This series on Robert Henderson’s teachings is based off my notes, which I took as I read his book: Father, Friend, and Judge: Three Dimensions of Prayer that Receive Answers from Heaven, in Jan 2025.

Coming before God as Judge:

• Many people are comfortable seeing God as Father, and Friend
• But approaching God as Judge might be more challenging, as we don’t understand the power of this place that works on our behalf
• Jesus in teaching His disciples how to pray, introduced prayer in a judicial setting
• Like 18:1-8: There was a city judge who did not fear God, and a widow came to him saying get justice for me from my adversary. And he would not, but afterward said within himself, this widow troubles me I will avenge her lest her continual coming weary me. Then the Lord said, shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, I tell you He will avenge them speedily
• In this story, if the widow woman with no power, influence, wealth, could through her persistent presentation of her case, get verdict from a corrupt judge, how much more will God renders verdicts and decisions for His elect’s sake
• Approaching God as Judge, gives us access into the Courts of Heaven
• But before we can understand this dimension, we must know how to come before God as Judge
• Just like other dimensions of the “secret place”, and the “Council of the Lord”, there are protocols that must be observed
• Just like in a natural court setting there are protocols that govern them, so it is in the Courts of Heaven
• One main protocol is reverence and honour, for the Judge
• Similar to an earthly judicial setting, when a judge enters the court, all are expected to rise in honour of his presence
• Someone approaching God as Judge, we must always do so with humility and surrender before Him
• Heb 12:23: To the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect
• As NT believers, we have been repositioned before God as Judge of all
• As we seen in Robert Henderson Three Dimensions of Prayer: Approaching God as a Friend article, even this is also speaking of the Courts of Heaven, which is another spiritual dimension, it is closely related to Council of the Lord
• Heb 4:12-13: For the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart. And no creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked before Him to whom we must give an account
• God, as Judge discerns our thoughts and intents, we may fool man, but God is looking at the heart
• When we come before God as Judge, we must be willing to allow Him to judge us
• This means we give Him the right to expose our heart, and bring any wrong motives to light
• 1 Cor 11:32: But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world
• So right now, God is disciplining us to remove issues from our hearts, so we would not be partake condemnation that will come upon the world

The speaking blood of Jesus:

• Heb 12:24: To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel
• We see the blood of Jesus speaking on our behalf, before the Courts of Heaven
• In Gen 4:9-12, Cain and Abel story, Abel’s blood cried for judgment, but Jesus blood is crying for forgiveness and mercy
• He didn’t want us judged for our sins, and desire us cleansed and forgiven of them
• His blood grants God as Judge, the right He needs to forgive us
• The blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin, only Jesus blood speaks for us and allowed us to be completely forgiven
• The voice of our sin speaking against us is silenced completely, by the blood of Jesus, that our conscience is cleansed and purified
• Heb 10:22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water
• When our evil conscience is sprinkled with the blood of the covenant, we can draw near with true heart in full assurance of being accepted without guilt
• Our conscience is no longer condemning us
• However, the voice of Jesus blood only works, when there is repentance
• Our confession / repentance brings agreeing testimony before the Courts of Heaven, and grants God as Judge the legal right to forgive us
• 1 John 1:9: Is we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to focus us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
• Notice when we confess, we are not just forgiven, but cleansed from all unrighteousness
• Being forgiven is a legal issue, cleansing is the power of the Holy Spirit washing away every defilement my sin would have left in my spirit

God the righteous Judge:

• 1 Pet 2:23: Jesus when He was reviled, did not revile in return, when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously
• Jesus understood God was a righteous judge, and so He did not strike back as He trusted in the righteous judgments of His Father
• Similar, when we know there would be justice because who our Judge is and get this in our spirits, it would make us less reactive
• We would have a trust and confidence that cannot be shaken
• As a result of Jesus committing Himself to the One who judges righteously, He was given a Name above every other names, and is seated at the right hand of God
• Rev 13:10: He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity, he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword, here is the patience and the faith of the saints
• The confidence that those who hurt and wound will be repaid with the same, is the faith and patience of the saints
• Therefore, as they believe there is justice with God, it births the power to endure in them
• Sometimes we think that as believers we should always be loving, caring, and not wishing hurt on anyone, but this is a fine line
• And the problem we may face, is waiting for the the judgment of God during the process
• We must keep our hearts free of anger, bitterness, and even vengeance
• God is clear that as Judge, vengeance belongs to Him (Rom 12:19)
• If I allow myself to rejoice when my enemy comes under the judging hand of God, it can cause God to life the judgement of Him (Prov 24:17-18)
• A wrong heart in me, can stop the process of God
• I must always labour to have a right heart, yet know there is righteous judgment with God as Judge
• In the story of Job, he lost everything because the devil brought a court case against him, however in the end he was rewarded and restored twice everything he lost, this was the justice of God rendered in Job’s life
• In Rachel’s story, she desperately desired to have children with Jacob, and in her pain and tears she presented her case God as Judge, causing Him to render a verdict on her behalf, opening her womb
• The years of emptiness, pain, and misery, endured by Rachel were not for nothing, God takes into account the pain we have endured even unrighteously when deciding for us
• And He is awaiting our petition before Him, to render decisions for us
• When we have suffered before the Lord, that suffering speaks on our behalf and fills up what is necessary for God to relive and bless us
• As discussed earlier, we must also go against our natural inclination to speak evil and curse in the midst of being harmed (1 Pet 3:8-9)

Courts of Heaven:

• Just like approaching God as Father, and approaching Him as Friend, opens up the dimensions of the spirit: the secret place, and the Council of the Lord
• So approaching God, as Judge opens up the Courts of Heaven, where we by faith step in and present our cases before the Lord
• Dan 7:9-10: I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His garment was white as snow, and hair as pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, a fiery stream issued, and thousand thousands ministered to Him, the court was seated, and the books were opened
• Daniel is watching in the spirit realm, and he sees things in the judicial order, and there six distinct things he saw
• Before looking at these six things in more detail, let’s be fully aware of our rights to function in this place
• Heb 12:22-24: But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. To God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel
• As we saw earlier in Robert Henderson Three Dimensions of Prayer: Approaching God as a Friend article, this can relate to both the Council of the Lord, and Courts of Heaven, dimensions
• Thought these two realms are closely related, they are different
• The main difference is there is not adversary in the Council, while there is one to content with in the Courts
• For instance, the word church in Greek is ecclesia, speaking of those called out for governmental, judicial, and legislative purposes
• As the church, we are here to take our place in a legal dimension of the spirit realm, with God functioning as Judge of all in this place
• Spirits of just men is a reference, to Cloud of Witnesses, they are those who give judicial testimony
• Jesus is occupying this place, as Mediator of the new covenant
• Even the blood that is speaking, is giving judicial testimony too
• So by virtue of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we have access to this legal realm of the spirit, and are standing in this place
• We must accept this by faith, and begin to present our cases before God as Judge of all
• He is waiting for us to operate in the place He has granted us
• In Isa 43:25-28, is urging the people of Israel to stay their case, he is letting them know that if they don’t take their place before the Courts of Heaven, the destiny of their nation would be lost
• He is pressing them to deal with legal issues of transgression, their father’s sin, and any other things the devil would use to devour them
• We too must not neglect this realm of the spirit we have been granted a place in

Six things Daniel saw in the Courts of Heaven:

1. Throne put into place
2. The Ancient of Days seated
3. The fiery throne of God
4. Thousands upon thousands ministering
5. The court seated
6. The books opened

Thrones put into place:

• This is not the throne of God, as “thrones” plural were used
• We know from Rev 4:4, that at least 24 thrones that the elders sat on
• These 24 are part of the judicial operation of heaven
• However, I don’t think this is what Daniel is referring to, as he saw thrones put into place
• Which means they were not there previously
• In other words, something is allowing these thrones to be established, as necessary to the Courts of Heaven operation
• It would appear that Courts of Heaven is more a tribunal, than a civil court
• A tribunal is a court of justice for international war crimes, or a seat, or bench for judges
• So the thrones being set in place, were those positioned as a tribunal or decision-making group, in the Courts of Heaven
• Those who would sit on these thrones are those who have obtained the right from the lives they have lived, and their history in God
• Jesus declared in Rev 3:21, that those who overcome are allowed to sit with Him in His throne
• Overcomers are those who are granted a seat in the spirit realm of heavenly activity
• These can be people who are already in heaven, or are yet alive in the earth
• Just because someone is not dead yet, doesn’t preclude them from this place in the heavenly realm
• Remember from Robert Henderson Three Dimensions of Prayer: Living in Two Places at the Same Time article, that we live in two dimensions at one time
• I believe God has to have people qualified for this place, before His will can be done in earth
• Psa 115:16: The heaven are the Lord, but the earth He has given to the children of men
• The Lord must have those who are yet in the earth to partner with Him, so earth can be impacted
• We are the ones with the authority to see His will be done here
• Because He has given the earth to the children of men, we can determine from this authority what will and what will not be in the earth
• When there are those who sit on the thrones in heavenly places, we can thus grant God the legal rights that those who are now in heaven cannot grant Him, to see His will done on earth
• We must partner with the heavenly arena, for God’s will to be done on the earth

The Ancient of Days seated:

• The second thing Daniel saw was the Ancient of Days taking His place, and is obviously a reference to the Lord Himself
• It speaks of His eternal position, that He has ruled the earth and will rule it forever
• As the Ancient of Days, He is God of the past, present, and future, and knows all things
• He is the One sitting on the Throne of Heaven, and rendering judgments concerning the earth

The fiery throne of God:

• Daniel also saw the fiery throne of God, and the fiery stream coming from it
• This represents the Throne of God, is full of passion and renders verdicts full of zeal
• The throne of God is not a passive place, it is a place where God’s judgements are set in place and fulfilled
• From His Throne of fire, fiery streams or verdicts come forth
• Psa 97:3 tells us God sends forth fire, and burns up all His enemies that would resist His purpose
• This is the zeal and fiery streams coming forth from His Throne of fire
• When verdicts and decisions are made and released from His Throne, anything that stands against them will perish
• Decisions from the Court of Heaven are set in order

Thousands upon thousands ministering:

• Daniel then sees thousands upon thousands ministering to the One who sits on the Throne
• These are angelic beings, but also the myriad of worshippers before Him
• We see this in Rev 5:11-12, all heavenly beings and the elders giving glory to the Lamb of God, and the One who sits on the Throne
• They are part of worship in heaven, and worship created the atmosphere the Courts of Heaven operate in
• If you want to stand in the Courts of Heaven, then engage and be a worshipper
• And as we worship, we join the multitudes who are worshipping at His Throne
• Our worship can touch the One who sits on the Throne, and can be a part of decisions being rendered from His Courts

The court sealed:

• The Bible then says Daniel saw the Court seated
• The Court being seated means it is now ready to proceed and operate
• When a Judge comes into a court all people rise, the judge then takes His seat, and calls the court to order
• Everyone is then seated, and the court is now ready to hear cases presented
• When Daniel sees the Court seated, it is declaring the Court of Heaven is now ready to entertain cases and petitions offered to it
• This is significant, because it means this is a time we can present our cry to God and He will hear
• Isa 55:6 tells us that we should petition the Lord when He is close to us
• The Scripture would seem to imply that there is an awareness when God is ready to hear our prayers
• I believe it’s important to recognise when the Court is in session
• Even though I believe God is omnipresent and can always hear our cry, I also believe when we sense an urging of the Spirit to pray, we should follow that leading
• It could be that the Court is seated and ready to render verdicts and decisions on our behalf

The books opened:

• The last thing Daniel watched was the books being opened
• Psa 139:16: Your eyes saw my substance, being her unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them
• This Psalm depicts the fact that we all have a book in heaven with our destiny, future, and purpose for existence written in it
• When the books are opened, it implies that something is going to be presented from these books into the Courts of Heaven
• As we have an awareness what is written in our books concerning our purpose and destiny, we should present this in the Courts of Heaven
• We then begin to ask the Lord for fullness of what is written in our book
• Isa 43:26 tells us to put God in remembrance, means reminding Him of what was written in our book in heaven
• When we do this, we are presenting cases in the Courts of Heaven
• We are asking God as Judge, to render decisions on our behalf, that we might have what has been written in our book
• We present our prophetic destiny as a petition before the Court of Heaven

Answering accusations and receiving answers from the Courts of Heaven:

• Rev 12:10-11: Now salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to death
• We see the accuser (Satan) being cast down, Greek word is katagoros, meaning a complainant at law or one who stands against us in the assembly
• Please refer to 2 Thess 2:3 article, for how Satan and his angels after having lost the battle during mid-tribulation would be cast down to earth
• This is why 1 Pet 5:8 refers to the devil our adversary, as a legal agent, is still seeking legal rights to devour us
• The Greek word for adversary is antidikos, meaning legal opponent or one who brings a lawsuit
• Peter is declaring here that the devil works from a legal place to seek to devour us
• He is warning us that, we must be on guard not to grant him this right
• Even though Satan has been defeated by Jesus and His atoning work, he is trying anything legal to gain an advantage over us
• We must know how to stand in the Courts of Heaven, and deal with these issues, and when we do, we get the breakthrough that is ours because of Jesus and what He has done
• The scripture we read in Rev, declares three things necessary to win this legal struggle

We are to overcome the accuser by:

1. The blood of the Lamb
2. The word of our testimony
3. Not loving our life unto death

The blood of the Lamb:

• The blood of the Lamb, is used to undo any and every case against us
• Heb 12:24 tells us that the blood of Jesus is speaking for us
• We know the “blood speaking” is a reference to something judicial, because Abel’s blood gave testimony that caused God to judge Cain (Gen 4:10-11)
• In testimony of Abel’s blood against Cain caused judgment to come from the heavenly Court against him
• There is good news, that the blood of Jesus speaks better things on our behalf
• The blood of Jesus grants God the legal right to forgive and not judge is
• Abel’s blood demanded judgment against Cain, however Jesus blood cries out for mercy and forgiveness
• Regardless of anything the accuser speaks against us, the blood of the Lamb speaks for us
• Because of what Jesus’ blood is declaring, God has the legal right to forgive us
• We must simply repent and agree with the blood of the Lamb, speaking for us from His mercy seat

The word of our testimony:

• The next thing mentioned is the word of our testimony
• Of course, “testimony” is a legal reference
• The blood revoked any voice against us
• The word of our testimony is how we present a case before the Lord
• A Court cannot render decisions on our behalf just because an accusation is removed, we also need to present our own case
• There are at least five distinct things, we can use to present our own case
• We must present our petition based on what is written in our book in heaven (Psa 139:16), which we have covered earlier
• We must prophetically discern what is written in our books through words we have heard, impressions we have felt, desires we recognise, and other means
• As we do, we should then present this as a case before the Lord
• The second thing we can do, is present any prophetic words we have receive
• Paul told Timothy in 1 Tim 1:18, that he had to war for the prophetic words he had received to become reality
• Timothy had to contend for the prophetic destiny to come to pass
• Once a prophetic word is spoken to us, the enemy will build a case against us to resist it
• We must know how to come before the Lord, and undo any case the devil would he’s to stop the intent of God expressed through His word
• This is what Daniel did in Dan 9:2-5, where he understood God’s intent based on the prophecies of Jeremiah, and began to pray and repent
• He was dealing with any legal reason the devil would use to stop the fulfilment of Jeremiah’s word
• Many prophecies never come to pass, not because they aren’t from God, but because the enemy uses something legal to stop them
• Another thing we can do to present our own case, is remind God of what Jesus has done
• The blood and body of Jesus, and His sacrifice speaks for us
• We must know how to present the atoning work of Jesus as evidence of our case, before the Lord
• This is very powerful in the Courts of Heaven concerning us
• We can also present the promises of the Word of God
• There are myriads of promises, in God’s word
• And it is absolutely appropriate to take promises from the Word of God, and remind Him of them in His Courts
• When we do this, we are allowing the Word of God to speak as a testimony in our behalf
• His Word and God Himself are absolutely the same, Jesus is even called the Word of God (Rev 19:13)
• To deny His Word, would be to deny Himself, and He will not do this
• 2 Times 2:13 actually declared that even if we are unfaithful, God cannot deny Himself
• He will be faithful to His covenant, and the promises of His Word
• Another way to present testimony before the Lord is giving
• Money and finances have a testimony before the Lord
• Heb 7:8 tells us the tithe releases witnesses in the Courts of Heaven
• When we bring our tithe to the Lord and honour Him, it is releasing a witness what we believe He lives
• This means we have access into not only all His death purchased for us, but also all His life grants us
• The honouring of God with tithe, release our legal claims on this in the Courts of Heaven
• The money we give, actually speaks in our behalf before His Courts
• Acts 10:4: Your prayers and alms have come up for a memorial before God
• The angel sent to Cornelius house, informing him that his giving and prayers caused God to remember him
• When we are tithers, givers, and those who honour the Lord financially, it speaks for us and causes us and our house to be remembered before the Lord
• It is a memorial that speaks concerning us, and allows God to remember us, and render decisions for us

Not loving our life unto death:

• The other thing mentioned, was they loved not their life unto death
• So when we lay our lives down in sacrifice to the Lord, it grants us a great place of authority to pray from in the Courts of Heaven
• Meaning we lay down and sacrifice even our own desires, longing, and even fleshly impulses, to serve the Lord
• John 10:17: Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again
• In other words, when I lay down what I want and desire for God, Jesus said the Father loves us
• This is not about performance or anything of that nature
• Please refer to Robert Henderson Three Dimensions of Prayer: Approaching God as a Father article, for how God loves us regardless of our performance
• Rather, it is speaking of being granted a place of power and authority before the Lord, because we have chosen His ways, instead of our own
• As we are granted the honour of choosing the ways of the Lord, our prayers will carry new levels of weight in the Courts of Heaven