What is the anointing?

The anointing is the kingdom of God come.  It is the presence of the living God.  It is the testimony of Jesus, the Divine Spirit of prophecy.  It is the enabling power of God to man.  It is truth, and power and life.  The anointing is the ministry of God to humanity; the Spirit of the living God.  That which liveth and abideth forever.

From the beginning, the anointing has been the focal point of man’s relationship with God.  Without the anointing there is no knowledge of God.  Even where the Word exists it is but a hidden mystery, a stumbling block without the anointing of God.

The anointing was present when the worlds were made.  The anointing was the presence of God with man in the garden.  The anointing was the prophetic realization of judgment given to Noah.  The anointing was the blessing which Abraham passed to Isaac, passed to Jacob.

The life of Jacob chronicled in scripture is the story of the work of the anointing coming upon the life of a deceiver.  Joseph picked up the anointing from his father, it enabled him to have and interpret prophetic dreams. Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, every one of the prophets were guided at every step by the anointing.

The thing that set apart the Jews from all the other nations of the world was the anointing that was upon each generation, and passed down through the ages.  The anointing was that which empowered the prophets to write the word of God flawlessly.

David was set apart as king by the anointing.  For when man beheld his feeble stature, and appearance as compared to his brothers, God looked upon his heart, and saw a suitable home for the power of the anointing.

Jesus the pinnacle of truth, and the complete central focus of Christianity is Christ, which means: ‘The anointed.’  The anointing was the power of God upon and within Jesus to heal the sick, raise the dead, and drive out demons with a word.

The anointing is the spiritual dynasty given by God to humankind, which was made for the purpose of giving us dominion over the earth, and spiritual powers.  It is our inheritance as the sons of God.

Christianity is not, has not been, nor ever shall be about rules, restrictions, or laws set forth in the word.  Nor is it about historical records in a book, or moral lessons found therein.  All these are outcroppings of righteousness which is only attained by faith: our measure to receive the anointing.

These thoughts are, perhaps, too vague abstract or in-descript for many.  So then, what is the anointing, tangibly?  What is it by application?  What is it that we have looked directly past as we have stared upon the word of God day and night and failed to perceive?  What is this mystery of godliness called ‘the anointing?’

Always we must first look to Jesus.  He is, verily, the anointed one, the king, and that which we are to emulate in every way from start to finish.  The word says that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him because He was ‘anointed’ to: preach the gospel to the poor, deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, etc… (Luke 4:18)

The anointing is for a purpose, and a purpose which cannot be fulfilled, cannot be accomplished (even by Jesus) without said anointing.  If one preaches the gospel to the poor without it, that preaching will be spiritually ineffective.  It matters not how great oratory is made, how great wisdom is contained in the message, how much passion is poured into it, without the anointing, Jesus, Himself, would be an ineffective preacher, deliverer, enlightener and healer.

Un-anointed counselors, ‘ministers,’ or psychologists may have some temporal value, some guiding wisdom for the mind and emotions for a time, but they have no power unto salvation; unto things eternal.  Though anointing upon the hearer of any of these can transmute mere words of truth into life-giving power.

The bible itself, as a book, is not anointed – yet it can only be understood or interpreted through the anointing, when Jesus removes the veil from our hearts and expressly gives revelation of the truths in the Word by the anointing.  For this reason God must have preachers (Rom 10:14 &15), for the bible itself is un-anointed, it contains within it the information needed to attain the anointing, the power to receive it.  Yet alone the book is dead letter.

A man, however, can be anointed, and filled with the word, bringing it to life.  This is why the apostle called his disciples living epistles (2 Cor 3:2 & 3): God’s word breathed into the hearts of men, empowered and activated by the anointing.

The anointing is always only given from God to man.  It is the impartation of the Spirit of God within a man.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you … the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

This teaching is different than a temporal form of teaching wherein the mind of man is instructed.  The Spirit bringeth forth spirit; thus the teaching of the anointing (as described in the passage above) is taught as spiritual revelation, not cognitive information.  This spiritual revelation is imparted at the roots of your being, your spirit.  If heeded, it then also instructs your soul – mind, emotions, will – just as the roots get the first benefit of the soil’s moisture, and nutrients, but then feed the rest of the tree.

The anointing is the Spirit of the living God, the Teacher, Comforter, and Counselor received only by faith in Jesus Christ, the anointed one.

Jesus was anointed, not only with the Spirit of God, but with the FULLNESS of God (that is, Father, Son, Holy Ghost), for: in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9).

The anointing is that piece of the divine which man can receive of God.  It is not automatically present within a man as some would claim that we all have a piece of the divine, no rather it is attained by faith in Christ, and faith in Him alone.  Truly He is the way, the truth and the LIFE.

It can be received in varying measures, as it is received only by faith, and faith is received of God in varying measures.

Eph 3:17 That Christ (‘the anointed,’ or ‘the anointing’) may dwell in your hearts by faith…

Rom 12:3 …every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according AS GOD HATH DEALT TO EVERY MAN THE MEASURE OF FAITH.

The anointing IS Christianity APPLIED.  The word ‘Christian’ means ‘little Christ,’ or ‘little anoint(ed/ing).’  And aptly it is named so, for we are to be the temples of the living God.  His Spirit is to dwell in us, and be in manifestation upon and within us, as it was in Christ.

Our faith is in Christ, in the power of God to save, to move and work in the world: the anointing.  Faith always pertains to the anointing because it always pertains to Christ, the anointed.  Faith is given us by Christ, (Heb 12:2) that we may attain this anointing in greater measure.

To the extent that the anointing is upon is, is the extent in which were are able to demonstrate Christ.

The anointing is the hidden treasure of God imparted to whomsoever will, the pearl of great price hid in the field. It is the very heart of God given to make man one Spirit with Him.

The anointing is the Way, it is that which Christianity is all about.

Yet it must never be assumed that the anointing is merely substance.  There are those who teach intensively the properties of the anointing as a spiritual substance, which, indeed, is accurate (but can become an over-weighted doctrine).

EX: The anointing was that which radiated from the face of Moses, it is the glory of God.  It is the virtue that flowed through the garments of Jesus into the afflicted (Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19; etc.).  It was that which abided in Peter’s shadow when the sick were healed as he passed by (Acts 5:15 & 16).

In these, and many more the anointing is revealed to us as acting as a substance, yet the anointing is so much more than merely the oil poured down the garments of Aaron; it is yet more than the flames like fire on the day of Pentecost.  The anointing is God.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

How much does this verse sound like another I quoted above?: … the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie… (1 John 2:27)

And: John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

As Jesus laid out in chapters 14-17 of the book of John, the Holy Spirit, who is the anointing is Christ abiding in us:

John 14:17-21 …ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

The anointing is the manifestation of Christ in our lives; it is Jesus Christ (the anointed, or the anointing) coming to us, abiding with us, abiding in us.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Without the anointing, we can do nothing.  Without Him (the anointing) we can produce no fruit, we are without help and without power.

John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Without the anointing we have no place with God.  How vital, then to do as the apostle warns us, and ‘Quench not the Spirit.’  (1 Thess 5:19)  Nor to despise prophecies (v.20), which are what?  Fruit from the anointing.

John 15:5…8 He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: … …Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;

The fruit or workings of the anointing reveal His (the anointing‘s) personality.  For He is God just as the Father, and the Son, so too the anointing is God.  To deny the works of God is to deny God.  To deny the fruit, or the work of the anointing on one’s life is to deny the anointing, to deny God.

The gifts of the Spirit are all ‘fruits’ of the anointing (1 Cor 12:8-10) (just as the traditional ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is (Gal 5:22 & 23).

For: …there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (1 Cor 12:4-7)

The anointing is who God is, it is how God is, it does what God does.  The anointing is the personality of God, and the power to carry out His will.

The anointing is necessary for ministry.  Though Jesus was God in the flesh, He had to have the anointing to minister (again, Luke 4:18 & 19).  And even after He had trained the twelve apostles, He would not let them go out and minister without the anointing: …tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.(Luke 24:49)

There is no ministry without the anointing for, again, ‘without me ye can do nothing.’

All things must be done from the secret place of the Most High (Ps. 91:1).  The Shadow of the Almighty is that overhanging presence.  Ever stand in the shadow of a building?  The building looms high over our head, and its shadow drapes across the land.  The shadow of God is the immediate place of his abiding presence which works in the physical realm: the anointing.  Remember, as mentioned above, that Peter’s shadow healed the sick.  How much more the shadow of God which does not merely contain, but IS anointing?

The spiritual person, substance and power of God which works in our behalf is the anointing.  It is the Spirit of God.

The anointing is what we call God’s Spirit when He is upon someone’s life or ministry.  The Spirit of God within a person is the anointing.

The anointing works differently upon many individuals.  Why?  (1 Cor 12:11)Because He is sovereign.  Because of the faith of the individual, and because of the personality of God: what He wants to do through the believer.

THE ANOINTING IS WHAT IS WRITTEN BETWEEN THE LINES IN EVERY BIBLE STORY.

The anointing was upon Abel, and not upon Cain, therefore was Cain jealous, and became the first ‘antichrist’ (anti-anointing/ anti-anointed).  It was further the eternal power upon Abel by which he through faith could speak to God though he was dead (Heb 11:4).  Upon Samson the anointing became physical strength.  Upon Joseph the anointing made all that he put his hand to prosper; gave him prophetic wisdom and spiritual insight specifically through dreams.  Upon all men the anointing works RIGHTEOUSNESS – for His name is HOLY Spirit, and without holiness no one will see God (Heb. 12:14).

It was the anointing which set apart the Jews as God’s chosen people.  It was also the anointing which disqualified them. For centuries the Jews had been rejecting the anointing, though they had been set apart at the first for having attained it.  They rejected the anointing upon the prophets, they had rejected the message of the anointing from the mouth of the prophets.  They persecuted, tormented and killed the anointed ones (the prophets).  Finally the nation as a whole rejected the King of Anointing: Jesus THE CHRIST (THE ANOINTED).

John the Baptist, (who had been raised, and trained personally by the anointing (Luke 1:15)) said to the un-anointed leaders of the day: Matt 3:8-11 ‘Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance (invite the anointing): 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father (that is to say, ‘we are anointed by birthright‘): for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (God can anoint anyone or anything He pleases based upon their own right-standing with Him). 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit (has no anointing) is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (if you reject the anointing, the anointing (God) will reject you, in the end you will be cast into the lake of fire)11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire (that is to say: I give you an opportunity to obey God in repentance, and personal holiness, but it is Christ alone who IMPARTS THE ANOINTING, and is the fulfillment of it)’

One’s level of anointing is indicative of that individuals spiritual authority.

THE ANOINTING IS THE KINGDOM.

The anointing is God’s kingdom given to man.  For this reason John the Baptist, Jesus, and the twelve preached:’The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; etc.)  The authority of CHRIST (the anointing) was becoming known in the world.  The very ANOINTING Himself had come, and this message was heralded by these prophets.

Those with the anointing are those carrying God’s kingdom authority in the earth.  Those without the anointing (yes, those without Christ (you may use these words interchangably almost always)) are without the kingdom, and without God’s authority.

When John the apostle fell to worship at the feet of the angel, the angel’s admonition was this:

‘See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.‘ (Rev 19:10)

The bretheren of John (true Christians) are only his bretheren (true Christians) if they have the testimony of Jesus: the Spirit of prophecy: the anointing.  It is just as Christ declared: ‘Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God (those who are anointed), the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.’ (Mark 3:33-35)

There is a partial answer to the titled question…

Understanding what Christ (the anointing) truly is, and is not, and attaining it will help us to see and determine that which is antichrist.