arrayed in glorious regal attire, holy and awesome.
Yet He rises:
Is. 2:19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.
When the Lord rises, He rises only to do a mighty act. He doesn't need to hear evidence. There's no proceeding. No jury renders judgment. He speaks and nations fall, the oceans churn, and the mountains tremble. The highest King is fearsome, and His judgments are always perfect:
Da. 7:10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
There will be a proceeding in heaven at the end of time. Everything is in heavenly books (Rev. 20:12). The King consults the books and speaks, and His word is law. This is somewhat similar to a summary judgment, where the Judge unilaterally makes a ruling without a trial.
A Greek word for court is béma - a platform to which someone walked up to receive judgment; (figuratively) the administration of justice – literally, given from "a tribunal-chair" (throne) where rewards and punishments are meted out.
Ac. 18:12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.
The word is most often used in the context of coming before a political ruler or prince who would would hear complaints and make unilateral rulings. It is also used here:
Ro. 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
In every case, there is no court as we understand it. There is a King, and he renders perfect judgment. And biblically speaking, His judgment is earth shaking. These judgments are not regarding your problems and needs, though He willingly listens to such things. No, these judgments destroy nations.
Defense
Jesus is not our defense attorney because there are no charges against us:
Ro. 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Col. 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation...
This is about sin and condemnation:
Ro. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
It's not about feeling unduly guilty, this condemnation is the death that results from the Hebrew law. However, while Adam's sin brought death, Jesus has released us from death and condemnation, His advocacy is the blood spilled for us, washing us clean and making us free from any accusation. Jesus is the one who frees us from all condemnation from the law, and His blood is His means for our defense:
1Jn. 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
The Greek word for "defense " is paraklétos, helper, comforter, advocate. Notice as our advocate, Jesus is not defending us against accusation or making our case to the Judge in order for Him to release blessing. Jesus doesn't answer charges. He doesn't plead for our healing. He doesn't make the case for the Father releasing wealth to us.
Jesus does not plead to the Father to heal us, bless us, or solve our problems. He pleads by means of the blood to free us from death and give us new life. His blood speaks a better word.
The Accuser
Yes, there is an accuser, Satan:
Re. 12:10b For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Satan's accusations are not a court proceeding. He's not a prosecutor, he supplies no role in the justice of God whatsoever. There is no "official" role implied in the Greek. Satan is not a prosecuting attorney in a legal process who brings charges. We are not part of a courtroom scene. Satan is not provided with prosecutorial evidence. He is not someone's legal representative. In fact, he has no official function at all. He's simply the accuser.
The English tense used in this translation implies this is happening presently (...who accuses them...), but notice, the next phrase in the verse tells us he has been hurled down. This is important. That word "hurled " is balló, absolutely and in the passive to be violently displaced from a position gained... Satan was aggressively tossed down to a very low place.
Like where a serpent lives.
Our knowledge of Greek grammar is admittedly limited, but we would suggest that maybe it should be rendered, who accused them before God day and night. Some renditions of egkaleó are past tense. The reason we say this is we emphatically believe that Satan used to have access to heaven in some way (see Job 1:6), but he's now hurled down. It would mean that Satan is no longer able to accuse us before the Lord's throne.
Notice that he accuses our brothers. Satan has no reason to accuse those who are already condemned (Jn. 3:18). He wouldn't need to bother. And he doesn't have access to heaven anymore, so Satan and his minions accuse Christians. He tries to heap guilt upon us. He tries to trip us up, to either lure us into sin or to negate our witness. He's not in heaven bringing charges to God. Rather, he's cast down, on earth, accusing us to us. He's directing his activities right at us.
As we mentioned before, no one is bringing charges:
Ro. 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Further, we find in Revelation at the end of time, on the Last Day, that Satan has already been cast into the lake of fire (Re. 20:10) prior to the Great White Throne scene:
Re. 20:10-11 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it...
Therefore, there will be no accuser at the Great White Throne judgment either. Conclusion: Satan cannot bring charge against us because he no longer has access to God.
There is no courtroom with Satan prosecuting. He has nothing on us!
What About the Judge?
The apostle continues writing:
Re. 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
When we read this carefully, we see that the judgment is not of the righteous vs. unrighteous, but rather of every person's works (1Pet. 1:17, 2 Cor. 5:10), words (Matt. 12:36), and secret thoughts (Rom. 2:16). Notice there is no judgment concerning the person being thrown into the lake of fire. That matter is determined by simply consulting the book of life to see whose names are there. Remember, the unsaved are condemned already (John 3:18). So of course their names are not found in the book of life.
There is only one thing that occurs when you are saved as it applies to judgment: Your name gets written into the book of life. Before salvation, no one's name was there. After salvation, their names are added.
There is no verse in the NT that says that people will be judged. This is a substantial claim of great import. We don't make it casually. But every NT verse we read with the word "judge" or "judgment" does not contain the idea that God judges or will judge the person. Only works will be judged, because the dead are already dead while the born again have eternal life.
All that remains for anyone is their works:
1Co. 3:11-15 For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
We already know that one cannot be saved by works. So the dead man who does works only has dead works which are burned up, while the born again man who does works has them judged and refined. The dead man stays dead, the born again man receives his reward.
The most substantial argument against the idea of the courts of heaven (besides the fact there isn't one) is that we don't need one. Why?
- There is no accuser in heaven
- We belong to God, we are not litigants
- The death and condemnation which bound us had been released by the blood of Jesus
- God desires to draw near and bless us. He is not reluctant
- He has no need to make judgment
- Our case has already been judged, and we are no longer dead
2Co. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
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