I'll be the first to admit that when I heard about the Courts of Heaven a few years ago, I didn't fully understand the concept. Prior to then, I'd never heard anyone teach on it, but even in hearing the new teaching, I couldn't grasp it.
That was until I started studying the Kingdom myself. Last month's study on Commonwealths, lead me into a study on the Kingdom government. What I learned was that the trinity is not the only decision maker in heaven. In fact, there are hundreds and maybe even thousands of beings that assist God in making decisions about us. While God certainly has the last say so, He chooses to consult with His council who we can understand as the council of heaven.
Let's break this down a bit more:
The Council of God—refers to the Trinity, which consists of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. The Council of God, in this sense, represents the internal relationship and decision-making process of the divine nature. It is the place where God deliberates and decides on matters that pertain to the universe and the human race.
Genesis 1:26-Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
1 John 5:7-8—For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (Bear record means to testify)
When God says, "Let us make mankind in our image," He is speaking to the trinity. We, as humans, reflect God's majesty in the earth. In a general sense, we are gods walking the earth. The earth is our domain and we have rulership over it; however, He is the God of gods. Or should I say the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Ultimately, when God makes a decision with the trinity about you then it's settled because He has consulted with Himself.
Council of Heaven— refers to a gathering of heavenly beings, such as angels, archangels, and other celestial beings, who assist God in governing the universe. This council may be thought of as a heavenly court where decisions are made and actions are taken on behalf of God's will.
In Isaiah 6, God wanted to send someone to help Israel and He seeks the advice of the council.
v8 reads, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
First, it’s important to recognize that God is in control here. He says, “whom shall I send” which is a clear line in the sand. Secondly, he says, “who will go for us?” In asking this question, he is seeking advice from his council. Third, Isaiah is present at the council because he volunteers himself. How do I know this? He says, “Here am I. send me!”
Who else was present? The seraphim.
How do I know this?
V. 6: "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar."
Who are the seraphim? The class on celestial beings who adore God correctly. They are the attendants at God’s throne and are known as the burning ones.
(If you want to know about angels, watch this video, this video, and this video.)
In 1 Kings 22—God gives Micaiah a vision and he then prophesies to Ahab who is seeking information about if he will win a battle. Ahab doesn’t like Micaiah because he never says anything good about him but he is desperate to know the future so he sends for him anyway. At this point, all of the prophets are prophesying that he will be victorious, all but Michaiah.
V.19-21 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’“One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
So in the vision, God is sitting on his throne in the council of the multitudes of heaven. When he is speaking, he is talking to council members who are suggesting things (“one suggests this, and another that”) and it is one of the council members, who is a spirit who agrees to entice Ahab to his death.
From the 1 Kings example, we see that the council makes suggestions about how to best go about killing Ahab. Then, a spirit comes forward and agrees to be a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets. God sees this as a suitable strategy and all tells the spirit to go and do it:
V.22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.“ ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
So we see that while God could very well make all the decisions on His own, He doesn't. He consults with his council because He wants to be involved with His creations in more ways than one. Through my study, I've come to learn that we shouldn't overlook the weird and obscure moments in the Bible because they hold more significance than we know.
Join me today at 1pm, PST for an introductory discussion on the weird and obscure things in the Bible. You don't want to miss this!!!! Heck, I don't want to miss it and I'll be there lol.
