Caught Up in The Courts

Caught Up in The Courts

© Phil Mason 2025

Introduction

As an experienced Bible teacher, I often receive questions about my thoughts on the teachings of the Courts of Heaven, pioneered by Ian Clayton of New Zealand and popularized by Robert Henderson of the United States. The purpose of this essay is to examine this teaching and determine if it is biblical or extra-biblical. The rising popularity of the Courts of Heaven capitalizes on a widespread disenchantment with traditional prayer methods, claiming that this new model will guarantee your prayers are answered. It goes even further, asserting that the church’s failure to understand how to function in the Courts of Heaven is the main reason so many people experience unanswered prayer. This is the underlying premise of the teaching. In his first book on the subject, Operating in the Courts of Heaven: Granting God the Legal Right to Fulfill His Passion and Answer Our Prayers, author Robert Henderson outlines the foundational premise of his new model of prayer on the back cover.

Why do some people pray in agreement with God’s will, heart and timing, yet the desired answers do not come? Why would God not respond when we pray from the earnestness of our hearts? What is the problem, or better yet, what is the solution?

I believe the answer is found in where our prayer actually takes place. We must direct our prayer towards the Courtrooms of Heaven, and not only the battlefield. I believe that it is in the Courtrooms of Heaven where our breakthroughs can be found. When we learn to operate there, we will see our answers unlocked and released.

This book will teach you the legal processes of Heaven and your place in it. When we get off the battlefield and into the courtroom, we can grant God the legal right to fulfill His passion and answer our prayers.^[1]

The Missing Step

In Henderson’s worldview, the premise of ‘answered prayer’ versus ‘unanswered prayer’ hinges on recovering the missing step. We have not understood the role of the praying believer in granting God the legal right to answer our prayers! This is the step Jesus forgot to explain! Apparently, God’s hands are tied, even though He desires to answer our prayers. It is only in the 21^st century that the church has finally uncovered the missing step. We must step into the courtrooms of heaven to grant God the legal right to fulfill His passion. Apparently, the atonement of Jesus on the cross was not enough; it was only the first step. The second, and seemingly more important step, is recognizing that there is a heavenly courtroom where we must approach the Judge of the whole earth and grant Him permission to do what He cannot do unless we acknowledge this second step. Either this second step is the key that unlocks the vaults of answered prayer, or it is, to quote Jesus, shutting the door of the Kingdom of Heaven to all who refuse to embrace this second step. In a heated denunciation of the Pharisees, Jesus offered this scathing rebuke.

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law, and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. (Matthew 23:13,14 NLT)

In the case of the new Courts of Heaven revelation, its practitioners do ‘go in’ but leave everyone else languishing outside because they have not embraced the next step in securing the answers to their prayers. Due to the linguistic framework of this new revelation, its advocates have inadvertently ‘totalized’ their revelation. To totalize something is to make it the complete sum of reality. This new teaching allows no wriggle room. Either we wholeheartedly embrace this missing key, or we face the consequences of our refusal to accept the special revelation.

In a great irony, the unveiling of the missing key inadvertently closes the door to answered prayer until the missing key is fully embraced by learning from the stewards of the heavenly courtroom revelation how to truly operate in the realm of having our prayers answered. It’s little wonder this teaching has struck a nerve in the contemporary church. This is such a sweeping discovery that it throws down the gauntlet to the practitioners of the old model, creating a system that celebrates the missing key. Every anguished soul, laboring in prayer for a spiritual breakthrough, has been stumbling in the dark, groping for the missing key, languishing in the outer courts of unanswered prayer. When the claim to a new revelation is presented in totalizing language, it carries a powerful sting in its tail. Pity the poor Christian who has missed the realization that there is a missing ingredient to their prayer life! They are immediately relegated to the category of ineffectual prayer, having become second-class people of prayer.

Discerning the Gnostic Spirit

The error of this teaching is evident. Our inability to discern the spirit behind such a blatantly false teaching reveals the widespread biblical illiteracy within the Pentecostal/Charismatic stream of the church, which has been so gullible as to embrace a teaching that is so obviously anti-grace. The sufficiency of the blood of Jesus shed upon the cross is God’s final answer to the removal of the veil that has prevented people from accessing the Throne of Grace. As a prophetic symbol of the comprehensive victory of the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom by the hand of the Almighty. On the cross, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split!” (Matthew 27:50,51) John reported His final words, “It is finished!” With these words, “He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30). 

The writer to the Hebrews established the finality of Jesus’ work on the cross as the ultimate solution to humanity’s separation from the glory-filled presence of God. The definitive result of Christ’s atonement is our perfect, unrestricted access to the ‘Throne of Grace.’ “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most!” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT) 

The foundational premise of the Courts of Heaven teaching has transformed the Throne of Grace into the Throne of Law, where earnest Christians seeking answers to their prayers must ratify the next step in ‘granting God the legal right’ to do what He truly desires. Oh dear! This novel teaching boldly asserts that the cross of Christ did not grant God permission to fulfill His heart’s passion. If God is to have His way, we must enter the courtrooms following the correct protocols to grant God the ‘legal right.’ If the subtitle of Henderson’s first book (in what has now become a series of almost twenty books) escapes the discernment of 21^st-century Christians, we have entered the land of biblical illiteracy. The cross of Christ was sufficient; it has broken down the final wall of partition that separated fallen humanity from the Throne of Grace. God made this crystal clear when the final utterance of Jesus on the cross was accompanied by the sun darkening, the earth quaking, and the veil torn from top to bottom by the hand of God.

Robert Henderson has become the Grand Master of the missing key. He has transformed the revelation of how to grant God legal permission into an industry. His best-selling books have sold millions of copies. By examining the titles of his seemingly endless stream of publications, we can observe the totalizing nature of this apparently indispensable revelation. Keep in mind that none of the claims made in the titles of his numerous books can be achieved without embracing the missing key. His overarching thesis is, “God’s passion is to answer your prayers. When you learn how to operate in the Court of Heaven, you can undo the spiritual legalities that stand in the way of your answered prayer.”^[2] Here are some of his book titles.

• Operating in the Courts of Heaven: Granting God the Legal Right to Fulfill His Passion and Answer Our Prayers [2014]
• Unlocking Destinies from the Courts of Heaven: Dissolving Curses That Delay and Deny Our Futures [2016]
• The Books of Heaven: A Feature Message from Operating in the Courts of Heaven [2017]
• Accessing the Courts of Heaven: Positioning Yourself for Breakthrough and Answered Prayers [2017]
• Prayers and Declarations that Open the Courts of Heaven [2018]
• Receiving Healing from the Courts of Heaven: Removing Hindrances that Delay or Deny Healing [2018]
• The Cloud of Witnesses in the Courts of Heaven: Partnering with the Council of Heaven for Personal and Kingdom Breakthrough [2019]
• Redeeming Your Bloodline: Foundations for Breaking Generational Curses from the Courts of Heaven [2019]
• Unlocking Wealth from the Courts of Heaven: Securing Biblical Prosperity for Kingdom Advancement and Generational Blessing [2020]
• 365 Prayers and Activations for Entering the Courts of Heaven: Daily Revelation for Supernatural Breakthrough [2020]
• Resetting Economies from the Courts of Heaven: 5 Secrets to Overcoming Economic Crisis and Unlocking Supernatural Provision [2020]
• Petitioning the Courts of Heaven During Times of Crisis: Prayers That Get Help in Times of Trouble [2020]
• Operating in the Courts of Heaven (Revised and Expanded): Granting God the Legal Rights to Fulfill His Passion and Answer Our Prayers [2021]
• Receiving Generational Blessings from the Courts of Heaven: Cancel Bloodline Curses and Establish an Inheritance of Blessing [2022]
• Receiving Mantles from the Courts of Heaven: Supernatural Empowerment to Fulfill the Call of God on Your Life [2022]
• Impacting the Seven Mountains from the Courts of Heaven: Kingdom Strategies for Revival in the Church and the Reformation of Culture [2023]
• Breaking Generational Curses from the Courts of Heaven: Annulling Demonic Covenants in Your Bloodline [2023]
• Receiving Deliverance from the Courts of Heaven: Reclaim What the Enemy Has Stolen from Your Life [2025]
• Operating in the Courts of Heaven to Cleanse Your Bloodline: Cancel the Enemy’s Case Against You, Your Family, and Your Future [2025]

Henderson has published several other books, but the titles mentioned above illustrate that everything we seek through prayer can only be fully achieved by learning to navigate the Courts of Heaven. This emphasizes the significance that Henderson places on this revelation. Such is the nature of totalizing theologies that close the Kingdom of Heaven to individuals unless they decide to accept this all-encompassing new revelation and learn to operate in this new realm of the courts. If you truly want answers to your prayers, breakthroughs in physical healing, freedom from generational curses, deliverance from the demonic, economic prosperity, and more, we must learn how to enter the Courts, navigate them, and secure answers to our prayers. There is little hope for those who choose to abstain from these esoteric keys. They are left to linger in a world of unanswered prayers! This is the essential takeaway from this novel teaching. There are two distinct classes of Christians: those who have learned how to operate in the courts of heaven and those who have not yet discovered this exciting new realm that guarantees answered prayers. The message is clear: if you are not initiated into navigating and operating in the heavenly courtrooms, you are second-class. This represents an elitist theology that divides the church into the enlightened and the unenlightened, the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots!’

For those with a basic knowledge of biblical theology and an overview of church history, this exemplifies textbook Gnosticism. As with every gnostic revelation, there are a few who truly understand and many who do not yet comprehend. Gnosticism has always lingered on the fringes of Christian orthodoxy, enticing initiates into higher realms of knowledge and revelation that elevate them above their peers. Any theology that divides the body of Christ into the truly enlightened and the less enlightened is inherently gnostic. The Apostle Paul confronted the gnostic spirit as it sought to infiltrate the apostolic community. He was quick to identify this spirit and sever it from his sphere of apostolic influence.

Part of the apostolic mandate is to establish apostolic doctrine that reflects the teachings of Christ and the Apostles. Paul mandated Timothy to oversee the establishment and preservation of sound doctrine in the church and to confront any subtle gnostic infiltration within it. “My son Timothy, don’t forget all that has been deposited within you. Escape from the empty echoes of men and the perversion of twisted reasoning. For those who claim to possess this so-called ‘knowledge’ [gnosis] have already wandered from the true faith.” (1 Timothy 6:20 TPT) The Amplified Bible addresses “the vain and empty and worldly phrases, and the subtleties and the contradictions in what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ and spiritual illumination.” (AMP) The confrontation of Gnosticism was part of Paul’s apostolic mandate. We have entered a season where Gnosticism is rapidly infiltrating the Pentecostal/Charismatic church, and it is the role of apostolic leaders to establish theological boundaries.

The Gnostic Hermeneutic

The further we explore the teachings of the Courts of Heaven, the more problematic they become. Henderson and his teachings serve as a case study of the ‘gnostic hermeneutic.’ Hermeneutics is the study of biblical interpretation. It is a rigorous science of theological investigation, supported by solid principles of sound hermeneutics. Those who seek to ‘rightly divide the word of truth,’ to quote Paul’s language in 2 Timothy 2:15, strive to interpret and teach the Scriptures with care and reverence. Paul stated, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (AMP) This ought to be the goal of everyone who handles the Word of God. The ‘gnostic hermeneutic’ contravenes all principles of sound biblical hermeneutics. In the hands of gnostic teachers, the Scriptures are often distorted to convey meanings the original authors never intended. Gnostics impose their own interpretations onto the Bible. They err by engaging in eisegesis rather than practicing sound exegesis. Eisegetical biblical interpretation extracts Scripture from its original context and meaning by imposing a meaning onto selected verses. 

Any biblical teaching can be subjected to a gnostic ‘twist.’ The Scriptures themselves instruct us on how to interpret Scripture. The teachings of Christ and the Apostles have much to say about twisting and distorting the truth. Peter said, “Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don’t know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.” (2 Peter 3:15,16 MSG) “Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture.” (NLT) Paul wrote,

For the time will come when they will not endure our wholesome doctrine in that they will hold themselves firmly against it, but, dominated by their own personal cravings, they, having ears that desire merely to be gratified, shall gather to themselves an accumulation of teachers. In fact, from the truth they shall also avert the ear, and [as a result] they shall receive a moral twist which will cause them to believe that which is fictitious. (2 Timothy 4:3,4 Wuest)

The Amplified Bible says, “The untaught and unstable [who have fallen into error] twist and misinterpret, just as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (AMP) The Greek word for ‘twist’ is strebloo. It means to twist out of shape, to distort, or to torture. Paul warned the Galatians, “You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.” (Galatians 1:7 NLT) He said, “Even some from among your very own ranks will rise up, twisting the truth to seduce people into following them instead of Jesus.” (Acts 20:30 TPT) “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:2 MSG) Paul said to Elymas the Sorcerer, “You’re a son of the devil. You’re an enemy of justice, you’re full of lies, and you steal opportunities from others. Why do you insist on confusing and twisting the clear, straight paths of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10 TVB)

James warned, “Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.” (James 3:14 MSG) Jeremiah prophesied, “All people say they have a message from Me when they don’t. You are twisting the words of the living God!” (Jeremiah 23:26 TVB) It is not just the word of God that gets twisted. As the Lord’s anointed, King David experienced his words being twisted by his enemies. “My foes attack me all day long. I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. They are always twisting what I say!” (Psalm 56:2,5 NLT) The twisting of the word of God and the words of God’s anointed ones is often associated with the work of Leviathan. Isaiah prophesied, “In that day, the Lord with His hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” (Isaiah 27:1 ESV) Leviathan is the archetypal ‘twister’ who specializes in distorting the truth of God’s word to convey something the Scriptures are not truly saying.

Gnostics specialize in twisting Scripture. The gnostic hermeneutic distorts Scripture and imposes a gnostic interpretation onto the text. Gnostics are particularly loose in their hermeneutics, allowing the Scriptures to be interpreted in ways that suit their own purposes, rather than adhering strictly to the authors’ original intended meaning. Hermeneutics aims to accurately interpret the intentions of the authors within their historical context. Peter said, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation!” (2 Peter 1:20) The Message Bible states, “The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.” (2 Peter 2:20,21 MSG) The Amplified Bible underscores this vital principle of biblical interpretation: “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of any personal or private or special interpretation.” (AMP)

The present-day Pentecostal/Charismatic movement, with its enthusiastic celebration of the prophetic, has been particularly loose with private gnostic interpretations. Sadly, this has become a hallmark of Pentecostal interpretation. I don’t mention this as an anti-charismatic critic. I am a passionate charismatic who fully embraces the current operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and actively operates in these gifts myself. However, I strongly protest the way many Pentecostals handle the word of God, particularly emerging prophets who aspire to deliver the oracles of God. Much of what is presented in the current prophetic movement as prophetic is nothing more than subjective opinion. Gnostic revelation is always hyper-subjective and entirely reliant on the special insights of gnostic-styled, self-appointed prophets. 

Robert Henderson is the poster child of the gnostic hermeneutic, fully convinced that the original authors of Scripture actively promoted his 21^st-century version of the Courts of Heaven teaching. He unhesitatingly and relentlessly imposes his novel doctrine on the authors of various biblical books, twisting and distorting the Scriptures to make them say what he wants. A high view of biblical hermeneutics seeks an objective understanding of biblical texts, while sloppy hermeneutics embraces a subjective interpretation with minimal regard for original intent. Dr. Sam Storms, a highly respected charismatic theologian, wrote a two-part review of Henderson’s first book, Operating in the Courts of Heaven. He gently but firmly excoriates the unique prayer modality presented by the author and concludes that this is “a book that should be avoided by all Christians!” After carefully examining Henderson’s sloppy exegesis of the text, he concludes,

My counsel is simple and straightforward. The most basic question anyone can ask when they hear of some strange new theory or interpretation is this: “Where is that in the Bible?” Don’t simply embrace the agendas or theologies or strategies that someone claims are justified by certain biblical texts. Examine the texts for yourself and simply ask: “Is that actually in the words of Scripture? Where in the text does he find that?” This will serve you well as you seek to understand the teaching of God’s Word.”^[3]

Dr. Sam Storms thoroughly critiques the central thesis of Henderson’s first book. He reveals the anti-biblical idea embedded in the book’s subtitle, “Granting God the Legal Right to Fulfill His Passion and Answer Our Prayers.” This extra-biblical premise influences the entire book, and indeed all the books in Henderson’s series. Storms writes,

I greatly appreciate Henderson’s zeal for prayer and how he stresses the important role it plays in God accomplishing His purposes. But let me say this as clearly as I can. God does not need us or anyone else to “grant” him the “right” to do what He wants to do. Even the suggestion that we have this power over God, accomplishing his good pleasure, is indicative of a deficient view of God. God is not hindered by anything other than the good pleasure of His own will.^[4]

Sam Storms explains the fundamental misstep of Henderson’s thesis.

Henderson’s basic thesis is that “prayer is an activity that takes place in the courtroom of Heaven” (p.15). He contends that the primary reason our prayers go unanswered is because Christians “rush into a conflict without securing a verdict from Heaven” (p.16). In order to see our prayers answered, we must first secure from the courtroom of heaven “a legal precedent to be there” (p.16). That is to say, we must first obtain “legal verdicts from Heaven” (p.18) for our prayers to be answered. We must go “into the courts of Heaven” and get “things legally in place so God’s will can be done on the Earth” (41).

How does this happen? Henderson believes it occurs “when we begin to present cases from the revelation we are seeing and understanding out of the books of Heaven” (p.42). There are “legal arguments” that give Satan the right to rule individuals and nations, and “step by step and piece by piece we take away these legalities and grant God the legal right to fulfill His Kingdom will” (43). If you’re wondering where in the Bible any such notion is found, the answer is, Nowhere!^[5]

The truth is that the atonement of Jesus on the cross represents the perfect finished work of God in Christ, created to bring us into the glorious presence of the Father by eliminating every basis for Satan’s accusations. The accuser was cast down when Jesus atoned for our sins. Our justification is flawless because the perfect righteousness of Christ has been completely transferred to every believer, with no need for any further enhancements. Scripture does not indicate a second step to give God the legal right to act and fulfill His will. 

The proposal that there is one more esoteric step concealed within Scripture denies the glory of Christ’s finished work. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians, “that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written!’” (1 Corinthians 4:6 NIV) The Passion Translation renders this verse, “It is futile to move beyond what is written in the Scriptures and be inflated with self-importance by following and promoting one leader in competition with another.” (TPT) The Courts of Heaven teaching is based on the idea that there is a hidden esoteric technique necessary to unlock the inheritance of the saints. This assertion is pure Gnosticism, extending beyond what is written.

The History of the Courts of Heaven

Where did this teaching originate? It is clearly novel and cannot be found in either Scripture or the historical tradition of the Christian church. Theologically, it is a 21^st-century phenomenon! In my research on the history of this teaching, I traced it back to Ian Clayton, a Christian teacher and ‘prophet’ from New Zealand. Robert Henderson published his first book, Operating in the Courts of Heaven, in 2014. Long before the publication of this book, Clayton had been teaching on the subject. In 2012, Clayton taught at a conference in the UK led by Justin Abraham. In his opening teaching, titled ‘The Courts, Part One,’ Clayton said,

One of the things that I began to teach 12 years ago was about the mobile court, and the judicial system that happens in the mobile court, and I’ve done a CD on it. It’s called The Courtroom, Get the CD! I’m not going to teach on it because it’s an hour teaching, and I’m not going to waste my time doing what’s on the CD already. Just get the CD and listen to it, because then it gives you some clues on what to do and how to engage that court, and the functionality of that court, and how to deal with your stuff.^[6]

 If Clayton is being honest, he claims to have started teaching the Courts of Heaven in 2000! He then published a book titled Realms of the Kingdom in 2014. The front of the book features an inscription stating, “Each chapter in this book is an edited and updated transcript taken from messages given by Ian Clayton at different times over a four-year period.” This timeframe would cover the years 2010 to 2014, which is when the book was released. In that book, he includes a chapter called The Courtroom of God.

Robert Henderson released Operating in the Courts of Heaven in 2014. As we have seen, this was the first of many books in this series. In the dedication of his book, he writes, “I also dedicate this book to the Ariel Gate team who has been at the forefront of pioneering these truths for decades. Thanks to Natasha Grbich for your sacrifice and commitment to the Lord and your apostolic intercession. Without you, these truths might still be hidden.” Apostle Natasha Grbich (also known as Natasha Vermaak) is based in South Africa and has had a long-standing association with Ian Clayton. On her website, there is a history of her conferences with Ian Clayton, going back to 2008. If Clayton is right in his assertion that he pioneered the revelation of the Courts as far back as the year 2000, it appears that the chain of transmission flowed from Clayton to Vermaak to Henderson.

While Henderson attributes the revelation to Grbich, he knew full well that Clayton was its pioneer. In September 2010, Ian Clayton and Robert Henderson were both leading keynote speakers alongside Natasha Vermaak. The event, “Your Will Be Done on Earth,” was hosted by Ariel Gate as the first major Ariel Gate Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. This was an absolute festival of deep Gnosticism. Videos from this watershed event are available on YouTube.^[7]

Vermaak and Clayton were literally trying to outdo each other with extravagant gnostic revelations. While Henderson focused exclusively on the ‘Seven Mountains,’ Ian Clayton presented his Courts of Heaven teaching. In one of his sessions, he spoke about the Galactic Council, of which he claims to be a member. The Galactic Council is the highest court in the galaxy and is, according to Clayton’s teachings, the tenth and highest of the ten courtrooms. This was likely Henderson’s first exposure to the concept of the Courts of Heaven. Clayton’s groundbreaking interpretation of the Courts of Heaven might have been a bit overwhelming for Henderson. Clayton is undeniably the Grand Master of the Courts revelation. His insight represents 21^st-century Gnosticism taken to new extremes. Here is a description of his signature message on ‘The Galactic Court’ at the 2010 Johannesburg conference. 

This was another revelation-packed message. Ian taught on the operation of Heavenʼs Galactic Court. He also explained that there are protocols in place for access to the court and that administrating in the spirit realm as Sons of God is something that is learned through maturity. A message full of spiritual meat!^[8]

Two questions need to be addressed at this point in tracing the history and development of this esoteric teaching. If Henderson was exposed to the full force of Clayton’s Galactic Council revelation, why is his own version of the Courts of Heaven so diluted? I call Henderson’s version ‘Courts of Heaven Lite.’ It is a sanitized, popularized, and mildly de-gnosticized interpretation of Clayton’s explosive gnostic revelation. Henderson was clearly influenced by his time with Ian Clayton. It seems that he received a gnostic impartation from Clayton. Did Clayton lay hands on Henderson and prophesy over him at this summit? Whether this occurred or not, Henderson evidently received an impartation of the gnostic spirit. Simply sitting under this gnostic revelation brings an ‘impartation.’ Something is deposited and begins to germinate in the heart.

The second question is: if Henderson recognized Clayton as the godfather of the Courts of Heaven revelation, why did he seem to attribute it to Natasha Grbich and the Ariel Gate community in the dedication of his first book on the courts? Why didn’t he acknowledge Clayton as the rightful pioneer of the teaching? We can only speculate, but there may be reasons why Henderson would seek to distance himself to some extent from the wildly gnostic teachings of Clayton. I sense he embraced the basic premise of the existence of courtrooms in heaven but consciously diluted Clayton’s model because it was too extreme for the American Pentecostal/Charismatic audience, and perhaps even for Henderson himself. As a marketing strategy, Clayton’s ten levels of courtrooms were simply too much! However, the idea was firmly planted, and Henderson went on to popularize a teaching that had previously been marginal in the charismatic world.

It must be acknowledged that Henderson owes the transmission of the teaching to Clayton, regardless of whether he chooses to admit it. Clayton exerts a powerful, enchanting influence over everyone who comes under his teachings in an unguarded manner. His personal presence is commanding, and his audacious style and supreme confidence leave his audience firmly under his spell unless they are already gnostic-proofed. Those not trained to recognize the gnostic spirit are highly susceptible to Clayton’s stories of his experiences as a seer engaging with the various court systems in heaven. However, Clayton divides his audience. Some believe it is the next level of prophetic revelation and consider him to be light years ahead of the mainstream prophetic movement. Yet others find themselves shifting in their chairs, questioning whether his inflated descriptions of the spirit world are in fact from the dark side.

I have documented the outrageous claims of Ian Clayton in my book, The New Gnostics: Discerning Extra-Biblical Revelation in the Contemporary Charismatic Movement. [2019] In one of my quotes from Clayton in my book, [Chapter Nine], he states,

There’s a whole lot of things I want to talk about, but I’m just very wary about some of it as well because there’s no ground root and ground floor for you folks to even understand some of what is going on. In the realm of heaven, there are many, many courts that function, that operate. The Bible says we are to come before the Lord with singing and to enter into his courts with praise and I’ve done a teaching on that court, which is the ‘Mobile Court,’ it’s only one of them but there are many, many other courts that operate in the realm of heaven that judicial decrees are made from. There is the King’s court, there is the Chancellor’s court, there’s the court of the Galactic Council, the Bench of Three, the Governmental court, there’s all these different arenas of government that operate in the realm of heaven. And when I see things being passed down out of the Galactic Council, papers of the mystery given to the sons of God to manifestly be revealed on earth, I get really happy.^[9]

This is the teaching Clayton shares wherever he speaks. Here is some of what I wrote in The New Gnostics about this esoteric ‘Courts’ system.

This teacher is very privileged to be on the Galactic Council because it grants him infinitely greater authority than the average believer. As a member of the Galactic Council, he has been inducted into a body of esoteric revelation that transcends what anybody else on earth or in the church knows or understands about what is really going on in the extraterrestrial world. He has graduated through at least nine other levels of courtrooms to occupy a privileged seat on this mysterious supreme council. In this privileged arena, he has been given revelations of an entirely unknown sphere of spiritual battle that holds the people of God in bondage to the elemental powers of religion. His assignment is to unveil this hidden battle and to draw fellow believers into an engagement with these demonic strategies in order to overthrow them; thus liberating the people of God from darkness.^[10]

Indeed, that language is significant! Its implications are sweeping! Either Clayton has discovered the vital missing key that has left ordinary Christians feeling weak and powerless in their prayer lives, or he has succumbed to a complex demonic delusion that positions him as the Grand Master of the Courts of Heaven within the prophetic stream of the church. It’s one or the other, and Clayton intentionally provides no leeway for his audience. The concept of ten levels of initiation into the various courtrooms in heaven resonates with the initiation practices of ancient mystery schools in Greece and the modern initiation rites of the 33 degrees of Freemasonry. This is a ladder of ascent that takes initiates into realms of unfathomable power and authority. Clayton boasts of his ascent to a privileged seat on the Galactic Council, where he engages in discourse with extraterrestrial beings. His topographical descriptions of these ten courtrooms and his exploration of these secret courts dazzle his audience because, to Clayton, they are as real as any terrestrial journeys.

It’s not rocket science to see that this leaves ordinary Christians feeling small and insignificant, ineffective in their prayer lives, and second-class in their understanding of Christ and how to achieve answered prayers. If anyone promotes this kind of nonsense in the church of Jesus, they are casting a grand delusion upon the people of God that effectively disqualifies everyone who refuses to follow Clayton into the Courts of Heaven.

Are There Courtrooms in Heaven?

These gnostic revelations provide the 21^st-century spiritual warrior with detailed descriptions of the architecture of the invisible realm. The central idea lies in the understanding that operating in the Courts is a superior approach to spiritual warfare. Sam Storms, in his review of Operating in the Courts of Heaven, writes,

The essence of Henderson’s proposal is that “we must learn to only make war based on judgments, decisions and verdicts that are received out of the Courts of Heaven” (p.18). He believes the fundamental problem is that “we have tried to win on the battlefield [of prayer] without legal verdicts from Heaven backing us up” (p.18). But is this truly what Scripture teaches? As you will see from what follows, my answer is No.^[11]

The foundational idea of the existence of these heavenly courtrooms is a courtroom ruled by the Judge of all the earth. However, at more advanced levels of the teaching, additional courtrooms are to be discovered and mastered. Self-proclaimed prophets and seers who promote these extreme gnostic ideas claim to have explored these courtrooms, providing detailed descriptions of a complex world of often empty courtrooms, awaiting Christian initiates to discover their existence. Each courtroom is presided over by a Chancellor and attended by various angelic beings who have apparently been bored for millennia because their particular courtroom has not yet been discovered. 

The navigation of these courtrooms is entirely dependent on the seers activated as our guides to ascend higher and higher in the secret Courts system. Each level unveils greater dimensions of spiritual authority and power. As we start to navigate these courtrooms, the seers in the church are ushered into the various courts along with the unique protocols for presenting their cases before the Chancellors or divinely appointed judges. In Clayton’s advanced gnostic revelations, each progressive courtroom brings the seer into the next, allowing them to climb higher up the ladder. Fortunately, Ian Clayton serves as our guide to the various degrees of initiation into the Courts, dispensing secret knowledge on how to achieve the greater degrees of authority and power that await the initiates.

If these teachers are to be believed, heaven is filled with secret courtrooms. Our assignment is to follow the seers into this unknown realm and acclimate ourselves to this strange new world. This creates an instant dependency on the seasoned seers who are experienced in presenting cases in the heavenly courtrooms. As our spiritual guides, they can describe the various rooms and the beings who preside over them. The strongest biblical support for the existence of a heavenly courtroom is found in Daniel chapter seven.

As I watched the vision unfold, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His throne above all. His clothes were the purest white, as white as snow, and the hair of His head was like the finest wool. His throne was a flaming fire, set on wheels that blazed like the sun. A stream of fire emerged and flowed from His presence. Thousands upon thousands of heavenly beings were there to serve Him; millions upon millions stood by to attend Him. The heavenly court sat to hear a case, and the books of judgment were opened. I saw another spectacle in the night visions: I looked and saw someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was ushered into His presence. To Him was given authority, honor, and a kingdom so that all people of every heritage, nationality, and language might serve Him. His dominion will last forever, His throne will never pass away, and His kingdom will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:9,10,13,14 TVB)

Daniel witnessed a historic courtroom scene in which a decisive verdict was issued by the Judge of all the earth. Based on the atoning work of Christ on the cross, the guilty verdict that stood against all of humanity was fully expiated by the shed blood of Jesus. The Father was then able to present the kingdom to Christ and, by extension, to His people. Paul addressed this when he wrote, 

It was God who brought us to life with Him, forgave all our sins, and eliminated the massive debt we incurred by the law that stood against us. He took it all away; He nailed it to the cross. But that’s not all. He disarmed those who once ruled over us—those who had overpowered us. Like captives of war, He put them on display to the world to show His victory over them by means of the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15 TVB)

The decisive court ruling of the Ancient of Days was a one-time event after Jesus defeated principalities and powers at the cross. His resurrection marked His ascension to the highest position of Lordship, having made His enemies His footstool. John witnessed a vision that described this definitive victory achieved by Christ through His death and resurrection.

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One have come. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who relentlessly accuses them day and night before our God, has been cast down and silenced. By the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witnesses, they have become victorious over him, for they did not hold on to their lives, even under threat of death. Therefore, rejoice, all you heavens; celebrate, all you who live in them. (Revelation 12:10-12 TVB)

The Bible makes it clear that the final verdict has been rendered, comprehensively empowering the church to rule alongside Christ as co-regents. The accuser has been stripped of all his power of accusation once and for all through the transfer of forgiveness and the perfect righteousness of Christ to the saints. “The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” (Daniel 7:18) Until that time, Satan, the accuser, “was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:21,22) Daniel frames this decisive verdict as a definitive act in history, focused squarely on Christ’s victory over sin and death. “The heavenly court sat to hear a case, and the books of judgment were opened.” The Judge has made His final verdict, and the legal requirement of the law with its sentence of death has been satisfied. 

The court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. (Daniel 7:26,27)

The book of Hebrews reveals that the law was powerless to perfect the saints; however, Christ has achieved perfect salvation through His one-time offering of Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. There are no more court cases, since the final verdict has been rendered. The notion that this verdict must be repeatedly reenacted each time we present our case undermines the finished work of Christ, which signifies the end of all heavenly court cases.

If Satan were hypothetically able to ‘enter’ these alleged courtrooms and present his powerful accusations, the courts cannot be located in the third heaven, as Satan has been cast down from heaven once and for all. The location of these various courtrooms, inhabited by both angels and demons, must be in the ‘second heavens,’ where Satan exercises his power to accuse. The ‘second heavens’ are not mentioned in the Bible, yet they are implied by Paul’s use of language concerning the ‘third heaven.’ (2 Corinthians 12:2). The entire revelation of the Courts of ‘Heaven’ becomes a theological misnomer. These esoteric courtrooms, if they exist at all, must be located in the second heavens, where the ‘prince of the power of the air’ exercises his rule and reign of accusation.

The enticement into these courtrooms located outside God’s heavenly realm lures believers into Satan’s realm where he is empowered through the revelation of the courtrooms, to bring endless accusations against the saints, ensnaring them in endless court cases that, from heaven’s perspective, have already been settled through the death and resurrection of Christ. It is just like Satan to ensnare Christians in endless court battles when the Ancient of Days has already released His final verdict. The kingdom has been fully handed to the saints of the Most High, and they have all authority over all the power of the enemy, including every accusation, to establish the kingdom on earth merely by standing in the power of the final and absolute verdict that has already been rendered.

The good news is that the courtroom scene in Daniel 7 is now part of redemptive history. From a strictly Scriptural perspective, there are no more courtrooms in heaven. The existence of such courtrooms serves as a theological negation of the finished work of Christ. The idea of multiple courtrooms in heaven entangles Christians in a transactional world of endless court cases. Isn’t that exactly where Satan wants to ensnare Christians? 

The concept of heavenly courtrooms is pure Christian mythology and fantasy. It represents a mental construct of the ‘accuser of the brethren’ himself, who seeks to draw every Christian into a realm of legal battles within an endless legal framework. Paul taught that all who are in Christ have comprehensively escaped this frustrating world of continuous accusation and condemnation through the revelation that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers. According to Paul, we are “dead to the law” and ought not to engage in dialogue with the law any longer.  

I write to you, dear brothers and sisters, who are familiar with the law. Don’t you know that when a person dies, it ends their obligation to the law? So, my dear brothers and sisters, the same principle applies to your relationship with God. For you died to your first husband, the law, by being co-crucified with the body of the Messiah. So you are now free to “marry” another – the one who was raised from the dead, so that you may now bear spiritual fruit for God. (Romans 7:1,4 TPT)

On the heels of Paul’s decisive verdict that “you have died when it comes to the law,” (Romans 7:4 TVB), he made the final declaration,

So now the case is closed! There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. Who then would dare to accuse those whom God has chosen in love to be His? God Himself is the Judge who has issued His final verdict over them – “Not guilty!” Who then is left to condemn us? (Romans 8:1,33,34 TPT)

If a Christian embraces the Courts of Heaven in any of its forms, they are engaging in an endless dialogue with the law, which is precisely where Satan wants us to be. It becomes a hall of mirrors with no exit. Our assignment is to receive the gift of forgiveness and to walk in forgiveness toward others “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) Being entrapped in cycles of accusation and vindication is a tactic of the enemy meant to pull followers of Jesus into endless legal disputes and court cases.

If The Root is Holy, So Are The Branches

Tracing the teaching of the Courts of Heaven back to the gnostic revelations of Ian Clayton helps identify the foundational system of this novel and extra-biblical teaching. Paul said to the Romans, “If the root is holy, so are the branches!” (Romans 11:16) This is clearly a spiritual principle in Paul’s mind. Conversely, we could say, “If the root is unholy, so are the branches!” Clayton is the father of every branch of the Courts of Heaven teaching. If the root is gnostic, so are the branches. This implies that every expression of teachings on the Courts of Heaven, whether it is ‘Courts of Heaven Lite’ in the case of Henderson’s elaborate courtroom protocols or even more extreme versions of the courts in the spread of this pernicious teaching throughout the body of Christ, comes from the same root. Any reference to the Courts of Heaven in the local church acts as a ’gateway drug,’ endorsing the root of the teaching, regardless of the version people choose. If a church chooses to adopt Henderson’s version, it approves the entire gnostic root system. 

It goes without saying that these kinds of teachings are powerfully appealing to Christians who feel powerless in prayer. This is why gnostic teachings tend to spread like wildfire in local churches. They have infinite psychological and spiritual appeal and play on the suspicion that something is missing in the lives of ordinary Christians. Scanning the internet for the spread of these ideas quickly reveals a plethora of gnostic teachers releasing podcasts and YouTube channels offering new and esoteric techniques to get your prayers answered. The enticing notion of discovering the key to your spiritual breakthrough has spawned an industry of books and teachings on innovative methods to secure your breakthrough. A search on Amazon for books related to the root system of the Courts teaching uncovers an ever-growing list of publications featuring the latest revelations on how to procure answers from the Courts. For example, consider the instant appeal of books such as Dr. Francis Myles, Dangerous Prayers from the Courts of Heaven that Destroy Evil Altars: Establishing the Legal Framework for Closing Demonic Entryways and Breaking Generational Chains of Darkness. Or his ‘International Bestseller,’ Issuing Divine Restraining Orders from the Courts of Heaven: Restricting and Revoking the Plans of the Enemy. If the only practical way to obtain spiritual breakthroughs comes from securing verdicts or documents from the Courts, these new revelations are indispensable for the spiritual warrior seeking esoteric keys for greater levels of freedom.

The Trading Floors

Once a believer has mastered the esoteric art of preparing a case and entering courtrooms to secure favorable verdicts, legal documents, and divine permission to engage the powers of darkness, they can then access the Trading Floors to enact their new divine verdicts. Clayton boldly teaches, “God is shifting the way we do war. It’s not on the earth any longer, it’s in the heavens!” His new model initiates practitioners into different courtrooms to obtain ‘papers’ that assure spiritual breakthroughs. This detaches believers from an intimate relationship with their heavenly Father through prayer by shifting them into a ‘transactional’ model of prayer. 

Clayton is the spiritual father of the ‘Trading Floors’ teaching. He has a four-part series on how to engage the ‘trading floors.’^[12] When you hear the language of the Trading Floors, you are hearing echoes of Ian Clayton. The gnostic teachers explain what they believe is traded on these Trading Floors.

A trading floor is a place in the spiritual realm where we can trade things we have. If it is a Godly trading floor, we can trade and get things of God. If it is a demonic trading floor, we get what the demonic wants us to have.^[13]

This is where the concept of trading floors intersects with heavenly courtrooms. If we have been engaging with demonic systems, we need to learn how to operate in the heavenly realms to nullify these transactions. What is the remedy? Clayton teaches:

Go to Court! We can use the court system in heaven. The Mercy Court is a very effective place to deal with all this: – Accept the accusation and receive God’s judgment for our own and our family’s trading – Repent and renounce false trading (be very specific). Be separated from false trading!

Courtroom Prayer: Father, I thank you that you love me and that your kingdom is based on righteousness and justice. By faith, I step into the court of accusation. I face my accusers, and I accept and agree that I have wrongly traded. I accept that I have followed the pathway of the knowledge of good and evil. I accept that I have been influenced and motivated by earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom. I stand here representing myself and my forefathers, identifying with them. I repent of and renounce all false trading for myself and my forefathers. I receive the judgment of God and ask that the blood of Jesus cover my sin. I am justified and made righteous through my advocate, Jesus. I release the judgment of God against my adversaries and accusers. I receive a mandate to be separated from all false trading. I choose to be identified as your son, walking in the light, following heavenly wisdom on the earth. In Jesus’ name, I thank you for forgiving and cleansing me and enabling me to trade rightly before you.^[14]

On one occasion, Clayton had just come out of a courtroom hearing and reported the breakthrough he had obtained.

Just so that you are aware of things that are going on, there has been a council that has been in session that has been signing papers, and I’m very pleased with the papers, so is the angel, Zeal. I’m very pleased with the scrolls that we have been able to land. I am very excited by about what God has been doing in the last 22 minutes of us doing this here. God has done something that perhaps we don’t fully understand yet, but we will see the fruit of it, I have no doubt, down the line. Hallelujah! We also have others inside the meeting that have come in. One of my favorite people that, whenever I begin to engage the kingdom realm and world and the systems of government that I have learnt from, has been Enoch and so he has been walking amongst us and I am very happy to have him here and I want you just to acknowledge that and acknowledge that openly! [Loud cheers and applause from the audience…]. I have spent many, many years now walking down some of the ways that Enoch has walked, to uncover what he did with the presence of the Father, because I want to be like him, because he is the hero for me of the Bible. I went into his wine room and drank his wine; the testimony of every person who has ever been with the presence of God or who has walked with God is stored in the wine room, and you can go in and taste and then see, because without tasting you will never see! One of the reasons we don’t engage the men of old is because we don’t go where they have been and engage them because we have never tasted the frequency of the sound of the testimony of God that they carry; the wine that is stored of their record in the realm of heaven. And the wine never runs out and you can drink of it any time you like and it changes the way you view things and it engages you into the protocol of their supply and that supply is very, very important for us.^[15]

Once a practitioner of the Courts has obtained ‘papers,’ they are authorized to deliver these verdicts by entering the Trading Floor to legally establish God’s justice on earth over the enemy. The Courts teaching is a bottomless rabbit hole of esoteric revelation, drawing believers into a mysterious transactional world. Corina Pataki, author of Unveiling the Trading Floors & Stepping Into the Order of Melchizedek, introduces initiates to the trading floors. In her book, she writes,

We will be looking at nine of the major demonic Trading Floors that are being discussed in this book, and we will be looking at how we and our ancestors started trading on these Trading Floors and the effect that it has had on our entire bloodline. We will be looking at each individual Trading Floor and how one trades on each floor. We will also be discussing the Heavenly Trading Floors; what they are and how we learn to trade correctly on these floors in righteousness and out of relationship with Jesus and with the Father. Lastly, we will be discussing the Order of Melchizedek; what this is and who is called to step into this powerful order.^[16]

Engaging with the trading floors is key to fulfilling your ‘destiny scroll.’ The first step involves entering the courts to obtain a copy of your destiny scroll, which allows you to secure favorable verdicts based on your identity and destiny. Those who embrace the Courts of Heaven revelation become reliant on this system of trading in the courts for spiritual breakthroughs. As always, Clayton serves as the guide for navigating the courtrooms and successfully operating on the trading floors.

The Gateway Drug

Henderson’s brand of the Courts of Heaven is designed to instantly appeal to local churches looking to enhance their effectiveness in prayer. This appeal makes it a potent ‘gateway drug’ that encourages and invites Christians into the more advanced Courts of Heaven teachings. The promotion of any iteration of the revelation, even ‘Courts of Heaven Lite,’ under Robert Henderson’s authority, serves as the perfect on-ramp to deeper Gnosticism. It’s not that Henderson’s brand is not itself gnostic; it is fundamentally gnostic in nature, acting as an endorsement of, and a warm invitation into, the broader world of more profound gnostic mysteries. 

Henderson’s ‘creepy cousin,’ Ian Clayton, may be kept in the basement, unacknowledged in Henderson’s books or public presentations; however, he lurks in the shadows, luring unsuspecting novices of the Courts into deeper levels of initiation. Every local church that adopts any iteration of this novel teaching effectively establishes itself as a hub for deep Gnosticism. These unsuspecting churches become a storefront for the broader world of esoteric Christianity. Distinguishing the so-called ‘safer’ version from the more arcane versions is insufficient. Embracing any element of this teaching acts as a gateway to deception, enticing the curious into the higher levels of the Courts, where they begin to walk in the footsteps of Clayton and his followers, who interact with invisible beings in the second heavens. In Clayton’s Courts revelation, angels, Enoch, and others from the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ all interact with those who seek to navigate the Courts of Heaven.

Given the curious nature of Christians and their desire for higher knowledge and greater power, many have undoubtedly progressed from Henderson’s foundational teachings on the Courts to the allure of higher levels of initiation. While we have no means of measuring actual data on such an unfortunate progression, we can be certain that many who have entered the gateway through Henderson’s Courts have advanced to deeper revelations of the Courts. Clayton awaits the inquisitive who dare to explore his bizarre and esoteric realm. The allure of power, particularly the power offered through higher levels of the Courts, attracts those eager to advance in this new model of prayer. Clayton’s depiction of the Galactic Council captivates those yearning to ascend and master the heavenly court system. In his presentation on the Galactic Council, of which he is a member, Clayton proposes that truly mature Christians can be activated at the highest level of all. He says,

The next one is the one I really like, which is called the ‘Galactic Council: The Court of Seventy.’ The Court of Seventy is what is known as the Sanhedrin of Heaven. This is where death and life is adjudicated; for nations, for planets, for solar systems and for us. The Galactic Council starts meeting toward the end of February every year, and it works in seventy-day cycles. It has seventy days of judgment, seventy days of justice, seventy days of grace and seventy days of mercy. We are in the seventy days of grace in the Galactic Council; that’s why there’s amazing things going on, on the face of the earth at the moment. The grace of God has come to disturb the boundaries of nations. And what happens, there are seventy angels that carry the seventy scrolls of the seventy ‘first nations.’ A ‘first nation’ is a nation that has birthed other nations or carries another nation in its heart. And so, there are seventy ‘first nations’ and those seventy first nations, their scroll of testimony is brought on to the Council floor once a year. The Galactic Council is an amazing floor to be on. It looks a little bit different than most of the other court systems. It’s shaped like this… [he draws a diagram] And you have the ‘Yesod’ of God that sits here which is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that adjudicate this court. And here you’ve got seventy seats that sit all around the court like this… [further diagrams] And then you’ve got an amphitheatre that sits here that looks into the court system and before you can be involved in any of this you’ve got to be sitting here for at least a year so you learn the system. So this means you’ve got to be sitting in the kingdom world, experiencing the kingdom operation. And then you get introduced onto the floor and then you get mentored by one of the guys that are in the seventy because they’ve got a job to do because they want to get out of the court because everything is to bring someone to maturity. Everything is always about bringing someone to a higher level of maturity! And it never stops because once you get through that you go into other arenas that are outside of our universe. The “Council of Seventy” is where the legislative decrees for the seventy ‘first nations’ come from. I mean; I love this stuff, I find this stuff exciting.^[17]

This sort of thing should never be taught in the hallowed halls of Jesus’ church! It is pure Gnosticism. The suggestion that ‘mature Christians’ operate in the Galactic Council sounds more like a scene from Star Wars or Scientology. This is deep deception that seduces the gullible into a fantasy world. How did Clayton get so deep into this esoteric brand of Christianity? Everyone must begin somewhere on the journey into deeper deception. Consider this: Robert Henderson was present when Ian Clayton gave a presentation on the Galactic Council in Johannesburg in September 2010. This was undoubtedly Henderson’s introduction to the secret world of the Courts. He wasn’t teaching the Courts himself at this conference. He was teaching the Seven Mountains revelation. Whether or not Henderson fully embraced the multiple levels of the Courts as outlined by Clayton, he certainly embraced the suggestion that the Courts exist and went on to actively promote his own brand of the Court system. His bestselling books and traveling ministry inadvertently endorse the entire package and function as a gateway drug to the deepest levels of gnostic deception.

Demonization in the Courts

There is nothing benign about this teaching, regardless of how it is presented. In the Apostle Paul’s deeply spiritual worldview, he described a spiritual atmosphere charged with powers that seek to entice God’s people into great deception. Paul was well-acquainted with gnostic thought. Both Paul and John were anointed by God to establish sound doctrine in the church and to ‘gnostic-proof’ the people of God against the ever-present gnostic spirit that sought to penetrate the walls of the City of God. Jesus appointed Paul and John to unveil the spiritual powers that operated through false teachings. 

Paul warned, “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT) “At the end of this age, many will depart from the true faith one after another, devoting themselves to spirits of deception and following demon-inspired revelations and theories.” (TPT) Engaging with the teachings of the Courts of Heaven at any level opens Christians to a degree of demonization. Teachings not clearly articulated in Scripture create an open door for demonic influence. To adhere closely to the ‘Apostle’s Doctrine,’ we must acknowledge that enticement into ambiguous and questionable departures from the clear teachings of Christ and the Apostles serves as a direct pathway, not only to deception but also to the snare of the devil and the inroads of demonic infiltration.

I have a good friend, Ken Fish from California, who has been appointed by the Lord to expose, among other things, the Courts of Heaven teaching in its various forms. In many of his meetings, he calls on Christians who have attended teachings from either Clayton or Henderson to repent for the open door to demons that these teachings represent. After repentance and renunciation of false teachings, he confronts the deceiving spirits connected to these doctrines. Many Christians influenced by these false teachers have experienced dramatic deliverances. The same holds true for Christians who have been influenced by New Age teachings, who have dabbled in witchcraft, or who have Freemasonry in their ancestry. The Courts of Heaven teaching is simply one of many open doors to deception and demonization.

If a teaching is clearly false and not rooted in the clear and basic teachings of the New Testament, it is the responsibility of teachers and leaders in the body of Christ to call it out. If they don’t raise the alarm and set the captives free, who will? The role of teachers is to present the clear and straightforward teachings of Christ and His Apostles. They draw lines and declare what is safe and what is dangerous. Faithful leaders expose deception and every departure, no matter how subtle, from traditional teaching. Leaders who are true to Scripture are also tasked with cleansing the church of every spiritual defilement related to false teachings. They are anointed to break the power of deception and cast out deceiving spirits. They serve as a wall of protection around the people of God. They call the church to repentance whenever it veers into what the Apostle John termed “the spirit of error.” John kept it simple and clear. In confronting the false gnostic teachings of his day, he said,

This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:3-6)

The purpose of this document is to provide a clear trumpet sound, calling the church away from every gnostic teaching and spirit associated with it. If you are a leader or influencer within the church with the authority to establish order, you are automatically commissioned by the first Apostles to expose the 21^st-century deceptions and errors into which the people of God have strayed. You don’t need to wait for a special commissioning; it was bestowed 2,000 years ago by Christ and His faithful Apostles. If it is not the explicit exegetical teaching of the Word of God, eliminate it! If it imposes an extraneous interpretation upon the Scriptures, remove it. One of the challenges we face in the 21^st century is a growing biblical illiteracy and a lack of depth in understanding the straightforward teachings of the New Testament.

The Courts of Heaven and Prophetic Legitimacy

As a committed charismatic who moves in Pentecostal circles, I am grieved by the levels of subjectivism present in the prophetic stream of the charismatic church. The Courts of Heaven teaching is a deeply subjective revelation that seriously deviates from the New Testament. Much of Pentecostalism, in its celebration of the Spirit of prophecy, has strayed into a subjective form of the prophetic that is no longer firmly grounded in what constitutes genuine prophetic legitimacy. In the introduction to his book, Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Prophetic Legitimacy [2024], Dr. Mark Chironna explains how parts of the Pentecostal movement have descended into an expression of the prophetic that represents a loss of what he defines as ‘prophetic legitimacy.’ In the Introduction to his groundbreaking book, he writes,

There is a crisis of prophetic function in Independent Pentecostalism; it has therefore become necessary to construct a Pentecostal theology of prophetic legitimacy, one which is biblically, theologically, and psychologically, phenomenologically grounded. The goal of this work is not merely to highlight the crisis in prophetic legitimacy but to propose practical recommendations favorable to a more catholic, robust, accountable, and authentic Pentecostal theology of prophetic legitimacy. To that end, the first chapter of this work begins with a description and analysis of common questionable prophetic practices in Independent Pentecostalism.^[18]

The prophetic is delegitimized whenever it strays into subjective, private interpretation that is no longer rooted in objective biblical truth. Much of the contemporary Pentecostal world has licensed prophetic subjectivism, leading to expressions of alleged ‘prophetic inspiration’ that are no longer anchored in the rich prophetic tradition of the prophets of the Old and New Testament, as preserved by the Great Tradition of the early church in its pursuit of objective credal theology. The Courts of Heaven serve as a classic case study of prophetic subjectivism and our tragic dislocation from the Great Tradition. This phenomenon underscores the growing biblical literacy often overlooked by present-day Pentecostal teachers, who have allowed subjective revelation by endorsing teachings that do not align with the Great Tradition of the Apostles and prophets. That the Courts of Heaven teaching could be regarded as a legitimate prophetic revelation is a sign of the times in which we live.

How did we arrive at a point where subjective revelation, echoing the very things the first-century Apostles confronted, has been given free rein in the Pentecostal world? The answer lies in the decline of familiarity with the historic tradition of prayer as presented in the New Testament. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, did He present a court scene filled with endless legal cases before the Judge, or did He invite them into His own prayer life with His Father in heaven?

Intimacy with the Father

The Courts of Heaven teaching diverts Christians from the simplicity of devotion to a loving Father. Paul said, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:1) This grave spiritual error represents a shift from simplicity toward complexity and from relationality toward transactional Christianity. This singular aspect of the Courts of Heaven should serve as a warning signal that something has gone wrong with our understanding of simple, childlike prayer. The gnostic jargon of the Courts system, with its endless dialogue with the law, should alert biblically informed Christians to the fundamental error in this new model of ‘prayer.’ 

The biblical model of simple New Testament prayer is exemplified in Jesus’ intimate relationship with His Father. This recent gnostic trend detracts from the beauty of prayer as articulated in the ‘asking and receiving’ model taught by Jesus, instead introducing endless court cases in invisible courtrooms before the Judge. Jesus invites us into a close Father-son relationship, where we have unrestricted access to our Father who is in heaven. New Testament prayer revolves around asking and receiving. We are to bring our requests and petitions to a loving, caring Father in Jesus’ name. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Jesus taught extensively in the Sermon on the Mount about the role of asking the Father in prayer. The foundational idea is “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7,8) “Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!” (Matthew 6:8 NLT) “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11) Jesus even provided a template for how we should present our petitions to the Father. “In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9,10)

Similarly, in the Upper Room, Jesus elaborated on His simple model of prayer. Again, the emphasis is on asking and receiving. “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it!” (John 14:13,14) “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (John 15:16) “In that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23,24)

Bearing fruit through intimate prayer should be the goal of every disciple. Jesus revealed that abiding in Him, His word, and His love are the keys to bearing tremendous fruit through prayer. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this, My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:7,8) Again, the key is abiding in intimacy with Jesus and His Father. “If you make yourselves at home with Me and My words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon!” (MSG) The deeper the intimacy, the greater the fruitfulness in prayer.

The simplicity of the New Testament model of prayer is grounded in an intimate relationship between the Father and His beloved children. The Courts of Heaven teaching has gained popularity because it resonates deeply with the widespread grief of unanswered prayer. Instead of transforming the glory of the Father’s house into a Judge’s courtroom, the response to the challenge of unanswered prayer is a deepening intimacy with the Father as we allow our hearts to be marinated in and healed by the closeness of growing relationality and a stronger attachment to the Father heart of God. The Courts of Heaven shifts the heart of the disciple from radical relationality to a transactional paradigm. Viewed through the lens of Jesus’ teachings, this represents a departure from heaven’s solution of relational attachment. It essentially draws Christians in the opposite direction.

Orphan Theologies

The Courts of Heaven teaching is a distinctly ‘orphan theology.’ Orphan theologies are outdated theological wineskins that disconnect the hearts of God’s children from deepening relationality. Consider carefully the extraordinary words of Jesus: “If you make yourselves at home with Me and My words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon!” (John 15:7 MSG) Jesus promised extraordinary fruitfulness in prayer through a life of ever-deepening intimacy with Him. The great revelation of John 15 is that intimacy precedes fruitfulness. Pentecostals have always been vulnerable to theologies of technique and formula. The Word of Faith paradigm was mainly a Pentecostal phenomenon. It dominated 20^th-century Pentecostalism, representing the triumph of formula over intimacy. In the 21^st century, the Courts of Heaven teaching, which has thrived almost exclusively within the Pentecostal world, represents a repetition of the triumph of formula over intimacy. That is why it is an orphan theology. ‘Formula’ always negates growth in relationality. The theology of John 15 represents the death of every kind of formula!

The Elusive Realm of Answered Prayer

Theologies that are deeply grounded in sonship emphasize ever-deepening relationality and intimacy with the Father. At the heart of deep sonship is the reception and transmission of adoptive love and attachment love. Freely we receive, freely we give! The metrics of growth are measured by a deepening relational attachment to the Father and to one another in the body of Christ. John 15 boldly teaches that abiding in Christ includes loving one another. Let me explain. We have already seen that Jesus made this incredible promise to His devoted disciples: “You can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon!” (John 15:7 MSG) This is the promise of answered prayer, so we’d better pay attention! Immediately after Jesus made this extraordinary promise that the realm of answered prayer was within reach, He said,

I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves Me. You must continually let My love nourish your hearts. If you keep My commands, you will live in Me, just as I have kept My Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by His love. So this is My command: love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you. (John 15:9-12 TPT)

More profound words have never been spoken! The lesson is this: living and abiding in Jesus also demands our obedience to His royal command – to love one another just as Jesus has loved us. If we fall short in loving our brothers and sisters the way Jesus loved us, we disqualify ourselves from abiding in Jesus’ love and forfeit stepping into the realm of answered prayer promised by Jesus in John 15:7. “If you live in Me, and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you!” (AMP) The prerequisite for this extreme promise is loving one another sacrificially as Jesus loved us. Whenever Christians struggle to love like Jesus, they fail to recognize that this automatically disqualifies them from entering the seemingly elusive realm of answered prayer that Jesus promised. They fall short of the promise because they fall short of love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Jesus is still continually praying for His disciples to attain this dimension of ‘supernatural oneness’ that will open the realm of heaven on earth and release unprecedented glory. The deep relationality of ‘oneness’ that Jesus prays for in John 17 seems elusive. It is based on adoption. The absence of this kind of unity and adoptive love expressed toward one another in community significantly hinders our prayers. Jesus established the centrality of the unity of the saints in obtaining answers to our prayers. He said, “I also tell you this: if two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as My followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19,20 NLT) Similarly, Peter revealed that the prayer life of Christians is hindered whenever they fail to dwell together in unity, understanding, and tenderness. 

Husbands, you must treat your wives with tenderness… so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. (1 Peter 3:7,8)

Every sincere disciple of Jesus wants to reach that gilded realm where their prayers are gloriously answered. The teachers of the Courts of Heaven propose a novel solution, but it is not the solution Jesus offers! His solution requires a profound journey into the depths of the Father’s adoptive love. Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans!” (John 14:18). It is not until we can say and express these same words and this same caring heart to one another that we are entitled to enter the glorious realm of answered prayer presented to the church by Jesus in John 15:7. If Jesus said this realm exists, we must believe that it is attainable and within reach as long as we fulfill the prerequisites.

The disciples in the Upper Room were trained in this model of intimate prayer without any reference to the Courts of Heaven! Jesus outlined a profound theology of sonship that ushered His disciples into the realm of intimate attachment with Him as the Vine. The branches also needed to be rightly attached to one another to complete the circuit and the flow of divine virtue. The ‘branches’ went on to move in the same realms of kingdom authority and answered prayer that Jesus experienced as the beloved Son.

In Acts, the heavens were opened and the apostles moved in ‘mega-dunamis.’ “With great power [mega-dunamis] the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace [mega-charis] was upon them all!” (Acts 4:33) So great was this outpouring of power and love that the first apostles healed everyone, just like Jesus. “A multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed!” (Acts 5:16). Until then, only Jesus had touched this sacred realm. “Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with great power. He did wonderful things for others and divinely healed all who were under the tyranny of the devil, for God had anointed Him.” (Acts 10:38 TPT)

Homothumadon!

Jesus’ disciples also touched this elusive realm, defined in the Scriptures as ‘homothumadon.’ It is often translated as ‘one accord,’ but this Greek word actually means ‘one passion.’ Before the Day of Pentecost, the disciples experienced a remarkable unity. “All of them were united in prayer, gripped with one passion [homothumadon], interceding night and day.” (Acts 1:14 TPT) We see it again on the day the glory fell. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” (Acts 2:1) “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:46,47)

Later, the disciples were prohibited by the chief priests from preaching in Jesus’ name. So, “when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord [homothumadon]. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:24,31) “And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord!” (Acts 5:12) Three verses later, Peter’s shadow was healing the sick (5:15), and in the next verse we read, “They were all healed!” (5:16) Luke repeatedly highlighted ‘prayer in one accord’ as the key to these kingdom breakthroughs. This was the supernatural oneness Jesus had prayed for: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)

Homothumadon is the key to unlocking the vaults of divine glory. It is the release of Jesus’ own passion falling upon His unified people. “You live fully in Me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that You have sent Me, for they will see that You love each one of them with the same passionate love that You have for Me.” (John 17:23 TPT) This represents a supernatural oneness. When the brethren dwell together in this kind of divine unity, God commands a blessing. “Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, [He] ordains eternal life!” (Psalm 133:3 MSG) Jesus defined this eternal life as “a new intimate relationship with You, the one True God and Jesus, the One You have sent.” (John 17:3 TVB) This passionate intimacy envelops the people of God as they abide in Jesus the Vine and simultaneously abide in the branches.

Concluding Thoughts

Gnosticism, whether expressed through the erroneous Courts of Heaven teaching or any other insidious gnostic teaching, consistently undermines any possibility of homothumadon. When the gnostic spirit enters the church, it immediately promotes disunity, pride, and division. It consistently invites a spirit of competition where the ‘haves’ exalt themselves over the ‘have-nots.’ The Corinthian church was deeply compromised by this gnostic spirit. Paul warned, “’Do not go beyond what is written!’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.” (1 Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

Gordon Fee, in his commentary on 1 Corinthians, noted that Paul’s correction of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ mindset was the key issue in his first epistle to the Corinthians.^[19] Gnosticism destroys any hope of homothumadon. Love empowers us to come under one another and serve, whereas any form of higher knowledge encourages Christians to elevate themselves above their brethren. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up!” (1 Corinthians 8:1 NIV) The essence of Paul’s correction of the gnostic spirit is captured in his appeal to expressing divine oneness. “For by one Spirit we all were immersed and mingled into one single body. And no matter our status… we are all privileged to drink deeply of the same Holy Spirit. In fact, the human body is not one single part, but rather many parts mingled into one.” (1 Corinthians 12:13,14 TPT)

In Acts, when Peter was arrested and thrown into jail, the disciples didn’t take it to the Courts. “The church went into a season of intense intercession, asking God to free him!” (Acts 12:5 TPT) When Paul was imprisoned, he said the saints in Philippi, “Your intercession for me will bring about my deliverance!” (Philippians 1:19 TPT) Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27) Jesus “always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) Whatever our pressing need, we enter the House of Prayer in corporate intercession for breakthrough.

The Courts of Heaven teaching replaces ‘good old intercession’ in the House of Prayer. Instead of a natural ‘prayer-reflex,’ court cases are tediously prepared and enacted in a mystical courtroom. If there is a specific need, the people of God should automatically turn to prayer. If someone needs deliverance or freedom from generational strongholds, the people of God ought to spring into immediate action. We are called to go to war in the prayer room as the early disciples did in Acts. Bringing our case to the Courts is a poor substitute for the prayer storms of earnest disciples who stand in their authority and exercise the immediate power of binding and loosing.

Let’s return to the prayer room and renounce the courtroom. If you hold any sphere of influence in the house of God, I urge you to lead the people of God in repentance and renunciation of the Courts of Heaven. The teaching is gnostic through and through! Guide God’s precious people through a corporate deliverance and a thorough cleansing of the house. Repent of entertaining Gnosticism! It is the role of apostles, prophets, and teachers to expose and refute false and extra-biblical teachings that divert the people of God from the traditional Christian practice of prayer and intercession. God’s solution is the House of Prayer, not an imaginary series of courtrooms in the second heavens! Jesus said, “My house shall be called a House of Prayer!” (Matthew 21:13) The Father’s house is a warm, intimate home, not a cold, austere courtroom.

1. This quote is from the back cover of the first edition of Operating in the Courts of Heaven by Robert Henderson. [2014] ↑

2. This quote is from the back cover of the 2021 revised edition of Operating in the Courts of Heaven. ↑

3. https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog/post/a-review-of–operating-in-the-courts-of-heaven–by-robert-henderson-part-two ↑

4. https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog/post/a-review-of–operating-in-the-courts-of-heaven–by-robert-henderson-part-one ↑

5. ibid ↑

6. This teaching is still available on the Company of Burning Hearts podcast. ↑

7. https://www.youtube.com/@houseofarielgate4806/videos ↑

8. https://arielgate.com/html/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ArielGate-OctoberNovember2010.pdf ↑

9. Clayton quoted in Phil Mason: The New Gnostics p. 121 ↑

10. ibid p. 122-3 ↑

11. https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog/post/a-review-of–operating-in-the-courts-of-heaven–by-robert-henderson-part-one ↑

12. https://sonofthunder.org/products/trading-floors ↑

13. Trading Floors: Based on Teaching by Ian Clayton & Mike Parsons & Dr. Ron Horner https://pdfcoffee.com/trading-floors-ws-pdf-free.html ↑

14. ibid ↑

15. Clayton quoted in Phil Mason: The New Gnostics p. 130 ↑

16. https://www.amazon.com.au/Unveiling-Trading-Floors-Stepping-Melchizedek-ebook/dp/B07Y8R8BTF ↑

17. As quoted in Phil Mason: The New Gnostics, p. 121-122 ↑

18. Dr. Mark Chironna: Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Prophetic Legitimacy p.1 ↑

19. Gordon Fee: New International Commentary: 1 Corinthians. 16 times in his commentary Fee uses this language of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ to explain the impact of gnostic division in the church. ↑