diff --git a/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoStorageAdapter.js b/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoStorageAdapter.js
index 81af4e97..e194dfe0 100644
--- a/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoStorageAdapter.js
+++ b/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoStorageAdapter.js
@@ -180,11 +180,11 @@ export class MongoStorageAdapter {
   // If no objects match, reject with OBJECT_NOT_FOUND. If objects are found and deleted, resolve with undefined.
   // If there is some other error, reject with INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR.
 
-  // Currently accepts validate for legacy reasons. Currently accepts the schema, that may not actually be necessary.
-  deleteObjectsByQuery(className, query, validate, schema) {
+  // Currently accepts the schema, that may not actually be necessary.
+  deleteObjectsByQuery(className, query, schema) {
     return this.adaptiveCollection(className)
     .then(collection => {
-      let mongoWhere = transform.transformWhere(className, query, { validate }, schema);
+      let mongoWhere = transform.transformWhere(className, query, schema);
       return collection.deleteMany(mongoWhere)
     })
     .then(({ result }) => {
diff --git a/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoTransform.js b/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoTransform.js
index 31c3a919..33aa666b 100644
--- a/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoTransform.js
+++ b/src/Adapters/Storage/Mongo/MongoTransform.js
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ const valueAsDate = value => {
   return false;
 }
 
-function transformQueryKeyValue(className, key, value, { validate } = {}, schema) {
+function transformQueryKeyValue(className, key, value, schema) {
   switch(key) {
   case 'createdAt':
     if (valueAsDate(value)) {
@@ -167,15 +167,9 @@ function transformQueryKeyValue(className, key, value, { validate } = {}, schema
   case '_perishable_token':
   case '_email_verify_token': return {key, value}
   case '$or':
-    if (!(value instanceof Array)) {
-      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'bad $or format - use an array value');
-    }
-    return {key: '$or', value: value.map(subQuery => transformWhere(className, subQuery, {}, schema))};
+    return {key: '$or', value: value.map(subQuery => transformWhere(className, subQuery, schema))};
   case '$and':
-    if (!(value instanceof Array)) {
-      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'bad $and format - use an array value');
-    }
-    return {key: '$and', value: value.map(subQuery => transformWhere(className, subQuery, {}, schema))};
+    return {key: '$and', value: value.map(subQuery => transformWhere(className, subQuery, schema))};
   default:
     // Other auth data
     const authDataMatch = key.match(/^authData\.([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)\.id$/);
@@ -184,9 +178,6 @@ function transformQueryKeyValue(className, key, value, { validate } = {}, schema
       // Special-case auth data.
       return {key: `_auth_data_${provider}.id`, value};
     }
-    if (validate && !key.match(/^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_\.]*$/)) {
-      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_KEY_NAME, 'invalid key name: ' + key);
-    }
   }
 
   const expectedTypeIsArray =
@@ -223,14 +214,10 @@ function transformQueryKeyValue(className, key, value, { validate } = {}, schema
 // Main exposed method to help run queries.
 // restWhere is the "where" clause in REST API form.
 // Returns the mongo form of the query.
-// Throws a Parse.Error if the input query is invalid.
-function transformWhere(className, restWhere, { validate = true } = {}, schema) {
+function transformWhere(className, restWhere, schema) {
   let mongoWhere = {};
-  if (restWhere['ACL']) {
-    throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'Cannot query on ACL.');
-  }
   for (let restKey in restWhere) {
-    let out = transformQueryKeyValue(className, restKey, restWhere[restKey], { validate }, schema);
+    let out = transformQueryKeyValue(className, restKey, restWhere[restKey], schema);
     mongoWhere[out.key] = out.value;
   }
   return mongoWhere;
diff --git a/src/Controllers/DatabaseController.js b/src/Controllers/DatabaseController.js
index fefd5afe..522a2f14 100644
--- a/src/Controllers/DatabaseController.js
+++ b/src/Controllers/DatabaseController.js
@@ -24,6 +24,35 @@ function addReadACL(query, acl) {
   return newQuery;
 }
 
+const specialQuerykeys = ['$and', '$or', '_rperm', '_wperm', '_perishable_token', '_email_verify_token'];
+const validateQuery = query => {
+  if (query.ACL) {
+    throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'Cannot query on ACL.');
+  }
+
+  if (query.$or) {
+    if (query.$or instanceof Array) {
+      query.$or.forEach(validateQuery);
+    } else {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'Bad $or format - use an array value.');
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (query.$and) {
+    if (query.$and instanceof Array) {
+      query.$and.forEach(validateQuery);
+    } else {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_QUERY, 'Bad $and format - use an array value.');
+    }
+  }
+
+  Object.keys(query).forEach(key => {
+    if (!specialQuerykeys.includes(key) && !key.match(/^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_\.]*$/)) {
+      throw new Parse.Error(Parse.Error.INVALID_KEY_NAME, `Invalid key name: ${key}`);
+    }
+  });
+}
+
 function DatabaseController(adapter, { skipValidation } = {}) {
   this.adapter = adapter;
 
@@ -174,6 +203,7 @@ DatabaseController.prototype.update = function(className, query, update, {
       if (acl) {
         query = addWriteACL(query, acl);
       }
+      validateQuery(query);
       return schemaController.getOneSchema(className)
       .catch(error => {
         // If the schema doesn't exist, pretend it exists with no fields. This behaviour
@@ -184,7 +214,7 @@ DatabaseController.prototype.update = function(className, query, update, {
         throw error;
       })
       .then(parseFormatSchema => {
-        var mongoWhere = this.transform.transformWhere(className, query, {validate: !this.skipValidation}, parseFormatSchema);
+        var mongoWhere = this.transform.transformWhere(className, query, parseFormatSchema);
         mongoUpdate = this.transform.transformUpdate(
           schemaController,
           className,
@@ -328,6 +358,7 @@ DatabaseController.prototype.destroy = function(className, query, { acl } = {})
       if (acl) {
         query = addWriteACL(query, acl);
       }
+      validateQuery(query);
       return schemaController.getOneSchema(className)
       .catch(error => {
         // If the schema doesn't exist, pretend it exists with no fields. This behaviour
@@ -337,7 +368,7 @@ DatabaseController.prototype.destroy = function(className, query, { acl } = {})
         }
         throw error;
       })
-      .then(parseFormatSchema => this.adapter.deleteObjectsByQuery(className, query, !this.skipValidation, parseFormatSchema))
+      .then(parseFormatSchema => this.adapter.deleteObjectsByQuery(className, query, parseFormatSchema))
       .catch(error => {
         // When deleting sessions while changing passwords, don't throw an error if they don't have any sessions.
         if (className === "_Session" && error.code === Parse.Error.OBJECT_NOT_FOUND) {
@@ -668,7 +699,8 @@ DatabaseController.prototype.find = function(className, query, {
         if (!isMaster) {
           query = addReadACL(query, aclGroup);
         }
-        let mongoWhere = this.transform.transformWhere(className, query, {}, schema);
+        validateQuery(query);
+        let mongoWhere = this.transform.transformWhere(className, query, schema);
         if (count) {
           delete mongoOptions.limit;
           return collection.count(mongoWhere, mongoOptions);
diff --git a/src/Routers/GlobalConfigRouter.js b/src/Routers/GlobalConfigRouter.js
index ab498522..5ab89b0b 100644
--- a/src/Routers/GlobalConfigRouter.js
+++ b/src/Routers/GlobalConfigRouter.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export class GlobalConfigRouter extends PromiseRouter {
       return acc;
     }, {});
     let database = req.config.database.WithoutValidation();
-    return database.update('_GlobalConfig', {_id: 1}, update, {upsert: true}).then(() => {
+    return database.update('_GlobalConfig', {objectId: 1}, update, {upsert: true}).then(() => {
       return Promise.resolve({ response: { result: true } });
     });
   }