Simon Magus and the Apostle Simon Peter

Simon Magus

Simon Magus

Simon Magus and the Apostle Simon Peter

Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, is a religious figure whose confrontation with Peter is recorded in Acts 8:9-24. According to Acts, Simon was a Samaritan Magus or religious figure of the 1st century AD and a convert to Christianity.   Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy the Holy Spirit from the Apostles to use for his own personal gain.  The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is named after Simon.

1 John 2:18  “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”

Matthew 24:23-24  “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 23 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

The apostle Peter’s real name was Simon. When Jesus gave Simon the nickname Peter, Jesus did it with a smile, because Simon’s faith was so strong.  Jesus gave Simon the name of Cephas in the Syriac language, Cephas meaning, a stone.  Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas.

John 1:42  “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

The history of the Catholic Church begins with the teachings of Jesus Christ (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30), who lived in Galilee (later conquered by the Roman Empire). The Catholic Church teaches that it is the continuation of the early Christian community established by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors to Jesus’s apostles, and the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, is the sole successor to Saint Peter who was appointed by Jesus in the New Testament as head of the church and ministered in Rome. By the end of the 2nd century, bishops began congregating in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues. By the 3rd century, the bishop of Rome began to act as a court of appeals for problems that other bishops could not resolve.  —https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church

The earliest recorded evidence of the use of the term “Catholic Church” is the Letter to the Smyrnaeans that Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about 107 to Christians in Smyrna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_(term)

The immense false church system of Rome had its start in the day when the apostles of Jesus Christ were alive.  Sadly, this false church system did not fade into oblivion but rather blended with other religions into one huge religious framework.  This is the reason there are such a variety of Pagan thoughts and teachings in the Roman Catholic Church.  Some pagan ideas sneaked into the church over some time however many were there from the very onset.    The principal strife between early Christianity and that of Paganism was recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 8.  This squabble occurred between a Pagan esteemed cleric named Simon Magus and the apostles Peter and Philip.

Acts 8:9-25
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. 18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. 24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. 25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

What happened in these verses?

Was this only a one-time occasion that occurred or something very important that Luke felt the need to report?  Not long after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ a showdown took place in Jerusalem between the apostle Peter and Simon Magus and this confrontation can easily be ignored as something that may have been significant only at that time.  But in fact it’s very significant right to our current time.  The episode that occurred between Simon Magus and the apostles of Jesus Christ sets off a chain reaction that lends to the writing of a number of the epistles of the New Testament and the kick start of mass heresy in the early Christian church.  The individual that we have to focus on is Simon Magus and how he positioned himself as the first leader of a soon to be gigantic religious framework called the Roman Catholic Church.

The reason Luke recorded this experience with Simon Magus has broad impacts.  As Hasting’s clarifies, it was Luke’s well-known plan of describing the first meeting between Christianity and rival systems” (Hasting’s Bible Dictionary, p. 498).  Luke goes into detail about the main culprit who set up the supposed ‘Christian’ equivalent of the Gospel Truth in the Apostles’ days.  This is why the Apostles in their letters to the Church often say that the false Christian framework is already here, in existence, yet it seems like they neglect to tell of its origin, but when you look closer you see it already has been exposed, by Luke.

The book of Acts, does a fine job in uncovering where the heresy began.  The gospel of John and the book of Revelation depict the apostasy and even the Old Testament tells us of the Church falling far away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are not left with uncertainty concerning the false churches detestable doctrines.  It’s difficult to find an epistle that does not talk about the religious doctrine of Simon Magus. Most if not all of the references in the New Testament uncover the heresy of the first ‘false Christian‘ Church and these errors we can contribute solely to Simon Magus and his devotees.  A couple of these references will be given during this article and these will demonstrate the presence of a false religion system or a shadow church that was quickly starting to dominate and was interfering with the genuine teachings of Jesus Christ.

Who Exactly is Simon Magus?

Acts 8:10-11  “8 And there was great joy in that city. 9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries”.

As we can see from the verses above, Simon Magus is exposed as being one who practiced magic;  he misdirected and charmed many individuals with divination making himself out to be something really special.  We also need to realize that not only did he practice magic but we himself was a Pagan and high priest of a Pagan church.  Simon in all probability heard the news about the risen Christ from the apostles.  Rather than accepting the message of salvation as a gift, he wanted to purchase this power for his own use.  Simon desired to utilize the Holy Spirit as a magical force for individual gain and profit.

Did Simon change his ways after his solid rebuke from Peter?  No, he didn’t.  Actually, he thought of himself to be a genuine Christian.  A number of biblical scholars take note of Simon Magus’s activities after he left the apostles.  With this in mind, we will see why Luke thought it most critical to inform the people (us) of the genuine spiritual state of this man.  Luke needed to demonstrate that he was in reality never an apostle of Jesus Christ, but an imposter.  Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 496 says:  “But it need not be supposed that when Simon broke with the Christians he renounced all he had learned. It is more probable that he carried some of the Christian ideas with him and that he wove these into a system of his own. This system did contain some of the germs of later Gnosticism. Thus he became the leader of a retrograde sect, perhaps nominally Christian and certainly using some of the Christian terminology, but in reality anti-Christian and exalting Simon himself to the central position which Christianity was giving to Jesus Christ.”

We additionally find in Schaff’s History of the Church a reference to Simon Magus.  He says: “The author, or first representative of this baptized heathenism, according to the uniform testimony of Christian antiquity, is Simon Magus, who unquestionably adulterated Christianity with pagan ideas and practices, and gave himself out, in a pantheistic style for an emanation of God” (Apostolic Christianity), Vol. 2, p. 566).

Harnack, states that Simon Magus “proclaimed a doctrine in which the Jewish faith was strangely and grotesquely mixed with babylonian myths, together with some Greek additions. The mysterious worship . . . in consequence of the widened horizon and the deepening religious feeling, finally the wild syncretism [that is, blending together of religious beliefs], whose aim was a universal religion, all contributed to gain adherents for Simon” (Emphasis added) (Harnack, Vol. 1, p. 244).

The Word of God explains that Simon Magus was operating through demonic power, but yet he called himself a Christian.  Dr. McGiffert, speaking of Simon Magus, says:  “His effort to rival and surpass Jesus very likely began after his contact with the Christians that Luke records.  His religious system was apparently a syncretism of Jewish and Oriental elements” (Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol. 2, p. 497).

The Beast System

One of the main identifying characteristics of the Beast of Revelation 13 that being the Roman Catholic Church is the amalgamation of multiple religious ideas.

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)

Daniel saw in a vision in Daniel 7 four beasts that make up the Beast.  Papal Rome (the Beast’s) religious framework is a conglomerate of four Pagan beast empires, their religious traits are seen within the Roman Catholic Church.

  1. Babylon, we have the Lion, Rome inherited a Pagan priesthood.
  2. Medo-Persia, we have the Bear, Rome inherited Sun worship.
  3. Greece, we have the Leopard, Rome inherited Human Philosophies.
  4. Rome, we have the Dragon, it’s power, seat and great authority.

The melting pot of ideas that being the Roman Catholic Church was there from the very beginning and Simon Magus who was very knowledgeable in these accursed doctrines and heretical worship systems was the creator of the the early Catholic Church.  These detestable principles can be followed back to the earliest reference and points to Simon Magus.

Despite the fact that there is just a single occasion that was recorded by Luke, it would not be illogical to reason that Simon Magus had heard the apostle speak on more than one occasion.  The apostles likely conversed with a significant number of the new believers.  One might say that Simon Magus had extraordinary enthusiasm for spiritual things and in all probability was extremely knowledgeable in both Jewish and early Christian teaching.  Simon Magus did very well to blended Judaism, early Christianity, Babylonian, Paganism and Greek into one religion and delegated himself as the head.

What did Simon Magus do with his new found religion?

What was his plan of action for this new melting pot of religions?  Did Simon Magus remain in Jerusalem as the leader of his own little religious cult?

History demonstrates that Simon Magus did not remain in Jerusalem but rather moved to Rome.  It is also noted that the religions of Asia, during Greek and Roman times, had infiltrated the West.  By the first century, the mystery religions of the Babylonians were to be found in Rome.  Around then, Rome was the central city of the world and would just bode well that Simon Magus would move to Rome to spread his new religion;  a blend of Pagan and Christian beliefs.

Simon Magus’ turn to Rome is noted in a few historical compositions.  His objective as expressed by historical records was to make a Universal church or religion.  An important note, many are not aware that that meaning of the word Catholic actually means Universal.

The word catholic (with lowercase c; derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective (katholikos), meaning “universal”) comes from the Greek phrase   (katholou), meaning “on the whole”, “according to the whole” or “in general”, and is a combination of the Greek words meaning “about” and “whole”. The term Catholic (usually written with uppercase C in English) was first used to describe the Christian Church in the early 2nd century to emphasize its universal scope. — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_(term)

Yes, the correct name for the Catholic Church should be the Universal Church.

Simon Magus can be listed among those groups that considered themselves to be “Decidedly anti-Jewish …. They advanced much further in the criticism of the Old Testament and perceived the impossibility of saving it [that is, the Old Testament] for the Christian universal religion. They rather connected this [universal] religion with the cultus-wisdom of Babylon and Syria” Harnack, a church historian (VoI. 1, p. 246).

Justin Martyr wrote in his Apology that the cult of the Simonians were seen as a powerful force, and he speaks about their founder Simon four times. Justin Martyr states “… after Christ’s ascension into heaven the devils put forward certain men who said that they themselves were gods; and they were not only not persecuted by you, but even deemed worthy of honours. There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Cæsar, and in your royal city of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god, and as a god was honoured by you with a statue, which statue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two bridges, and bore this inscription, in the language of Rome: “Simoni Deo Sancto” – “To Simon the holy God.” —- http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/001/0010399.htm

Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, Vol 2, p. 496, states that there is “very slight evidence on which to reject so precise a statement as Justin makes; a statement he would scarcely have hazarded in an apology addressed to Rome, where every person had the means of ascertaining its accuracy. If he made a mistake, it must have been at once exposed, and other writers would not have frequently repeated the story as they have done.”

We see this quote from Justin Martyr and from Hasting’s “Dictionary of the apostolic church” that at about the year 45 A.D.  Simon Magus was in fact in Rome leading his own Universal ‘Catholic’ church, doing “mighty acts of magic”and by many accounts was honored as a God by Rome and worshiped by many as a God.  According to Rome the first Pope (St. Peter) was considered to be a God.  The Word of God shows us that the Roman Catholic Church would commit the sin of blasphemy by demanding men to worship them. (Dan 7:11; Rev 14:11;  Rev 13:1) etc,.

The Bible clearly gives the definition of blasphemy;

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 10:33)

Here are just a few examples of blasphemy coming from the Papacy (Roman Catholic Church):

“The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under a veil of flesh.” (Emphasis added) — The Catholic National, July 1895

“The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.” (Emphasis added) http://3abn.org/questions/the-history-of-the-pope/

“The pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God direction not only of the earthly but also of the heavenly kingdom.” (Emphasis added) http://www.ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage_print.asp?number=386119&language=en

“The Pope represents Jesus Christ Himself and therefore is a Loving Father” (Emphasis added)  — A letter from Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto (who became Pope Pius X in 1903)

“Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou hast given us, for thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth. (Emphasis added).”  —In 1512 in Extravagantes Johannes, Christopher Marcellus to Pope Julius II

“It seems that Pope John Paul II now presides over the universal Church from his place upon Christ’s cross.” (Emphasis added) — 2004, Bishop Patrick Dunn of Auckland.

“But to believe that our Lord God the Pope the establisher of said decretal, and of this, could not decree, as he did decree, should be accounted heretical (Emphasis added). The Gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII 

We are absolutely certain that Simon Magus was known as a God and the same goes for the Papacy who say that the Pope is God on Earth.  The list of blasphemy of the Roman Catholic Church are no numerous we have lost count.  There are many authentic historical records, the Bible included that say that Simon Magus was called and asserted himself to be God.  Justin Martyr wrote about Simon Magus 4 times expressing his concerns.  In 1574 excavators found a section of marble on an island in the Tiber River with the engraving “Semoni Sanco Deu Fidio.”  Some decipher this as alluding to a Sabine god, “Semo Sancus”, but many scholars are of the highest opinion that it was a piece of the statue Justin Martyr depicted as having been devoted to Simon Magus.

There is little doubt that one of the main similarities between the first Pope and all Popes that followed Simon Magus was their godhood status.  But how could we confuse Simon Peter or the apostle Peter with Simon Magus?  The step to completing the transition from Simon Magus to Simon Peter by his followers was with regards to the title that was given to a God.  Shocking as it may be, it is well known by scholars that early civilizations named their main Pagan gods with the title of Peter.  Therefore Simon Magus became Simon Peter.

Paganism and “Peter”

The Pagan priests of the mystery religions were called PATORS or PETERS.  They had the power to interpret the heathen mysteries. This is further brought out by Bunson in his Hieroglyph, page 545, where he shows that the Egyptians – as The Bible also indicates — called their “interpreters” or priests: PETR, that is, PETER.

Notice some references to these sacred PETRAS found throughout the pagan world:

At the temple of Delphi in Greece, the chief object in the ritual was the PETRA (Pausanius, Bk. 10).   At the Acropolis in Athens, Euripides tells us, the niches which held the idols were called the PETRAE (verse 935).   It is well known that even the sacred book which was used in the celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries, was entitled “Book PETROMA”, PETER-ROMA –  PETER’S BOOK (see Potter’s Antiquities, vol. 1, p. 356). Remember that the pagan temples were also called after the PETERS.   The temple at Elis in Greece was called PETRON Lycophron, verse 159).  Pytho at Delphi was called PETRAessa (Olymp. Ode 6).  The oracle temple dedicated to Apollo in Asia Minor was called the PATARA and the oracle there was called PATAReus (“Eus” means “person who, one”) –(Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, p. 438).   Also PATRAE – an ancient town where DIANA had a temple (p. 438), and the oracle in Achaia was called PATRA (Jones, Proper Names of the Old Testament, p. 296). http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread362178/pg1

Examples of different variants of the word PETER in all forms of Pagan worship from different civilizations are too numerous to mention, yet this above mentioned information should be enough to demonstrate that history is covered with numerous cases of the term PETER being utilized as a title for a divine being.  These PETER stones and sanctuaries/temples have been discovered everywhere throughout the world.  “There is in the history of every oracular temple some legend about a stone; some reference to the word PETRA” (Bryant, p. 362).

I trust that this will leave little uncertainty that the title of Peter would be given to somebody that professes to be god.  There are just too many accounts that this title ‘PETER’ has been utilized in Pagan traditions in historical records.  This change from Simon Magus to Simon Peter is the manner by which Peter the Apostle was purposely mixed up to be the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Right to this day the Roman Catholic Church claim that the tomb of Saint Peter is beneath the altar of the Basilica in Rome.  “Only, the actual vault itself in which the body lies is no longer accessible and has not been so since the ninth century.  There are those, however, who think that it would not be impossible to find the entrance and to reopen it once more.  A unanimous request that this should be done was made to Leo XIII by the International Archaeological Congress in 1900, but, so far, without result.” — www.newadvent.org – ARTHUR S. BARNES

The Death of Peter

What supposedly happen at the death of the apostle peter in Rome was that Peter was crucified upside down at his own request.  According to Catholic tradition Peter asked to be crucified upside down stating that he was not worthy to suffer the same kind of death of his master Jesus Christ.  Then he was supposedly buried under the altar which is now the Basilica of Saint Peter’s.  Here is a Catholic account of what happened to Peter’s body on the night of his death.    In Keller’s comment who thinks or mistakes Simon Magus for Simon Peter tells what happen at the death of Simon Magus in Rome during the first century.  “On the night of his death on the cross Peter’s followers buried his body.  As in the case of Jesus on the hill of Calvary it was wrapped in linen and secretly taken to a Pagan burial ground on the Via Cornelia, behind the stone structure of the arena. This Pagan Cemetery lay on a knoll called Vaticanus: the Latin word `vatis’ means a `prophet’ or `soothsayer’.  In days gone by there had been an Etruscan oracle on this spot”  (Emphasis added) — Keller’s comment – the official comment of the Roman Catholic Church p. 368).

Keller ought to have figured out that this Peter who was buried in a Pagan cemetery reserved for chief Pagans and self professing Gods/PETERS was surely not Peter the Apostle of Jesus Christ.  But let’s for just an instance think that this was the apostle Peter – Peter preached against the Roman religion, do you honestly think they would murder him on a crucifix upside down and then bury him in a cemetery reserved solely for prophets and gods of the Pagan Roman Empire?  The apostle Peter would not be caught dead in a Pagan cemetery reserved for chief Pagans.   It would make much more sense that it was indeed the very first Pope, Simon Peter (Magus) soothsayer and magician extraordinaire disguised as a Christian worshiped as a God, leader of the Universal ‘Catholic’ Church, who was buried in this special Pagan cemetery.

There are many historical records with respect to Simons Magus’ demise vary.  A considerable amount of stories attempt to include some form of fiction from Egyptian and Greek myth.  Earlier accounts say that Simon was buried in Rome after a life of performing magic, deceiving the masses who worshipped him and Rome bestowing great honours upon him including being deified.  But it has not been clearly established where Simon Magus (Peter) himself was buried.  One day, on Judgement Day, many are going to be very shocked to find out who in really buried under that altar in the Basilica in Rome – it will not be the apostle Peter, but Simon Magus the Sorcerer.  The Roman Catholic Church’s foundation is built on a Sorcerer and many Catholic’s are certain it’s the apostle Peter because that is the lie they have been told.  There is a total lack of biblical evidence to prove that the bones in the tomb beneath the altar in the  belong to the apostle Peter.  We can be certain of this because the discovery of the apostle Peter’s grave was found in JERUSLALEM.

Where is the Apostle Peter’s tomb?

Simon Peter - Tomb stone

A well-shrouded discovery by an archaeologist is the tomb of the apostle Peter in Jerusalem.  This is recorded in a book called, “Gli Scavi del Dominus Flevit”, printed in 1958 at the Tipografia del PP.  Francescani, in Jerusalem. P. B. Bagatti and J. T. Milik, interestingly enough both were Roman Catholic priests who wrote the book.  Here is some proof from the book that the tomb of the apostle Peter is in Jerusalem.  Where the excavations took place they found ossuaries (bone boxes) – on these where the names of Biblical characters.  For instance on one box the names of Mary and Martha were found and right next to it was another box with the name Lazarus, their brother.  Other names of early Christians were found on other boxes.  Of great interest was what was found within twelve feet from the place where the remains of Mary, Martha and Lazarus were found – the remains of the apostle Peter.  The ossuary had an inscription outside that said in Aramaic; “Simon Bar Jonah”.   Now this could very well point to another Peter, but what narrows the probability of error is that the remains were found in a Christian burial ground, in the first century, the very time in which the apostle Peter lived.  Even more remarkable is the fact that scientists can state that the inscription of “Simon Bar Jonah” in Aramaic was written before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.  There is so much evidence to support that the apostle Peter was in fact buried in Jerusalem instead of Rome, and he did not die upside down on a cross as stated by the Roman Catholic Church.

After this find that the tomb of the apostle Peter in actually in Jerusalem, it is very humiliating to say the least to the Roman Catholic Church and it’s followers, since it strikes at the very foundation of its faith – the notion of Apostolic succession.  Scripturally, it has been demonstrated that the apostle Peter was never in Rome, the bible never mentions the apostle Peter going to Rome and now according to archaeology, we see that the apostle Peter’s tomb is to be found in Jerusalem.  The bible states this of Paul and Peter:

“But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed to me, as the gospel of the circumcision was to Peter;” (Galatians 2:7).

Peter’s primary mission was to preach to the Jews.  In Acts 18:2 we find that Jews were told to leave Rome by Roman Emperor Claudius, so there was no reason for Peter to go there.

This strikes a huge blow against the belief that the skeleton of the apostle Peter is being kept under the sacred altar at St. Peter’s basilica.

arrowSee here for more information and pictures of the apostle Peters tomb stone:  http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/peters-jerusalem-tomb.htmConclusion

Conclusion

We saw that from very early on, Simon Magus went to Rome to begin a Universal ‘Catholic’ Church.  We additionally observe that Simon Magus was a self professing God thereby he had the title of PETER bestowed on him.  There are also a number of traditions that are of common practice today within the Roman Catholic Church’s  Papacy that are not found within the pages of The Bible.

What is the connection between Simon Magus and the title of PETER?  After he moved to Rome and setup a false Universal religion with himself as the leader of that church, Simon performed amazing magical acts for the Rome and because of this Simon Magus’ name was change and he was instead called Simon Peter – “Simon the God.”  I trust that it is safe to state that according to Bible scripture, the apostle Peter was sent to Jerusalem to preach and was buried in Jerusalem and that Simon Magus PETER the Sorcerer is in fact the Simon Peter or Saint Peter of Rome that is known as the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Simon Magus PETER who professed to be a false “God” using Christianity as a front set up a Universal “Catholic” Church.  He was the first Catholic Pope and the rise of Babylon that has influenced history to this day.  The Bible states that

2 Thessalonians 2:7  “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” (1John 2:18;  1John 4:3;  Rev 17:5;  Rev 17:7)

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Deborah (Discerning the World)

Deborah Ellish is the author of the above article. Discerning the World is an internet Christian Ministry based in Johannesburg South Africa. Tom Lessing and Deborah Ellish both own Discerning the World. For more information see the About this Website page below the comments section.

18 Responses

  1. Marthina says:

    That was an interesting read Deborah. Thankyou.

    Can you write an article on the upcoming MightyMen with Angus Buchan in Bloemfontein in April? Would like to know your thoughts on it?

  2. Pieter Vermaak says:

    Great article Debs. :thumbsup: Let truth prevail. :yahoo:

  3. Marthina :hi:

    I will have a look into it. My next article is on Angus Buchan and his leanings towards contemplative spirituality.

  4. There is a horrible teaching going around by ex Christians/agnostics/atheists that claim that the apostle Paul is in fact Simon Magus.

  5. Tom Lessing says:

    An extremely well thought-out and researched article that makes it easier to understand from whence the abominable RCC came from. Things are really beginning to hot up just before the Rapture. May God have mercy on the multitudes of people in the RCC to come out of her so that they may not have any part in the plagues God is going to pour out on her.

  6. Hi Tom

    Thank you Tom. 🙂 And yes, it now makes us finally realise who the REAL enemy has been, who Christianity has been fighting against since Jesus Christ walked the earth. The RCC (the rise of The Beast) started right after Jesus ascended. There was not a gap of some 300/400 years or so where nothing of significance happened in history (except major persecution of Jews and Christians by Rome) and then suddenly out of no where the RCC just springs up. They were there from the beginning and all churches today, all the off-shoots: Pentecostal, Charismatic, Calvinist, Lutheran, Anglican, maybe even Baptists, etc., etc., are all now coming home to roost with Mother Hen the RCC and the Pope in these LAST DAYS before the antiChrist is revealed in the temple to the JEWS in Israel who will see and understand what the abomination of desolation is. We as born again Christians will not witness this as the church would have already been raptured.

    The falling away started right after Jesus ascended and is climaxing as we speak where all the world’s churches are going back to Rome.

      2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

    Then the antichrist will be revealed to Israel (the woman) and they will know they need to flee to the mountains where God has prepared a place for them to be safe. Many Israelites however will remain in Jerusalem to fight the enemy.

      Matthew 24:15-16 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”
      Revelation 12:6 “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
  7. Cory Markum says:

    I apologize in advance guys for the long message! I was going to email it but I’m following your advice of posting a comment instead.

    Dear Deborah,

    My name is Cory Markum and I’m a co-host of a new podcast about an atheist and a pastor exploring together the life of Jesus Christ. The podcast is/will be called “Hinge” (as in the hinge of Western civilization as we know it), and it will explore the many questions surrounding the historical figure, Jesus of Nazareth, along with a host of other topics including but not limited to faith and doubt, the psychology of belief, the value of false beliefs and the way in which people can look at the same data and come away with radically different interpretations of said data. On a more broader level, we also hope that our podcast might serve as a sort of model for how people with different views can nevertheless have meaningful and fruitful dialogues with one another.

    My reason for reaching out to you is very straightforward; we’re currently trying to build a community of people that not only find topics pertaining to Christianity, atheism, and so on, interesting, but who strongly desire to foster conversation between people on both sides of the theological aisle. With that in mind, if this project of ours sounds interesting or worthwhile to you, I’d love to hear back from you both on what we’re trying to do with “Hinge” the podcast, as well as (if you have the time) on any of the material that we’ve already put out there! We have a site up at [removed url] with more info and a demo, as well as our runner-up podcast that’s currently on Itunes, “Hinge: The Making Of”, in which we begin introduce some of the topics to be covered on the show and some of the guests that will appear on Hinge, once it’s released (sometime late this year). Anyway, sorry for this long, book-like email and I really look forward to hearing back from you!!

    Sincerely,

    Cory Markum

  8. Randall says:

    The words in the first paragraph here state this, “The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is named after Simon.” So can you please check the following, and tell me if this is simony ? —>
    On the website of Morris Cerullo, under a heading beginning with “Your Personal Invitation” he has a list of positions in his ministry that can be “had” for prices starting at $1,000. up to $25,000. The link is below. –>

    http://www.mcwe.com/club-campaign-2017/?tabid=1

  9. Dear Randall :hi:

    In fact, when I was writing that article about Simon the Sorcerer I was thinking to myself…”all these health, wealth and prosperity churches; the pastor making you give him money in order to receive a healing be it financial or health wise etc., and/or the people paying tithes to God in order to get 10 fold etc., in return, or pay God for blessings.” This is all simony.

    Morris Cerullo is a false teacher second to none. But I find it shocking that to get a position in his church you have to pay the church. Gee whiskers I thought when you where employed the employee got paid by the church, not you pay the church to work for them. :shocked:

    I once saw a video (see below) of him supposedly heal a little tiny girl of cancer. He paraded her around the church constantly sticking the microphone in her face asking her how she felt. She had no choice by to say ‘I’m fine’ but you could see she was not fine, she was sick. She passed away weeks later.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RtfG6dNSO8

  10. Dear Cory

    I’ve read your comment a couple of times and let me tell you a little something. This entire dialogue you want to foster is based on Postmodernism and the Emerging/Emergent church movement which is 100% anti-Christian. Sitting around, chatting with a few atheists/agnostics etc, drinking a cup of coffee discussing the historical Jesus Christ, finding value in false beliefs etc., and then all somehow coming to the same conclusion, whatever that may be, will be totally detrimental to anyone listening. The Gospel Truth of Jesus Christ is the Truth, not Error and Truth amalgamated to form a “New Truth” that we can all accept and then jump up for joy, bump chests and give hi-fives.

      John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

    An atheist etc., will never accept this, so what’s the next step? That we (the other side) must now accept his version, or better yet throw this verse away so we can hoppity hop down the path of destruction together (Matthew 7:13-14). I don’t think so.

    So thank you for asking, we appreciate the offer :thumbsup: but politely decline 🙂

  11. HMR says:

    Love your articles :thankyou:

    I would like to know aswell what you think about this mass prayer meeting of Angus Buchan, think it is on the 22nd of april. They expect a million people or more. Thanks and God bless.

  12. Hi HMR :hi:

    Thank you!! :hi5: I will check it out today.

  13. Simon says:

    Is it a bad thing my name is Simon Peter?

  14. Simon.

    Thank God, your name is not Judas Iscariot.

  15. Ejeff says:

    Hi Deborah- I’m writing this 5 years later, so not sure you’ll even get this. My wife and I are in a long-running debate with her brother, who has become radically Catholic, so I’ve looked at many of these issues. Regarding Peter in Rome, there doesn’t seem to be much evidence that he was ever in Rome, but Catholics believe so, and so do many knowledgeable Christians. Paul, who was definitely in and died in Rome never mentions Peter along with all the others he mentions. But, curiously, at the end of Peter’s 1st letter, he writes, “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, …” So, some say he is referencing Rome here, known to be pagan, and using the code name for Rome, and it sounds like he was there in Rome when he wrote it. What do you think?

  16. Hi Jeff

    Nope Peter was Neve in Rome. Infact archeologists found his grave in a Christian grave yard in Israel. Jesus’ mother Mary and someone else was buried there as well, but I forget who now.

    Catholics believe Peter was the first Pope. In fact it wasn’t the Apostle Peter who went to Rome…but Simon Peter Magus the sorcerer… https://www.discerningtheworld.com/2017/03/20/simon-magus-apostle-simon-peter/

  17. Jason says:

    Wonderful article =) It helps me solidify my arguments against the catholic cult and all of its lies.

    Thank you for all your research!

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