What does it mean: "Touch not God's Anointed"?
Are Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Bishops, Missionaries, Prophets, and Priests accountable to anyone?
What does it mean, a “Man of God” or a “Woman of God”?
What does it mean: "Touch not God's Anointed"?
Are Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Bishops, Missionaries, Prophets, and Priests accountable to anyone?
What does it mean, a “Man of God” or a “Woman of God”?
Let us begin with a brief history lesson, then we will examine the verse in the question above.
HISTORY
As the faithful Disciples (Messianic Hebrews) of Yeshua Jesus spread throughout the world, the Lord YHWH brought His salvation to hundreds of thousands of Romans and Greeks.
Initially the converted Romans and Greeks were called Messianic Hebrews or Disciples of Messiah Christ. As we know, among any group of believers we will find many who are social or emotional believers, but Not true obedient believers.
Some of the Roman believers began to reject with hatred (from Satan) anything Messianic, i.e. of Jewish affinity. They began to call themselves Christians and began to create their own hierarchy.
Bishop Ignatius (martyred AD 110) claimed that “bishops” have the exact authority of God. He said: “Where the Bishop is, God is.”
Bishop Paul of Samosata (b. 200 - d. 275) was one of these early example who took the money of the trusting faithful Messianic believers into his pocket because, he claimed to be a “Man of God”.
The Roman Christian deacons had a major strife against the Roman Christian bishops regarding who should have authority over whom. Emperor Constantine settled this matter in the fourth century by declaring that the bishops are ordained superior officers in the New World Order, the Christian Church. He based his decision on the Greek model were the pagan civic overseers were called episcopoi (bishops).
Emperor Constantine endowed the bishops with equal authority to the civic magistrate in the Roman Empire which means that the civic magistrate cannot force the bishops to obey the law and if there is a violation, then the Church authority will deal with such violation behind its closed doors.
The appointed and ordained bishops and priests began to be called “Men of God” and became above the law.
They promoted such powerful authority by using the verse in 1 Samuel 26:9-11, where David warns his friend Abishai not to kill King Saul: "'Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,' David said, 'the Lord Himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed'".
What is interesting is that the Church rejected the entire Hebrew Scriptures, modified and rewrote the Ten Commandments, but uses a couple of verses, with false interpretation, to give itself absolute authority and power.
Beginning in the fourth century AD, the appointed clergy began to live in opulence and absolute freedom from the civic authorities. Anyone who questions the conduct of a clergy is put to shame as a heretic.
Furthermore, the Church claims that anyone she appoints as a Pastor or a Missionary or a Bishop is actually appointed by God Himself. Such claim is consistent with the spirit of the Anti-Christ, as the Church claims falsely to be the representative of Christ on earth. Anti-Christ does not mean only opposition to Christ, but also a replacement of Christ. The Bishops claim that they have the authority of Christ as claimed Ignatius.
DURING THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES
Yeshua Jesus, the Apostles and all the faithful Disciples were servants. The elders (episcopoi - bishops), the deacons, the pastors, the teachers and everyone in the ekklyssias (House Assemblies of Jesus) were serving one another without getting paid at all. Actually, they sold their houses and shared the money with the poor who suffered persecution and a famine at that time.
The word minister (Hebrew: mesharet) is the same word for servant. A leader is called to serve, not to be Lord. Yeshua Jesus said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all" (Mark 9:35). Such structure with NO ruler or governor allows Yeshua Jesus to be the true Head. All decisions are made together after consulting and studying the Scriptures together.
Elders were not Lords or governors, but coordinators servants, Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:1-13. Scholars believe that the Church added section in the Epistles to Titus and 1 Timothy. Nevertheless, it is clear that the elders were unpaid coordinators servants.
TODAY
The invention of the Church in AD June 325 removed Yeshua Jesus from the headship and established a pyramidal hierarchy instead.
Pastors and their wives are treated like royalty. In some churches, the people refer to the pastor's wife as first lady. People believe that giving their tithes and offerings, or part of it as cash in envelope directly and discretely to the pastor, is giving it to God because the pastor represents God in their eyes.
BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING
* The term “God’s Anointed” refers to one person, the Messiah Christ.
* The anointed men of God include Moses, Aaron and the kings. Most of the anointed, i.e., appointed kings were not believers in God. Hence the term anointed does not mean righteous or godly. It simply means God chose a certain person to be in charge over the affairs of the nation.
* The Church uses the term “Anointed Man” or “Anointed Woman” of God to convey a Messianic character, i.e. a divine character. Such is misleading and false. This is the reason why Pastors are called “Reverend” and “Divine” which are false adjectives. Every believer is anointed by God as a child of God and every believer is a man of God and every believer is to be respected as reverend. No one is divine but God.
Pagans Greeks consider heroes as divine and this practice crept into the Church among other pagan customs.
* Notice the false translation made by the Church in 1 Timothy 5 to promote the power of the Bishops:
The false translation is: "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).
The correct translation is: “Let the elders who conduct themselves well be esteemed worthy of double honor; especially they who labor in the Word and in doctrine." (1 Timothy 5:17).
The correct translation is based on the Babylonian Aramaic original apographa text of the Apostles. It says that the bishops (elders) conducted their own life well, Not the ekklyssia (House Assembly).
SHOULD THE CHURCH PASTORS AND MISSIONARIES BE ACCOUNTABLE?
The Church constantly frightens its members that anyone who requires accountability of a clergy, a Pastor or a Missionary or a Bishop, is attacking God.
The Church also promotes hypnotic teaching to reinforce trust in the absolute powers of the Pastors, Missionaries, and Leaders of the Church.
I personally know several pastors who engaged sexually with willing and discrete women (married or unmarried) from their congregations and others who are profiteering financially beyond measure and without accountability to anyone.
Praise the Lord that they are few as the majority attempt to lead an ethical life.
The Pastors and Missionaries who declare themselves God's Anointed are breaking the Second Commandment; they use the name of God falsely and for personal gains.
Some claim that since they work, then they deserve their salaries and all the benefits. Some claim that their families have many needs as they have many children and life is expensive. My answer to both, please find another job as did all the Apostles and all the faithful Disciples. You cannot take God’s Korban, Tithe and Offerings, as your salaries and bonuses and cash or in-kind gifts. This is abuse of God’s name. God’s Korban, Tithe and Offerings, must go directly 100% to the needy, the poor, the homeless, the chaste celibate widows, the needy children, the hurt young families, the sick, and those who are in poverty prisons.
THIS DOCTRINE IS FALSE AND DANGEROUS
According to this doctrine, Pastors, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Priests, Missionaries, Prophets and Prophetesses claim that they have a position like Moses and Aaron.
They claim to be "God's anointed"; therefore, no one can remove them or question them. This means that they are above the law and cannot be accountable to any man. They are beyond congregational discipline. While churches have boards and committees, yet they act as advisers only.
This is rooted in abusive pride which is an evidence that such Pastors, Missionaries, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Prophets, Prophetesses, and Priests are Not truly born-again believers, but rather employees, appointed and ordained by people and Not by God.
The people who, for a Biblical reason, do not like the decisions or actions of a Pastor have three choices:
(A) They must submit to his leadership and entrust the situation to God, or
(B) They can quietly leave the community without disturbance or making waves.
(C) They will be accused of heresy and of being from the devil if they disturb the Leaders of the Church.
The Clergy leaders label anyone who demands accountability as a heretic, rebellious and troublemaker and often become the target of malicious rumors and gossip.
Many pastors run the affairs of their churches by gossip and slander. It is become the normal business mode of operation. Gossip breaks the Ninth Commandment, but of course the Church modified the meaning of the Commandments.
We agree with Rabbi Ron Cantor in his article of June 2018 that such doctrine is destructive and devilish and people should separate from those who teach it.
The question is how can we separate ourselves?
The only answer is given in the book of Revelation: Come out of Babylon which is the Church. Protestant theologians, since the time of Martin Luther until the present time, teach correctly that the Roman Catholic Church is the “Harlot who is riding on the Beast.” They teach also that it is Babylon. But, those Protestants: Presbyterians, Evangelical and others are blind to the fact that all Churches are Roman Catholic not only in structure but also in most of the doctrine and pagan customs amalgamation. Let us not forget that the Book of Revelation describes her as “the Mother of all Harlots”, i.e. all churches are daughters of the Roman Catholic Church.
It is rightful to say that the Church, all churches, are Babylon.
Babylon is were the people of God were taken captive. Babylon is were paganism was mixed with the true Hebrew faith. Babylon had great scholars and great rabbis, yet it was not pure in faith nor did it come to accept the Messiah Jesus. Babylon brought the great Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) which opposed the Messiah Jesus Yeshua.
The Book of Revelation describes events which are about to happen now and in the future. The command of the Book of Revelation for us is clear: “Come out of Babylon” and rebuild the ekklyssia of Yeshua Jesus, the independent Family House Assemblies.
The Church, all churches, is a Socio-Pyramidal-Political-Religious organization. It is simply said, a religious business. Some Pastors confess that it is simply a business. Others think it is God’s business, which is false even if they pronounce the name of the Lord thirty minutes or more per week.
The ekklyssia of Jesus Christ is Not the Church, but a small family of believers who honor the Sabbath (Saturday) and love and care truly and practically for each other.
IF YOU ARE IN SUCH A CHURCH, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
We agree with Rabbi Ron Cantor who said: “If you find yourself in a situation where a senior Leader of the church refuses to be accountable because he is "God's anointed," my advice is to run! Find a congregation that has clear standards of morality for its leaders.”
In my past ministerial experiences as pastor and missionary for over 47 years, I cannot find such church congregation because the pyramidal structure of the church necessitates that the Leader becomes the Lord. Therefore, it behooves me to come out of Babylon and build the simple Ekklyssia Family House Assembly, after the manner of Jesus, the Apostles and the Disciples for the first three centuries.
We pray that this study is helpful to you and we hope that the Church and the Leaders become more like Jesus and less like Lords.