Many a day, whether it is via the televangelists or out of the podiums of local churches, two groups of phrases are delivered to all who listen. The first phrase is "Judge not, lest ye be judged" from Matthew 7:1. The second phrase is from Psalms 105:15 which states "Saying, touch not mine annointed, and do my prophets no harm." Is this what Christians do when they question teachings from (most of the time self-proclained) "God's Anointed" evangelists and preachers. Many who claim to have the annointing would say so, and so would their followers. To any criticisms directed to them, whether positive or negative, their response is usually "Touch Not Mine Annointed"

From the pulpit of a well known televangelist on recorded tape.

"There are people attempting to sit in judgement right today over the ministry that I am responsible for, and the ministry that Kenneth E. Hagin is responsible for. ... Several people that I know of called that faith bunch out of Tulsa a cult, And some of them are dead right today in an early grave because of it, and there's more than one of them got cancer."

From the pulpit of a local church I once attended.

"So you want to say that what I am preaching is not from God? You need to remember, "Touch Not God's Annointed". Since I have been given responsibility for this congregation and I am the shepherd, You do not have the right to question me. I am a child of God and I pray, talk to, and hear from God everyday. When you question me, you are actually questioning God. Therefore, to question me is to place your self in rebellion and in opposition to God himself. You, the congregation, know what happens when you are in rebellion. Remember 1 Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion is as of the sin of witchcraft...". Therefore, If you dare to question me, you are in witchcraft, and you are to be treated and punished the same as witches, mediums, and sorcerers, in the eyes of God..."

So, we have seen two different perspectives manifesting the same root. To question these leaders about their teachings is questioning God himself. To question would bring such horrors such as: cancer, other sicknesses, death, judgement, branded a "heretic", etc. This actually takes place in a small group of Christian circles today, but over the years, this has been broadcasted throughout the television, and many followers of the televangelists take this teaching and apply it to their lives also. Many churches today are not hearing God. Instead they teach "re-fried" theology from the big boys on TV and call it "a new revelation". If these teachings were true, how could these people follow the Biblical commandments of submitting to one another? In fact, when one reads Psalms 105:15, one can clearly see that this whole Psalm is devoted to the memories of where God had brought his people from since the beginning of time from Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Verse 15 deals specifically with the issue of the historical aspects of the true enemies of God touching the chosen people of Israel. This verse actually comes from Genesis 20:7. When this verse re-appears in other places throughout the Old Testament, it describes and is addressed to foreign kings who served other gods other than God Almighty what the consequences of physically touching the chosen people of God would be.

This scripture, after close examination, definately CAN NOT be applied to other Christians who question or challenge teachings and practices from church leaders or other Christians. If this could happen, then those leaders would have to (and some do) question the salvation of their critics and possibly deny the washing of their critics sins with the blood of Jesus, the same blood that washed their sins!!! Is it also ironic that they tell you not to "touch" them, but they definately love to "touch" their congregations or anyone else when they think that they are not in agreement with them in the name of "fighting heresy". So, who is annointed in God's eyes? The answer is simple, everyone who believes and is washed in the Blood of Jesus. 1 John 2:20 states that: "But YOU have an annointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth". Who is the "you" that the scripture is referring to. Everyone who believes and is washed in the Blood of Jesus (see also Revelation 1:6). Therefore, no believer can claim to have a "special status as God's untouchable annointed " above other true believers. In fact 1 John 18-24 clearly gives us the responsibility and ability to discern true and false teachers.

Another tactic that these people who tell their followers not to touch them, along with Spiritual warfare people use is the combination of two verses of John 8:32 and Hebrews 10:26

• John 8:32:And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
• Hebrews 10:26: For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifices for sins.

You never hear these verses quoted verbatim, but this is how these verses are combined and twisted to keep people from questioning their teachings. I have told you the truth that will set you free. It does not matter if you believe or question what I said or not because it is the truth. Therefore, since you have heard the truth whether you receive the truth or not, you are now held accountable to obey this teaching for the remainder of your days on earth and subject to the wrath of God at judgement day if this teaching is not followed. Sounds good and out of the mind of a lawyer. But their real intent is to force you to accept a teaching without question because you have now heard the "truth". To question the "truth" after hearing the accountability disclaimer now makes one appear like they are now coming against the annointed of God, or in their perspective, God himself? A fear mechanism is now enacted to keep people from finding out the real truth. God is not fear. God wants you full of love, power, and a sound mind. God wants you to be equipped with his Word and Spirit to fend off the enemy and reach the lost.

Let us look at the other verse quoted by propogators of this theology. 1 Chronicles 16:22 states "22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. (KJV)" The word touch in this verse is the Hebrew word "naga" which means 'to physically touch'. The word annointed in this verse is the Hebrew word "mashiyach" which means "annointed the King of Israel" or "annointed of the patriarchs as anointed King of Israel" Therefore, like the Psalms 105:15 and the Genesis 20:7 verses, this refers to the physical leader and not the spiritual leader. This word also implies that the word touch actually means physical harm, not saying something about another person publicly that is true and stated facts can be objectively and reasonably proven. David did not physically touch Saul but he did speak out the truth to Samuel in 1 Samuel 19:18.

If you look at Saul, you will see in 1 Samuel 9:1 that he was from the tribe of Benjamin. You will also see that in verse 15-16 of this same chapter that Samuel was to "annoint him commander over my people Israel, that he may save my people from the hand of the Philistines..." He was anointed only to be a physical military leader and never a spiritual leader. The prophet Samuel and the priests that Saul later killed were the spiritual leaders of the time.

Let's look at 1 Samuel 24:6 where David met Saul in the Wilderness in the cave and David where it states "And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed of the LORD." When one looks at the word anointed, it is the same Hebrew word "mashiyach" which means "annointed the King of Israel" or "annointed of the patriarchs as anointed King of Israel". Therefore, like 1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalms 105:15 and the Genesis 20:7 verses, this refers to the physical leader and not the spiritual leader. Because if you had looked at the verses in 1 Samuel 16, The Lord had regretted in chapter 15 verse 35 that he had made Saul the King and therefore Samuel anointed David as the King. In fact, look at 1 Samuel 16:14, the Scripture states that the Spirit (capitalized for Diety) of the Lord departed from Saul and a distressing spirit (not capitalized representing a non-Diety spirit) from the Lord troubled him. Look at Chapter 22 where Saul kiled the priests except one. The priests were anointed from God and protected the anointed physical King David. In 1 Samuel 26:11 where it is stated "The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that [is] at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go." Once again, the word anointed is the same Hebrew word "mashiyach", which refers to the physical government King instead of the spiritual leader who was the priest. The same applies to verses 16 and 23 where the same word anointed is the same Hebrew word "mashiyach".

Based on how many preachers abuse this Scripture to make themselves beyond approach and beyond correction, what would have happened if the Prophet Nathan believed the same way these preachers intend for us to believe? Nathan would never have confronted King David about David's error. Wasn't David "anointed" of the Lord? That didn't relinquish him from Bible integrity, accountability & responsibility! What if Paul had not formally rebuked Peter in Galatians 2:11-14 for not eating and fellowshipping with the Gentile believers? Peter was an established, notable Apostle with more years of being saved under his belt than Paul. Plus Peter walked with Jesus and was one of the twelve Disciples. Being "Anointed" does not excuse you from being called into question for preaching heresy or teaching doctrinal errors!

David later on in his ministry as King accepted rebuke and correction from Nathan the prophet. He did not say, "don’t touch God’s anointed" to protect himself, and neither should those who follow their leaders do the same. Peter accepted rebuke and correction from Paul and began to have fellowship with both Jew and Gentile believers in Christ. No true apostle ever proclaimed that they were anointed, they did not speak in this manner; "don’t touch me I’m God’s anointed." Nor did they try to equate that disagreeing with them is disagreeing with God Almighty himself. The Holy Spirit reveals in the hearts of Christians whether or not a person is anointed.

Now one may ask," Do I have a right to question teachings laid forth by the elders"? or "Is exposing a preacher or anybody else's teachings that don't line up with Scripture, considered to be attacking the person or their ministry?" Believe it or not many people have bought into the lie that exposing a preacher who teaches incorrect doctrine is considered to be attacking God himself! To these questions I say YES!!, you have the right to question and expose. We should have the utmost respect for our pastor, whom God has appointed over us to give an account for our souls, but that still doesn't mean that he's infallible or unquestionable. He's human; he's an under-shepherd, appointed by the true Shepherd Jesus Christ to feed the flock of God. The 1 John text previous mentioned and this text in 1 John 4:1 saying "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" and this chapter goes on explaining this in further detail. Nobody's teachings and practices are beyond biblical evaluation, from pew sitter to the leader of the denomination. Looking at Luke 12:48, one can see that the greater the responsibility one holds within the church, the greater the accountability one has before God and His people. Christians must respect and submit to the elders God has placed before them, and vice-versa. At the same time, Christians must realize that false teachers will arise in these last days among the Christian fold. Did the Apostle Paul rebuke the Bereans for checking him out in Scripture to see if he was preaching the truth? In Acts 17:11, it clearly states " Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonains, for they recieved the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." They were complimented for testing to see if the apostle Paul was telling the truth. Not bashed for "wanting to touch God's annointed". With so much Scripture present to address the questioning of teachers and teachings, such actions can hardly be considered unbiblical in nature. In fact, if we took the touch not mine anointed to it's extreme, there would be no Biblical apologetics and no counter-cult ministries because per the logic of the die hard 'touch not mine anointed' believers, we questioned notable cult leaders who were in heresy (Jim Jones Rev. Moon). Based on their logic, we have no right to question and even rebuke cult leaders like the forementioned Jim Jones and Rev. Moon.

If you are a member of any congregation, religious organization, or group that the leadership clearly states that their teachings cannot be challenged because they are the only ones hearing from God. My suggestion is for you to get out and find another congregation to fellowship with. A fellowship where the pastorial staff and leaders can be talked to about Scriptual interpretations if the need arises. If the leadership of a fellowship becomes unapproachable about doctrine with an "elitist" attitude, then that fellowship is on the borderline of being a cult in practice. For cults teach that they are the only way to God and manifest a leadership elitism throught their organizational structure. From personal experience, the majority of these so called ministers that love to propogate this doctrine are not under authority to anyone, so they are not accountable, nor do they want to be held accountable for what they preach. However, they love to use the 'I am accountable only to Jesus' tactic to where they go back again to the defense of "questioning me is questioning Jesus".

Lord, I ask right now in the name of Jesus that these words can help people who are involved in such rigid, authoritarian fellowships to repent and open up to you. Teach them to be in proper Biblical submission to You, their elders, and to other Christians. I ask that proper, Biblical interpretations of the Scriptures can be obtained, implemented, and maintained in their fellowships for the Glory of the Kingdom. All these things I ask in Jesus Name,AMEN