While it's clear that the scribes and Pharisees of the first century were Jesus' enemies and that false teachers soon began altering His message, the real author of the campaign to destroy Jesus is a spirit being the Bible calls Satan. Also known as Lucifer, the great dragon, that serpent of old and the devil, this powerful fallen angel "deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).

He was present in the Garden of Eden to counter God's instruction, offering his alternative way of life in deceiving Eve (Genesis 3). As a result, God told Satan, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (verses 14-15). This passage is often recognized as the first in the Bible to indicate the battle that would take place between Satan and Jesus Christ—the "Seed" of the woman.

Identified by Christ as a "liar" and "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), Satan was the brains behind the operation to get rid of Jesus and distort His message. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 he is described as "the god of this age" who blinded the minds of the first-century religious leaders and put a veil over the true gospel message. Satan and the demons (fallen spirits who follow him) continue their efforts today as they pose as "ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). 

The point here is to understand that human beings of and by themselves did not deliberately set out to steal Jesus' identity and distort His message. These blinded and misguided people have themselves been victims of Satan's deception. For a better understanding of Satan and how he works to deceive you, read our free booklet Is There Really a Devil? GN