The women anointing Jesus in the Gospels

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In each Gospel, there is an account of a woman anointing Jesus. In some Gospels, she anoints His head while in others His feet. The interpretations of these accounts are controversial amongst Christians and sceptics alike. Christians seem obligated to try and merge all these accounts as one and the same event by over emphasising the similarities while happily ignoring the contradictions. The gaps are then filled in with a theory of historical customs and a hodgepodge of other human ideas. On the other hand sceptics happily, point out the contradictions in their relentless attempt to discredit the Bible.

Relying on just our simple human wisdom; this mystery cannot be resolved. The Bible is an amazing book with no errors in it. Reconciling this with the fact that these accounts are different yet somehow linked together, and relying on inspired revelation, a wonderful insight into God’s great plan unfolds and reaffirms the precise and perfect nature of his Word.

The four Gospels are not just four different people’s account of the life and times of Jesus Christ on earth because it is the same Holy Spirit that inspired each of the four writers. The authors were not giving us their own understanding, they were inspired to write down God’s wisdom. Thus God was trying to tell us something by means of the differences that He got them to write.

II Peter 1:21   For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

II Timothy 3:16   All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Why is there not just one accurate account, one Gospel that has it all laid out in nice chronological order? Doing a side by side comparison of the Gospels one will notice some accounts in one while not in others and the sequence of events also seems contradictory at times.  Would it not have saved a lot of controversies and avoided misinterpretations if we only had one Gospel? Instead, however, the Bible, in its timeless beauty, focuses on revealing the character of Jesus Christ to us through the four Gospels. Human thinking is limited so God has to come down to our level to explain Himself. The Holy Spirit inspired humans to write the Bible. Although the Holy Spirit works supernaturally to inspire, we humans are too limited to explain all of God at one time. So God simply reveals His character in four different manifestations and gets four different disciples to each explain one part of his character.

I Timothy 3:16   And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,

Matthew portrays Jesus as the King and the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” as he lays out Jesus’s genealogy which links Him to the 1^st great king of Israel, King David. Mark, the Ox or Calf, portrays Jesus as the suffering and dedicated Servant. Luke the physician, focuses on Jesus the ideal Man, the human side of God.  Finally, John, with eagle vision, gives us a higher spiritual understanding that reveals Jesus as God. So in this beautiful symphony of four Gospel instruments, one and the same Jesus is played out. A different perspective of the Ministry of Jesus is given to emphasize each different spiritual attribute of God. The four Gospels are represented as four beasts, which represent spiritual powers around the Throne of God, in the Book of Revelation. Let's explore this.

As the prophet Daniel lays out his dream of the future we learn that each beast that he sees portrays a power. So in scripture, a beast represent some sort of power. The powers that Daniel saw were on earth. They referred to brutal human political kingdoms that raised up to dominate mankind for a while under the inspiration of the Devil and then collapsed. Read more about this in the following study: https://churchages.net/en/study/daniels-gentile-image-maps-our-past-and-our-future/

Both Ezekiel and John see visions of the throne in heaven and these spiritual powers (Lion, Ox, Man, and Eagle). These beasts are in heaven surrounding God’s Throne so they must represent four different spiritual attributes or powers of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

The four and twenty elders represent the patriarchs who gave their names to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles who started the New Testament church. The seven spirits represent the seven ministries that God was going to use to guide the church through 2 000 years of church history as the church had to combat different circumstances and dangers. So the four beasts are involved with the Jews in the Old Testament and with the church as it started in the New Testament and moved on throughout church history. The Character of God does not change. He is always the same. Only the way in which He operates changes.

Malachi 3:6   For I am the LORD, I change not;

Hebrews 13:8   Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Ezekiel 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

6  And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

To the Jews, Ezekiel sees all the beast with the four faces each. All of God’s characteristics are displayed to Israel at the same time. This is easy since they were one nation under God, one people in one place at the same time. The New Testament church works differently, they are dispersed over the world, individuals in different time zones and God’s plan for the church plays out over 2 000 years of church history, therefore it is also dispersed over time. The Lion beast represented the prophets who told Israel the Word of God portion by portion as Jewish history unfolded. But for the church, the Lion beast represented the apostolic New Testament that was completely written at the beginning. Thus each beast would apply to a different period of church history. After the Book of Revelation, there was no more Scripture to be added to the New Testament for the church. As church leaders later moved away from Scripture and taught human traditions and denominational opinions so the Lion age would end as Christians quoted church leaders rather than the written Word.

The Ox would then represent the suffering and slaughter of Christians in the Dark Ages.

So John sees four different beasts indicating that each Gospel only emphasises one animal likeness to describe either a ministry of Jesus or a period of church history.

This represents how the specific spirit that represented God was and is present during a specific time in the church ages and also to counter a specific power from Satan.

For more insight into how the four Gospels fit into the bigger picture of God’s revelation please read this study: https://churchages.net/en/study/the-four-bodyguards-around-gods-throne/

Ezekiel 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

Ezekiel is describing the spiritual “working” of these beasts which seems to bear the likeness of a wheel in the middle of the wheel. The beasts are directly linked to the four Gospels and the Gospels' function is to reveal Jesus Christ to us. So we start understanding how important spiritual revelation becomes. Jesus Christ builds his Church on spiritual revelation according to Matt 16: 13 – 20. The more we seek the truth in the Bible, the more revelation gradually builds up as ideas add onto each other and we get a deeper understanding of how God works. The Lord has a bigger plan (the outer wheel) which we should always keep in focus. As long as we remember and believe the bigger plan, greater detail (wheel in the middle of the wheel) is revealed within the bigger plan. Revelation builds upon revelation. The bigger plan never changes. Christ uses His four Spirit powers throughout church history to protect the church body against the spiritual powers of Satan. Christ will remove his Church Bride before the great Tribulation in a catching away and Satan will rule on earth for three and a half years. The Gospel will return to the Jews and then Christ will return at Armageddon to destroy the enemies of Israel and establish a 1 000 year rule of peace with this Saints. This period is often called the Millennium.

So using this principle of revelation building on revelation God re-affirms that our understanding of the bigger plan is correct. Let’s use this to look at this seemingly contradictory story of the woman anointing Jesus in the Gospel.

Contrary to most studies on the internet, there are three separate occurrences of Jesus being anointed. The two occurrences in Matthew and Mark are one and the same, where a woman anoints Jesus's head at the house of Simon the leper for "His burial". The second occurrence is in Luke where a woman anoints Jesus's feet. The third and final occurrence is in John, where Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus’s feet. A table comparing these events is given later on in this study.

Let us first look at the occurrence in Matthew and Mark:

Matthew 26:6  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7  There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

8  But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

9  For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

10  When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

11  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

12  For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Then in Mark:

Mark 14:3  And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

4  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

5  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

6  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

7  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

8  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

9  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

This is clearly the same event, with the same people involved at the same place at the same time. It all happens two days before the Passover according to Matthew 26:2 and Mark 14:1. The Bible only refers to a woman, so we don’t know who she is. In the Bible a woman represents a church:

2 Corinthians 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Simon has a peculiar title; “Simon the leper”. It seems strange that Jesus, the great healer, would visit Simon the leper and not heal him. Jesus obviously didn't heal him for then he wouldn't retain the title. Why did Jesus not heal him? Incidentally, Simon also means “to listen”.  A woman or church needs to listen. Listen to what the Spirit is saying as there is a deeper meaning. Matthew and Mark are represented by the Lion and the Ox-like beast we found earlier in Revelation and Ezekiel. Those were also the two beasts that guarded the first four church ages. The first church started in the book of Acts and boldly proclaimed the Gospel that they spread with bravery under the protection of the Lion-like beast Spirit. Then the church started to move away from the truth of the Bible while true individual believers became more and more persecuted. The further the church as an organization moved from the truth, the more it persecuted true individual believers until the Roman Catholic church murdered tens of millions of people during Dark Ages. During this horrific time, the Lord protected the true believers with an Ox-like Spirit of power. An Ox is a beast of burden which is killed for meat after it has served its purpose. So the true believers were given the strength to withstand the terrible burden of persecution and incredible courage to die for their faith and testimony. Simon’s sickness, leprosy is a terrible disease that eats away at your flesh until you eventually die. This is a prophecy of the church’s condition for the period after it started in the Book of Acts until the Dark ages end. The Roman emperors murdered 3 million Christians between 64 AD and 312 AD. Then the Catholic church began their frenzied slaughter of “heretics” who believed only what the Bible taught.

Reading further we discover that Jesus's Head is anointed and not His feet as in the other occurrences in Luke and John. Other explanations on the web downplay this as merely omitting the detail of the other event, citing tradition. But the Bible is precise and perfect and to overlook this detail leads to the conclusion that we have missed the revelation.  Anointing with oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Kings were anointed on their heads (Read about this in Saul’s and David’s anointing). So this woman (or church) anoints Jesus as King. The book of Matthew portrays Jesus as the King. (A Lion is also known as king of the beasts because of its impressive appearance, agility, and amazing strength). These events are a prophecy that Christ was going to be rejected as King and Head of the church and systematically replaced by human leadership until the church was ultimately completely governed by human leadership in the form of the Roman Catholic Church. In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus makes the statement that His “Body” is anointed for the “burial” while it was his Head that was in fact anointed. The body represents the Church:

Colossians 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The body was going to die in the Dark Ages, but the head cannot die. The denominational churches would remain under their human leaders but to the rejected true believers, Christ would always be the true Head of the church.

The second occurrence is in Luke where a woman anoints Jesus's feet. This event is distinguished from the other two since it did not happen two days before the Passover which only happens in Luke chapter 22. Furthermore, the fact that Luke was a physician, means he will most certainly not have missed that Simon was a leper.  In addition, the woman in Matthew and Mark anoints Jesus’s Head and not his feet. What is similar in all occurrences is that there is a Simon involved. Simon the leper is spoken of in Matthew and Mark,  Simon the Pharisee in Luke, and then Simon the father of Mary and Martha of Bethany in John. Judas’s father was also Simon.

Luke 7:36  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

37  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

40  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

41  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

44  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

45  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

49  And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

50  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

In Daniel’s Gentile image the feet speak of a mixture of clay and iron, the Bride of Christ and Roman Catholicism that do not mix. From the foot washing, we know that the feet speak of the church ages. For more information on how we come to this conclusion please read the following study: https://churchages.net/en/study/daniels-gentile-image-maps-our-past-and-our-future/

After the Roman Catholic Church nearly obliterated the truth from the face of the earth, God raised a man within their ranks by name of Martin Luther in Germany. With the leading of the Holy Spirit Martin Luther very bravely took on the Europe-dominating political and spiritual empire of the Catholic Church by basing his message on the fundamental truth that we are saved by faith and not by works:

Romans 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

This started the Renaissance which led to the Protestant movement in the fifteen hundreds and people broke free from the bondage under which the church had chained them for centuries and a new era of Bible truth became clearer to men.

But most significantly the two occurrences of feet washing occur in Luke and John. Luke emphasized the wisdom of Man whereby men like Luther and John Wesley in England could read the Bible and bring people back to Scriptural truths like salvation by faith and then living holy and doing outreach. Thus speaking of the church accepting the leading of the Holy Ghost and gradually accepting more of the Word instead of slavishly following the Roman Catholic church doctrines. The Spirit of Man (Luke) was guarding the church. The true church was slowly resurrecting from the darkness of the Dark Ages and their denominational traditions by the Man Spirit. This time Simon is again present, but it's another Simon. Simon the Pharisee. He represents the corrupt church leadership that would establish all the Protestant denominational churches that imitated the organizational structure and the doctrinal errors of the Roman Catholic church.  This was represented by the feet of Daniel’s Gentile image splitting up further into toes. Here Jesus doesn't mention that the anointing is for his burial. Rather the emphasis is on the Woman's sins that are forgiven. This goes with the revelation of salvation by faith which Luther had, and which Wesley spread worldwide as he laid the foundations for the great missionary age. Their focus on faith effectively opposed the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation by works.

Simon the Pharisee is an important reference. The Pharisees were important Jewish leaders. But Jesus and John the Baptist, a true prophet, never had a good word to say about the Pharisees.

Matthew 3:7   But when he [ John the Baptist ]saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

John, at the time of the first Coming of Jesus, called the Jewish religious leaders of his day “serpent seed”, which was first represented on earth by the liar and murderer Cain. We need to take this condemnation very seriously. Does this tell us something about church leaders at the time of the Second Coming of Jesus? A liar is someone who tells us something that is different to that which is written in the Bible because those unscriptural statements murder truth. And Jesus is the Truth.

The third and final occurrence is distinguished from the others as it specifically mentions that it occurred 6 days before the Passover, Mary of Bethany, an individual, is specifically identified. Neither Simon the Leper or the Pharisee are present.

John 12:1  Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

3  Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4  Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,

5  Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7  Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

8  For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

John identifies individuals such as Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Judas Iscariot, and his father Simon.

There are no Pharisees, who are church leaders, to indicate that this event involves the official churches.

We can link this to the seventh and last church age where Jesus stands outside the church door and appeals to individuals inside the church.

John 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,

Jesus knows His sheep. He can call each one of them by name, even as He called Lazarus by name.  That is why there is an emphasis on naming individuals who can respond to His voice, rather than to the voice of the church leaders.

Revelation 3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write

Revelation 3:20   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Jesus no longer deals with the church as a group. The end time churches have rejected Scripture in favour of the quotes of human leaders. Now Jesus is appealing to individuals only.

Judas represents the end-time obsession of Christians with money. He was training to be an apostle, a church leader. But, typical of today’s church leaders, he opposed a woman who had a better revelation of what was happening than what he had. He also wanted the leadership position for the money benefits. Church leaders love wealth and luxury.

The only time Jesus got angry was with money changers in the Temple who were important religious figures that were making money out of religion.

To understand this occurrence of anointing and it's role players we have to go back a little to the previous chapter that describes the resurrection of Lazarus.

John 11:1  Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2  (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

John specifically points out, in the section in brackets, which Mary it was and also to distinguish her from the other woman in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

John pin points the individuals that are involved.

John 11:20  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

Martha represents the Jewish nation which is Christ’s servant.

Psalm 136:22  Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Isaiah 41:8  But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

Luke 1:54  He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

Mary of Bethany represents the bride of Christ who will be taken from the earth in a secret catching away.

John 11:21  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

28  And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

29  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

The scene that unfolds here is a prophecy of the second coming of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Lazarus is a type of the second resurrection that will happen just before the catching away of the true church and we can learn from the events leading up to it in order to get clues for the second Coming of Jesus.

The Bride of Christ knows that the Jews represents God’s timepiece. Read more about this at this link: https://churchages.net/en/study/israel-is-gods-stopwatch/

So the events around the Jews will let the Bride know it is close to the end time and that they should prepare for a secret catching away.

It is only in the last church age, Laodicea,  that we have seen the Jews going back to their homeland in Israel. They were declared a nation in 1948 and then conquered much of their original homeland in the amazing six-day war of 1967. They then rested on the seventh day as God required in the Book of Genesis. No other modern nation has ever won a war against three enemy states in six days. God was obviously turning back to Israel.

We see Verses 26 and 27 represents the Jewish nation, specifically the 144 000 spoken of in Revelation 7: 3-4, who finally realize that Jesus is the Son of God and then they will go on to believe and accept Him as their Saviour.

Revelation 7:3  Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Martha "secretly " lets Mary know that Jesus is coming verse 28. This must mean that something is happening with the Jews that will let the Bride know that Jesus is coming and then a resurrection happens. It also means the catching away will be a secret only revealed to those who will be part of it. The true church needs to keep an eye on Israel.

Hezbollah raised up as a powerful army in Lebanon that hate the Jews. Syria has a powerful Muslim army that hates the Jews. How does Israel survive with two powerful armies on her borders? That will not be easy, even for the magnificent Jewish Defence Force. So in 2011, the so-called Arab Spring revolts against their leaders spread over into Syria. This civil war became so intense that Syria asked Hezbollah to help them. For six years this merciless conflict has pounded Syrian cities, causing huge damage and fully occupying the attention and resources of both Hezbollah and the Syrian army. Thus, by God’s grace, Israel has been left alone for six years by these two powerful enemies. Once again God is showing His protective hand over Israel.

As God draws closer to Israel, it is a sign that He is getting closer to catching away His true church.

I Thessalonians 4:16   For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Is this a coincidence or a sign of the times?  The word “trump” is mentioned just before the resurrection.

Trump was elected president in a long and bitter 2016 American election that kept his name in the newspapers for months. His abrasive character and extreme viewpoints keep his name “Trump” in the headlines. Is God using this political turmoil to warn us that we are close to the time of the resurrection?

Later on, Jesus arrives at the grave of Lazarus:

John 11:39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

40  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Lazarus and his resurrection also has a second meaning and represent the resurrection of faith in the truth after the Church died during the first four Church ages (He was dead for 4 days). Remember, earlier on we spoke about Martin Luther’s reform movement.

Now that we have a better understanding and background let us go back to discover the meaning of Mary of Bethany’s anointing of Jesus’s feet.

Mary, representing the Bride of Christ, the true church, is always found at the feet of Jesus.

Mary is always found at Jesus' feet ( Mary falls at His feet (John 11:32), she sits at His feet (Luke 10:39), she anoints His feet (John 12:3).

This means that the true church, however few, will only believe what is written in Scripture. Mary knew Jesus was the resurrection since He resurrected her brother.  Notice Mary never went with the other two women, both called Mary to embalm Jesus since she believed that Jesus would resurrect from the dead. She anoints His feet representing the Holy Spirit in the true church individuals that will be resurrected at the end. Remember the feet of Daniel’s Gentile image represent the Gentile church-ages. Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet is focusing on the last Church age that will go through all the experience and confirmation of a resurrection.

The resurrected saints will walk out on their feet on the earth when they rise from their graves. Her brother Lazarus is with her, showing that the resurrection of faith during Martin Luther’s time is passed already. In John 12:7 Jesus says that Mary has “kept” this oil which is pointing to the Bride that has “kept” the Holy Spirit and hath endured in the truth till the end.

Matthew 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Matthew 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

So instead of a contradiction, we see an amazing prophecy unfolding. We are at the end of the Gentile church ages. Soon there will be a resurrection of the dead in Christ and a catching away of the Bible-believing church. Then the world and the sleeping virgin ( saved denominational Christians ) will be swept like a roller coaster into the great Tribulation, which is a time of trouble such has never been seen before. We should be filled with the Holy Spirit and seek the light of the truth that is in the pages of the Bible. If we have oil that can burn to produce light, we will be able to read and understand the deeper mysteries in the Bible. If we cannot understand these deeper insights of the Eagle-beast, then we have no light and thus no oil. Our ignorance of these deeper mysteries merely means that we are part of the sleeping virgin.

Ephesians 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Matthew 23:13   But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

If you apply this to our day, then not only will the church leaders of today not make it but they will also make sure that no-one else that they influence will make it either.

So church leaders spread unscriptural errors and today we have 45 000 different types of denominations. Error is now so rampant in the churches, who can find the Biblical truth anymore?

Most of today’s Christians, loyally believing what their church leaders say, will follow their leaders into the great Tribulation.

A church, ruled by a pastor, is unscriptural. The word “pastor” is only mentioned once in the New Testament. Thus a pastor has no Scriptural authority to be the head of the church.