With the outbreak of COVID-19, people worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges. With people in many countries anxious about the rampant epidemic, a "priest" in Africa declared that "sacred anointing oil" can bring health to believers.
According to an overseas website, 20 people were killed and 16 injured on February 1 in a stampede at a church in Tanzania. Hundreds of people were crowded together in a stadium in the town of Mosey when they scrambled to receive "blessing oil," which they thought would get rid of poverty and cure diseases. However, the result was trampling, injuries and death.
The Bible says, "...Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4: 3) Pastor Paul Walsh once said, "False teachers are raised up by God to judge people who want to satisfy their sensual desires in the name of religion...The false teacher is the judgment of God, because what they want is not God, but what he (the false teacher) desires. "
In China, practices like sales of sacred anointing oil, tongues of the Holy Spirit, spiritual dances and being slain by Holy Spirit have existed in both rural and urban churches. Someone once took Israelite anointing oil and put it on the foreheads of new believers, saying, "Be clean".
Last year, the author met two pastors in his hometown who were "knocked down" when they sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in dialects, danced spiritually, performed miracles of "healing," and prayed with upraised hands to deliver the Spirit's anointing to the believers.
The precious and sacred "Israelite anointing oil" was not omitted. The worship focused on dancing to the beat of drums, while neglecting the whole gospel. Consequently, many churches have split because of cults or extreme Pentecostalism.
In ancient times, oil had many uses. In Israel and Egypt, people would apply anointing oil to their skin after bathing. Hosts would pour oil on the heads of guests to welcome them. Soldiers oiled their shields to make enemy arrows slide away.
When Israel built the tabernacle in the wilderness, Moses sanctified it and all its vessels with oil (Exodus 40: 9-15). Oil was poured on the heads of the High Priest and his descendants. This oil was called "sacred anointing oil", and was strictly forbidden for personal use (Exodus 30: 32-33). The Jews also anointed corpses to show their respect for the dead (Matt. 26:12).
According to the book of Exodus, the ointment contained myrrh, cinnamon and other natural ingredients. There is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power.
The Bible mentions "anointing" more than 200 times. The Old Testament describes the king and prophet as the "anointed," and the Bible calls Jesus the Messiah and Christ, which means the Anointed One.
Anointing by oil is mentioned four times in the New Testament, though no explanation of its usage is given. In Mark 6:13, the disciples anoint the sick and heal them. In Luke 7:46, Mary anoints Jesus' feet as an act of worship of him. In James 5:14, the church elders use oil to heal the sick. Hebrews 1:8-9 tells us that the kings of the Old Testament had to be anointed before they could become kings. Here, "anointing you with the oil of joy" means that God himself has anointed Christ as the king. The oil that God uses is not the sacred ointment made of spices, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit which has no limit (John 3:34).
Should Christians use anointing oil today? There are not any commands in the Bible that either permit or prohibit us to use it. In the Bible, oil is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit, as in the Parable of Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). In the story of Good Samaritan, it is said that olive oil is used to alleviate wounds.
Anointing is to be done "in the name of the Lord," indicating that it is based on divine authority. What is the purpose of "anointing"? The New Testament mentions it once: "They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:13)". Neither of these verses offers an explanation of the practice.
Scholars believe that anointing with oil may have had a practical purpose. In ancient times, oil was commonly used as a medicine. In his well-known parable, Jesus tell us that the Samaritan stopped to help the one who had been robbed and beaten: "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. (Luke 10:34)." Other ancient sources have confirmed the effectiveness of oil in treating diseases ranging from toothache to paralysis. Anointing could also have been intended to stimulate the patient's confidence.
It is also likely that oil had a religious purpose, such as a its use as a sacrament of the early church. Western churches have maintained this view for centuries, and have also used oil on other occasions. Later, the Roman Church gave its priests the exclusive rights to perform the ritual, and "deathbed anointing" developed later.
Many exegetes believe that the best way to understand anointing is as a symbol. The oil itself does not have a magical power. What is more important is to be a new creation, to walk with the Lord, and to wait for the Lord's return.
In the last days, many cults have arisen. Why do so many "muddleheads " follow them? It's because many people do not earnestly seek the truth. In addition, many believers today like novel doctrines, peculiar experiences, dreams, visions, etc. Although they know the gospel, they have hardened their hearts and have deliberately kept their ears from hearing the truth. Instead, they have gathered around themselves a great number of false teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear.
May the Lord keep us safe and help us be cautious. May God awaken our foolish hearts to return to the Bible, which is the truth.
- Translated by Sophia Chen
“福油”可以祛病和带来祝福？揭开“c”的神秘面纱
面对新型冠状病毒的肆虐，全球人民都面临着前所未有的挑战，近日新冠疫情正在全世界肆虐。多国人民都在为之焦急忧虑之时，非洲的一位“牧师”宣称“圣膏油”可以给信徒们带来健康.
据海外网报道，2月1日，坦桑尼亚一教堂发生踩踏事件，导致20人丧生，16人受伤。事发时，数百人挤在莫西镇的一个体育场内，互相挤在一起，他们争先恐后地去涂上“福油”，因为信徒们相信涂抹膏油有助于摆脱贫困治愈疾病。
结果是“圣膏油”却带来了踩踏、受伤和死亡。圣经说：“……就随从自己的情欲增添好些假师傅。”（提后4:3）保罗华许牧师曾说：“假教师是上帝所兴起的，是用来审判那些不要上帝，却想借宗教的名义来满足自己肉体情欲的人……这假教师就是上帝的审判，因为他们渴望他（假教师）所渴望的，而不是渴望上帝。”
其实，在国内不论是农村教会还是城市教会，不论是内地还是边疆地区，都出现过很多卖圣膏油、圣灵充满说方言、跳灵舞及圣灵击倒等。曾有人拿着以色列的膏油抹在初信徒的额头上说“你得洁净了”。
笔者去年在老家就遇到二位“牧者”，他们追求圣灵充满时被“击倒”，讲方言、跳灵舞、讲道主讲神迹医病，按手祈祷可将恩膏传递信徒，着重以跳舞敲锣打鼓的敬拜模式，忽略整全福音，当然少不了聚会期间珍贵的“以色列圣膏油”的涂抹。也有很多教会受到某些异端及极端灵恩派的影响，其结果是教会四分五裂深受其害。
圣经说，以色列和埃及等地的人沐浴之后，喜欢抹膏油。欢迎客人时，会用膏油浇在客人的头上。犹太人也用香膏膏尸体，以示对死者的尊敬（太26：12）。古时的兵丁，常用油抹盾牌，使敌人射来的箭向旁边滑去。以色列人在旷野建立会幕时，摩西用油把帐幕和其中所有的器皿都抹过，使之成圣（出40：9-15）。所以旧约称王或先知为受膏者，圣经称耶稣为弥赛亚，为基督，都是受膏者之意。圣经中提到膏油有200多次，是旧约中用于浇在大祭司以及他后代的头上、洒在帐幕及其器具上将它们标记为圣洁的，并且归耶和华为圣。它被三次称作“圣膏油”，而且犹太人被严格禁止再次调和它供个人使用(出埃及记30:32-33)。膏油的配方是在出埃及记中，包含没药、肉桂和其他天然成分。没有迹象表明油或这些成分有任何超自然的力量。
只有四处新约经文提到了使用膏油，而且没有一处经文对它的用途作出解释。马可福音6章13节，门徒膏了病人，并医治了他们。在路加福音7章46节，马利亚膏抹耶稣的脚作为对耶稣的崇拜。在雅各书5章14节，教会长老用油抹病人进行医治。在希伯来书1章8-9节，圣经告诉我们，旧约的君王都要先经过受膏然后才可以作王，在此说“用喜乐油膏你”，就是神膏基督为王的意思。但祂作王不是神藉先知或祭司为祂膏膏，乃是神亲自膏膏的。神所用的油，不是香料调制的圣膏油，乃是神圣灵的恩膏；神所赐给祂的圣灵，是没有限量的（约3:34）。
今天基督徒应该使用膏油吗？在圣经中没有命令或者甚至认为我们今天应该使用类似的油，但也没有任何命令禁止它。在圣经中，“油”通常是用来象征圣灵，就像在聪明和愚拙童女的比喻中那样(马太福音25:1-13)。而在好撒玛利亚人那段经文当中，橄榄油则有缓解伤口疼痛的作用。
抹油要“奉主的名”而行，表明此行动所依据的神圣的权柄。但抹油的目的何在呢？新约只有另外一次提到抹油： “赶出许多的鬼，用油抹了许多病人，治好他们”（可六13）。可惜这两处经文都没多作解释。有学者认为，大致来说抹油的目的有两种可能。
第一，它可能有“实用的”目的。油在古代普遍用作药品，在耶稣的比喻中，祂告诉我们那撒玛利亚人停下来帮助那被抢挨打的人，“上前用油和酒倒在他的伤处，包裹好”（路十34）。其他古代的资料也证实油有医治从牙痛到瘫痪等病的效能。另外有人建议另一种不同的实用目的，说抹油可能用意为以一种外在，切身的方式表达，以剌激病患的信心。
所以，很可能抹油有“宗教的”目的。以圣礼的方式了解这项作法，在教会历史中很早就出现。西方教会有许多世纪持续这种看法，并在其他场合也行抹油。后来罗马教会赐其神父独家使用权，只有他们可以施行此礼，并发展出“临终膏油体”。
其实，有很多解经者认为最好的看法是将抹油看作象征性的行为。追根究底来说，膏油本身并没有什么神奇的能力，重要的是做新造的人，与主同行，预备自己等候主的再来。
如今在这末后的时代里，许多异端邪教兴起，各路“神仙”各显神通，为什么会有那么多“糊涂徒”跟随他们呢？追根究底是太多的人并不认真寻求真理，另外今天很多信徒喜欢新奇的道理、奇特的经历、别人没有的体验、异梦异象等等而不是“古旧的福音”，他们并不是不知道“福音”，而是他们硬着心、故意掩耳不听真道，却找来假师傅说他们想听的。
愿主保守我们，谨慎自守，求神唤醒我们愚昧的心，回归圣经回归真理！
With the outbreak of COVID-19, people worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges. With people in many countries anxious about the rampant epidemic, a "priest" in Africa declared that "sacred anointing oil" can bring health to believers.
According to an overseas website, 20 people were killed and 16 injured on February 1 in a stampede at a church in Tanzania. Hundreds of people were crowded together in a stadium in the town of Mosey when they scrambled to receive "blessing oil," which they thought would get rid of poverty and cure diseases. However, the result was trampling, injuries and death.
The Bible says, "...Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4: 3) Pastor Paul Walsh once said, "False teachers are raised up by God to judge people who want to satisfy their sensual desires in the name of religion...The false teacher is the judgment of God, because what they want is not God, but what he (the false teacher) desires. "
In China, practices like sales of sacred anointing oil, tongues of the Holy Spirit, spiritual dances and being slain by Holy Spirit have existed in both rural and urban churches. Someone once took Israelite anointing oil and put it on the foreheads of new believers, saying, "Be clean".
Last year, the author met two pastors in his hometown who were "knocked down" when they sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in dialects, danced spiritually, performed miracles of "healing," and prayed with upraised hands to deliver the Spirit's anointing to the believers.
The precious and sacred "Israelite anointing oil" was not omitted. The worship focused on dancing to the beat of drums, while neglecting the whole gospel. Consequently, many churches have split because of cults or extreme Pentecostalism.
In ancient times, oil had many uses. In Israel and Egypt, people would apply anointing oil to their skin after bathing. Hosts would pour oil on the heads of guests to welcome them. Soldiers oiled their shields to make enemy arrows slide away.
When Israel built the tabernacle in the wilderness, Moses sanctified it and all its vessels with oil (Exodus 40: 9-15). Oil was poured on the heads of the High Priest and his descendants. This oil was called "sacred anointing oil", and was strictly forbidden for personal use (Exodus 30: 32-33). The Jews also anointed corpses to show their respect for the dead (Matt. 26:12).
According to the book of Exodus, the ointment contained myrrh, cinnamon and other natural ingredients. There is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power.
The Bible mentions "anointing" more than 200 times. The Old Testament describes the king and prophet as the "anointed," and the Bible calls Jesus the Messiah and Christ, which means the Anointed One.
Anointing by oil is mentioned four times in the New Testament, though no explanation of its usage is given. In Mark 6:13, the disciples anoint the sick and heal them. In Luke 7:46, Mary anoints Jesus' feet as an act of worship of him. In James 5:14, the church elders use oil to heal the sick. Hebrews 1:8-9 tells us that the kings of the Old Testament had to be anointed before they could become kings. Here, "anointing you with the oil of joy" means that God himself has anointed Christ as the king. The oil that God uses is not the sacred ointment made of spices, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit which has no limit (John 3:34).
Should Christians use anointing oil today? There are not any commands in the Bible that either permit or prohibit us to use it. In the Bible, oil is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit, as in the Parable of Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). In the story of Good Samaritan, it is said that olive oil is used to alleviate wounds.
Anointing is to be done "in the name of the Lord," indicating that it is based on divine authority. What is the purpose of "anointing"? The New Testament mentions it once: "They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:13)". Neither of these verses offers an explanation of the practice.
Scholars believe that anointing with oil may have had a practical purpose. In ancient times, oil was commonly used as a medicine. In his well-known parable, Jesus tell us that the Samaritan stopped to help the one who had been robbed and beaten: "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. (Luke 10:34)." Other ancient sources have confirmed the effectiveness of oil in treating diseases ranging from toothache to paralysis. Anointing could also have been intended to stimulate the patient's confidence.
It is also likely that oil had a religious purpose, such as a its use as a sacrament of the early church. Western churches have maintained this view for centuries, and have also used oil on other occasions. Later, the Roman Church gave its priests the exclusive rights to perform the ritual, and "deathbed anointing" developed later.
Many exegetes believe that the best way to understand anointing is as a symbol. The oil itself does not have a magical power. What is more important is to be a new creation, to walk with the Lord, and to wait for the Lord's return.
In the last days, many cults have arisen. Why do so many "muddleheads " follow them? It's because many people do not earnestly seek the truth. In addition, many believers today like novel doctrines, peculiar experiences, dreams, visions, etc. Although they know the gospel, they have hardened their hearts and have deliberately kept their ears from hearing the truth. Instead, they have gathered around themselves a great number of false teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear.
May the Lord keep us safe and help us be cautious. May God awaken our foolish hearts to return to the Bible, which is the truth.
- Translated by Sophia Chen
Does "Holy Anointing Oil" Cure Illness, Bring Blessings?
