By PHILIP L. POWELL
"I am not the same man under the anointing that I am now - My children are afraid of me under the anointing. What they do not know is that I'm afraid of the anointing too. (laughter) I'm not afraid of myself, I'm afraid of what the anointing can do to me if I mistreat it. Or if I abuse it or if I misuse it." "I've been preaching 25 years almost. I've never seen the anointing as frightening as I saw in Denver Friday night; and so when you hear me in just a little bit give blessings and cursings and basically all I say ... any who attack this anointing, I speak a judgement on them.""Saints we have to preserve that anointing; whether it's the anointing ... that's on Rod ...[Rod Parsley who was interviewing Benny Hinn] and you're building a place ... now expanding your own ministry." *1 "Holy Spirit of God I thank you even now your servant has been willing to conceive this child, this healing centre where multiplied thousands upon thousands would be healed, but more than <that> where the healing ministry will be preserved. Preserved so that we will not lose our roots; so that people may know the ministry of Kathryn Khulman and Aimee Semple McPherson, A.A Allen and Jack Coe; of Oral Roberts and Lester Sumrall, God, where those anointings will be multiplied [I'm seeing this now Benny] and brought to bear in that place; multiplied by one another - Smith Wigglesworth's anointing multiplied by Oral Robert's anointing, multiplied by Kathryn Kuhlman's anointing, multiplied by Benny Hinn's anointing. And when the people come there, their faith will be at such a level that that spiritual genealogy, which you are preserving, will come to bear against their need. A.A. Allen had a miracle valley. This is going to be a miracle mountain."*2
THE above quotes certainly beg the question of our title - What is the anointing? Careful study of scripture will show that it is definitely NOT what Benny Hinn and his friends claim it to be. Typically viewed in the Old Testament (OT)The word "anointing" appears 26 times (23 in the OT) and its associates "anoint", "anointest" (34 - 29 in OT) and "anointed" (96 - 84 in the OT) a further 130 times (total 156) in the KJV of the bible. The basic Hebrew (Strong 04888) "mishchah" or "moshchah" being derived from the primitive root (Strong 04886) "mashach" signifies to "smear or spread a liquid". It is once translated "painted": "That said, I will build a wide house and large chambers, and cut him out windows; and it is panelled with cedar, and painted (anointed) with vermilion" (Jeremiah 22:14). A similar idea of "smearing" or "spreading" is contained in the Greek word "chrisma" (krisma) *3 (Strong 5545) linked to "chrio" (krio) *4 (Strong 5548). Here then we have two considerations, which present us with the basic truth about the anointing. Firstly the preponderance of OT usages indicates that it is basically typical and, as with all true types, Christ Himself is ALWAYS the anti-type. Secondly the only New Testament (NT) references use Greek words, which are themselves obviously and directly linked to Christ "Christos" (Kristos) (Strong 5547). It is Christ Himself, who is specially anointed and not some follower of Christ. With that background let's do an overview of the typical teaching about anointing in the OT and see how it has been fulfilled in Christ and thus has a different application now from then. This I believe will help take away the mystique that men like Benny Hinn rely on to cause fear among God's people about investigating their teaching and claims. This article entitled Anointing deals with the false ideas associated with the expressions "Touch not the Lord's anointed" and "The anointing breaks the yoke" and will not be repeated here seeing it is available on file. *5 Anointed Places"And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was first called Luz" (Genesis 28:18-19). This is the first incident of physical anointing in the OT. It shows how under the Old Covenant secular things were made and remained sacred (c/f Gen 35:14 & 15). Based on the Law of the First Occurrence we see how this worked out in respect of the establishing of sacred places and objects until the first Coming of Christ, who Himself fulfilled and so put an end to any idea of specially consecrated or "holy" places. "The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming, when you shall neither in this mountain, or yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you don't know: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:19-24). Since the coming of Christ there is NO place that is specially anointed.
The question is not HERE or THERE? It is ONLY a question of our being IN Christ - the anointed One. Anointed objects"And you shall offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it" (Exodus 29:36). "And you shall anoint the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony" (Exodus 30:26). Two elements must be implicitly or explicitly present in all acts of worship in the OT - blood and oil. The first was for cleansing and the second for anointing. These elements have incredible significance typically and both are totally consummated, fulfilled and terminated in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the basic argument of the book of Hebrews where Christ is set forth as the offering, the offerer and the great high priest of our profession. He left absolutely nothing unfulfilled and thus He is the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the beginning and the ending - see Rev 1:8 & 17 c/f Rev 21:6 and 22:13. He is everything - including all that relates to anointing. " ... by His own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:12-14). To this end Christ was and is the ONLY ONE who is specially anointed as God the Father Himself bears testimony in this same book of Hebrews: "You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even your God, has ANOINTED YOU with the oil of gladness above your fellows" (Hebrews 1:9). The very words "Christ" and "Messiah" mean "The Anointed One". For this reason, if for no other, it is dangerously wrong to claim a special anointing, as do many prominent preachers today. The way that Benny Hinn projects himself in this regard borders on blasphemy. Anointed personsIn the OT Kings were anointed - see 1 Samuel 10:1; 16:1, 13 etc. Christ is our ONLY rightful king and as such is specially anointed - c/f Luke 4:18 where King Jesus proclaims the manifesto of His Kingdom. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18). In the OT the High Priest and his sons were anointed - see Leviticus 8:12 & Numbers 3:3. Christ is High Priest after the order of Melchisedek ("without father, without mother, without descent" Hebrews 7:3) and is thus exclusively anointed - Hebrews 1:9 (see above). "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). In the OT prophets were sometimes anointed - see 1 Kings 19:16. Christ as the promised Prophet stands head and shoulders above all prophets, priests and kings in every way, including the anointing and must thus be seen as unique. "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like you, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him" (Deuteronomy 18:18). All of the above relates to what we may call special or specific anointing, which is NEVER applied to anyone in the NT other than to our Lord Jesus - the Anointed One. For example you never hear Paul speaking of Peter being specially anointed or vice versa. The NT writers understood what it means to be anointed in biblical terms. They recognised a general anointing, which is taught in two passages of the New Testament and which explains the significance of our being a Kingdom of Priests to God, a truth which is equally applied to ALL of God's people thus proving that such is a general and not a particular anointing: "And has made us kings and priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:6). "And has made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:10).*6 A general anointing upon God's people"Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God; Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Corinthian 1:21-22). It seems perfectly clear that the group of people whom Paul says are anointed is the same group that he says are established in Christ. This then is a clear reference to the entire church at Corinth plus those who are his co-workers viz Silas and Timothy c/f verse 19. Significantly Paul avoids any claim to personal special anointing on himself or his co-workers, let alone any suggestion of the false teaching about anyone operating under another man's anointing. This is clearly the same general anointing to which John refers in his epistle: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things" (1 John 2:20).
"But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall remain in Him" (1 John 2:27).
We must note some very important points: 1) This is a general epistle of John i.e. it has general appeal and is written to a wide group of people, e.g. chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 address "little children", "fathers" and "young men". So then what John is referring to is a general not a special or selective anointing. 2) We are clearly told that this anointing remains (KJV "abides") see verse 27. It does NOT fall and rise; or come and go as is suggested by the way those who operate under the so-called "anointing" in our time apply the term. 3) This anointing teaches something that no teacher can teach. Obviously John is not saying that we don't need teachers as that would contradict Ephesians 4:11. The context shows that the anointing creates a relationship between our Lord and us and we don't need anyone to teach us that we belong to Him. The anointing teaches us that our relationship with Christ is valid. 4) Implicit is the truth that the anointing makes us discerning. If we cannot discern between right and wrong, truth and error and to some degree between fact and fable then we are not truly anointed. That does not mean that we are always 100 percent right in our discernment but there must be some discernment. 5) Obviously here we have a link with what has been called the "inner witness" c/f Romans 8:16. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." I suggest that "The Anointing" as it is presented in the New Testament has more to do with relationship between the Lord and us than with service. In other words no one has a right to claim a special anointing in the service that he renders for it is not applied in that way in the NT. The person who claims a special anointing does despite to the person of Christ and to His body the church. Such is tantamount, ignorantly or knowingly, to claiming superiority to other brothers and sisters and in its extreme expression claiming equality with Christ. It flies in the face of the message of both Testaments. Serious prohibitions
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