Around 700 BC, God inspired Isaiah to prophesy that His anointed one, whom He would grasp by the right hand to subdue nations, open gates, and grant treasures, would rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple while freeing the exiles. This anointed figure is identified as Cyrus, king of Persia, whom God calls His shepherd and whom He raises in righteousness to accomplish these tasks without price or reward. The Hebrew term for His anointed is mashiah, rendered christos in Greek, and it simply denotes one whom God authorizes and sets apart for His service. Old Testament usage applies the word and its verb form mashah to kings, priests, and prophets, indicating that such individuals are consecrated, often by oil, to fulfill specific offices that may overlap, as when David served as both king and prophet. Three primary facets emerge: the person is set apart for divine service, may occupy one or more roles within that service, and functions chiefly to bring deliverance. Jesus Christ, whose name means savior or deliverer, fulfills all three offices plus that of apostle and inaugurates the ultimate work of deliverance foretold in Isaiah 61:1-3, a passage He applies to Himself. Cyrus likewise qualifies as an anointed one because God directs his conquests, including the bloodless capture of Babylon by diverting the Euphrates, to return the Jews and authorize Temple reconstruction, thereby advancing the conditions necessary for the Messiah's birth, ministry, and atoning death. God explicitly states that He girds Cyrus though Cyrus has not known Him, proving to the world that the LORD alone forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates calamity. This demonstration of sovereign control calls for humble obedience rather than striving against the Maker, since only the Almighty can orchestrate events across centuries to fulfill His purpose through even a pagan ruler.

Anointing in Scripture encompasses both practical and sacred purposes, with the spiritual dimension centering on those designated as Anointed Ones. The Hebrew term mashach describes the act of rubbing with oil to consecrate individuals or objects, setting them apart from the ordinary to the holy. This practice applied to Aaron and his sons for priestly service, to the tabernacle and its furnishings including the ark, and to prophets such as Elisha. Kings received the same ceremonial treatment, as when Zadok anointed Solomon and Samuel anointed David, after which the Spirit of the Lord came upon the new ruler. These Anointed Ones were thereby separated for divine office and empowered for their appointed roles. The same principle reaches its fullest expression in Jesus Christ. The title Messiah derives directly from the concept of anointing, and Isaiah records that the Spirit of the Lord God rested upon Him because He had been anointed to preach good tidings, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty. The Greek equivalent, christos, identifies Him as God's Anointed One, the One consecrated by the Father for the work of salvation. This consecration motif extends to the New Testament practice of anointing the sick. When elders anoint a believer who is weak or diseased, the action publicly sets that person apart in faith, mirroring the sacred separation once granted to priests, prophets, and kings. The prayer of faith offered at that moment acknowledges God's sovereignty, expresses dependence on His will, and connects the sufferer to the ultimate Anointed One whose stripes provide healing. Thus the topic moves from physical applications of oil through the consecration of Anointed Ones in the Old Testament to the person of Christ and finally to the ongoing provision for believers who seek divine intervention in illness.

The two anointed ones are identified in Scripture as the Two Witnesses who will prophesy during the final three and a half years before Christ's return. Zechariah 4:14 describes them as the two olive trees that stand beside the Lord of the whole earth, a detail that parallels Revelation 11:4 and links them directly to the golden lampstand vision. In that vision the olive trees empty golden oil through pipes into a central bowl that feeds seven lamps, illustrating how these two men will supply the seven churches with Spirit-inspired works, chiefly in the form of words that teach and instruct. The oil does not represent the Holy Spirit in its pure essence but the visible results of that Spirit in the lives and messages of God's servants. These anointed ones function as God's direct representatives, testifying about Him in both word and conduct throughout their ministry. No word of censure appears against them in the primary passages, indicating that they will be men of exceptional godly character who follow Christ to such a degree that observers see reproductions of His life. Like Zerubbabel in the type, their work proceeds not by human might or power but by the Spirit of God, equipping the saints for the coming tribulation. Their service will attract the full hostility of Satan, the Beast, and the world, yet God will protect and empower them until their testimony is complete. Until the Great Tribulation begins, these anointed ones remain anonymous servants within the church, their identities hidden according to the pattern that God reveals such things only at the appointed time. The focus for identification rests on those who labor to measure the temple, the altar, and the worshipers while feeding the churches through Spirit-directed instruction.