In Week 4 of our series Love and Light through the letters of John, we wrestle with one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible: antichrist.

What does John actually mean when he uses that word? Is he talking about one future figure, many antichrists already present in the world, or both? And what does any of this have to do with anointing, Jesus as “the Christ,” and our calling as followers of Jesus today?

We explore why so many people throughout history have tried to predict the return of Jesus, why fear and uncertainty make us long for certainty, and why John seems less focused on helping us identify “the future bad guy” and more focused on asking how people who are supposed to represent God can become opposed to His purposes.

Along the way we look at Saul, David, the meaning of anointing in the Old Testament, and the sobering reality that if we are not careful we can slowly begin resisting the very Christ we claim to follow.

Because eventually we all have to grapple with who we really believe Jesus is—and whether we trust Him enough to live like He is truly the Christ.