My Sunday School teacher was telling us of a radio broadcast he had heard talking about the anti-Christ. The preacher on the radio was saying how Satan has a person picked out from each generation that will assume the role of the anti-christ when the time has arrived. I had never heard that belief before. So, I pose the question to you all:
Do you believe that there is only one anti-Christ in the history or mankind, or do you believe that Satan picks a person to be "on call" and then once they parish, another person is picked? What do you use as the basis of your belief?
I believe there are certain key powerful people (those who seek to put down freedom and bind men) that the enemy uses for his diabolical work (unjust wars, crime, vice) to progress, but to picture that to a single person, the way Hollywood does, I do not believe (Movie: Omen). Simply put, I think anyone that is anti the teachings of Christ is on a smaller scale 'Anti-Christ'. Those that have had their eyes opened, in other words they know for certain that Christ lives and still seeks to place obstacles against His work and people can also be considered 'Anti-Christ' on a larger scale.
Personally, I believe that there are many "antiChrists", in that there are many influential people throughout history who deny Christ, His teachings, and His power. As for "The Antichrist", I think that most of the speculation and teachings about this person are unbiblical.
However, I do believe that there will be one person. In Isaiah, this person is identified as the Assyrian King, the Left Hand of God, etc. In Daniel, I think this is the "Little Horn." In Revelation, this is probably the Antichrist.
I believe that the antichrist spoken of in Revelation is representative of a larger concept - perhaps an organization, perhaps merely a mindset - that becomes the major force opposing truth in the last days. The conceptual umbrella includes wicked people, but more than personal wickedness, the great evil comes through their power, influence, and subtlety. The antichrist, then, is the contingent of society that knowingly opposes righteousness.
There are many (lowercase) antichrist people already in the world, but in the Last Days there will be the (uppercase) Antichrist. I don't know the theory that Satan has "one" chosen in each generation. Personally, I believe there will be "One" who is born, or created, in the correct time.
The world has to get to a point where this person will be swept into a Global Leadership position, by people looking for a "savior" to keep them all from being destroyed.