False Anointed and False Prophets
When he was speaking of the difficult time (gr. thlipsis megale, or, great tribulation) that was to come upon Jerusalem (at Matthew 24:23, 24, KJ), Jesus warned: 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.' Notice that the same scripture in the International Standard Version reads: 'At that time, if anyone says to you, Look! Here is the Messiah! or There he is!, don't believe it, because false messiahs and false prophets will appear and display great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.'
In Greek, the above highlighted words are, PseudoChristoi kai PseudoProphetai, or, False/Anointed and False/Prophets. And as you can see, the wording of the King James (and several other Bibles) gives the impression that Jesus was warning that people would come claiming to be him. However, what he was really saying is that people would come claiming to be Messiahs, which is just the Hebrew word for the Anointed.
What It Means to Be Anointed
The reason why there is considerable confusion about the proper rendering of this text, is because; in the most English copies of the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT), the Greek word christos is rendered as Christ in every case, which people have come to think of as Jesus' last name, which it wasn't. Rather, after his baptism by John, when the Holy Spirit came down on him (or anointed him) in the form of a dove, he was thereafter referred to by his followers as the Christ (gr. ho Christon), or, the Anointed [One]. Why did they use that term? Because the Jews had been looking for God to send a king from the line of David to rule over IsraEl and to deliver them from Roman oppression. And since all kings whom God had selected were anointed to show that they had been chosen by Him, they referred to him as 'the Christ,' 'the Anointed,' 'the Messiah,' or, 'the Chosen One.'
Notice that in the Greek Septuagint (the Old Testament of Jesus' day), all the kings were referred to as 'Christs.' Take for example, unrighteous King Saul. David referred to him as 'the Christ of the Lord' (gr. ton christon kyriou), or, 'the Anointed of Jehovah,' at 2 Samuel 1:16.
So, what was anointing all about? This was the outward proof, which was always testified to by witnesses, that God had chosen a person for a special position, such as a King or Priest. David, for example, was chosen to be the king of Judah and IsraEl by God, and as proof of this, He sent His Prophet SamuEl to anoint him with oil several years before he actually became the king (see 1 Samuel 16:12, 13). So, the choosing came first, followed by the anointing, which was the proof to him and to others of his being selected. So, a secret 'anointing' with no witnesses, is not an anointing. For, even Jesus had a witness (John the Baptist).
Now, in the case of David; he was publicly anointed two more times, the first time as king of the tribe of Judah, and the second as the king over the all IsraEl.
Why Christians Never Called Themselves 'The Anointed'
Although the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT) use the word christ (or anointed) many times when referring to Prophets, kings, and Priests, the same word is used almost exclusively in reference to Jesus in the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT). And this is the reason why there are no Bible references to Christians ever calling themselves the Anointed. For, that term (Christ) was reserved for Jesus alone.
Also notice that there are only two scriptures in the Bible which refer to Christians as being anointed. They are found at 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 and 1 John 2:27. And if you look them up (click on the links), you'll see that the Breath (Spirit) of God is said to teach the person who was anointed. So, all who are anointed are specially taught by God's Breath; and this should be the clear evidence to all that such a person has truly been chosen or anointed.
The False Anointed
But notice that Jesus warned his Apostles about the coming of 'false anointed' and 'false prophets.' So, Christians should be very careful about applying the terms 'anointed' and 'prophets' to themselves, lest they should in fact prove to be 'false.' And this is the snare of those who think too much of themselves.
How could one tell if he or she is approaching the gate to becoming a false prophet or a false anointed one? Notice that making the claim of being such, is the first step. For, this shows a lack of humility and a desire to lord over others. An inward anointing by God's Spirit would surely not move one to try to elevate himself or herself over othersÉ and especially over fellow Christian brothers. For, Jesus told us (at Matthew 23:8-11): 'But not you! Don't [have people] call you rabbi, for you have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. So, don't address anyone on earth as Father, because there's just One who is your Father, the Heavenly One. Nor should you be called leaders, for you have but one Leader, the Anointed One. However, the greatest among you must be your servant. For, whoever promotes himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.'
False Prophets
So, how would we come to recognize those who are falsely claiming to be 'the anointed?' In the same way that we would recognize 'false prophets.' Notice the standard that the Bible sets for determining the true and false prophets (Deuteronomy 18:21, 22): 'And if you ever wonder in your hearts which words Jehovah didn't say; [remember that] anything a prophet says in the Name of the Lord that doesn't come true, is something that Jehovah didn't say. So, that prophet has spoken wickedly and he must die!'
Zechariah 13:3, 4: 3, 'And if there's a man who still prophecies, his father and mother (those who gave him birth), must tell him that he will no longer live, for he has told lies in the Name of the Lord. Then his father and mother (those who gave him birth), will tie him up, because he prophesied. And it will be in that Day, that the prophets will be disgraced by their visions, and by things which they prophesied. They'll cover their heads with animal hides, because they will know that they've lied!'
Likewise, those who claim to be the anointed and who teach things which they claim are inspired (on the basis of their anointing) but don't prove to be true, are the false anointed.
Are the Anointed Truly Infallible?
Then, are we saying that those who claim to be the anointed may never be wrong or change their minds on spiritual matters? No, for if a person has true Christian humility, he or she would realize that the Holy Spirit has not yet taught them everything. However, whenever such ones insist that others believe what they teach because it comes from the Holy Spirit of their anointing, and this proves to be wrong, then the spirit of their anointing is questionable, since God's Spirit never lies.
To return to the previous document, select the Back arrow on your browser