SATAN THE LEGALIST
Satan is able to use the law against us because he knows no one can keep it perfectly (Jas. 2:10–11). He is the ultimate prosecuting attorney, constantly using the commandments as his tool to bring a death sentence against you.
The name Satan in the New Testament is from the Greek word Satanas, which means “accuser.”1 The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and he accomplishes these goals through nonstop indictments concerning your lawbreaking. Revelation 12:10 says he accuses the brethren before God “day and night.” The Greek word translated “accuser” is katēgoreō, which means “to be a plaintiff . . . to charge with some offence.”2
That’s Satan all right, constantly charging you with breaking the law. Here’s the rub: he does more than whisper condemning thoughts into your mind and speak horrible things about you to others. He brings formal charges against you so he can obtain a verdict of death and release it over your life.
Allegations have no binding ramifications of punishment unless they are presented in court. Katēgoreō (“accuser”) has a court-related definition meaning “to make an accusation,” specifically “before a judge.”3 Satan always charges you in the presence of a judge—and not some random justice of the peace either. Satan takes his case to the judge of all the earth, who presides over the highest courts in the universe: the courts of heaven.
The Courts of Heaven As I proceed into this revelation on the courts of heaven, let me first start by saying that I did not birth this powerful insight. Rather, Robert Henderson and others are the “fathers” of this teaching. I encourage you to research the resources they offer on this topic. However, God has given me my own insights that powerfully connect the courts of the Lord with defeating death. As you will see, you cannot succeed in obtaining restored youth for your body unless you are operating in the courts.
Do the courts of heaven actually exist? The Bible indicates a firm yes. First of all, Scripture calls God “the Judge of all the earth” (Gen. 18:25, ESV). Isaiah yokes God’s role as judge with that of lawgiver, writing, “The LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver” (Isa. 33:22, KJV). The titles go hand in hand because the same God who created the law also enforces it.
The judge of all the earth serves as chief justice from His bench in the eternal realm. His laws are evident in His Word but are also actively enforced from the courts of heaven. Here’s what Scripture says:
“You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah” (Ps. 76:8–9, NKJV). emphasis added.
The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition says that God causes His “sentence to be heard from heaven” so the oppressed can be delivered (Ps. 76:8–9). Heaven’s verdicts supersede every earthly verdict, even those issued from the highest courts. I have experienced firsthand what it’s like to be sentenced in a governmental court of law. I know how binding those judgments are; the consequences and punishments are far-reaching. I was sentenced to twelve-and-a-half-years in federal prison. However, when God brought His righteous justice from heaven’s court, my prison time was reduced to less than five years!
God continually releases His rulings into the earth and into our personal lives. The prophet Daniel saw this process firsthand.
I kept looking until thrones were placed [for the assessors with the Judge], and the Ancient of Days [God, the eternal Father] took His seat, Whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire came forth from before Him; a thousand thousands ministered to Him and ten thousand times ten thousand rose up and stood before Him; the Judge was seated [the court was in session] and the books were opened. Daniel 7:9–10 AMPC
Earthly courts pale in comparison to the fearsome, awe-inspiring, raw power that is present when the Ancient of Days takes His seat in the courts of heaven. The stream of fire coming from His throne represents the fiery judgments of God being released into the earth. The gravity of the decision Daniel witnessed in the following verse was of such magnitude that Jesus Himself was called to the witness stand:
I Daniel 7:13
Jesus’ testimony decreed that His sacrifice on the cross would produce eternal dominion for the Son of God and His elect. Christ and the church will have total dominion in the earth forever because of this pronouncement made in the court of the Ancient of Days:
There was given Him [the Messiah] dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom is one which shall not be destroyed. . . . The saints of the Most High [God] shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Daniel 7:14, 18 AMPC
Remember, no decision can be legally enforced unless it is executed in the courts of heaven. Satan knows this. Therefore he doesn’t waste his time accusing you informally. Rather, he brings all his charges into court so he can obtain a legal and effectual verdict against you and ensure that the penalty of death is incurred and paid.
SATAN IN THE COURTS
Satan was thrown out of heaven long ago. He no longer resides there but still has access to heaven’s courts so he can bring charges against you. Let’s look at some of the many biblical examples of this:
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” Job 1:6–11, NKJV
