**Trouble is the the Samaritan man who tried to buy an apostleship in Samaria from Simon Peter beat Paul to Rome by several years and his name was Simon Magus, and he was called Simon Pater in Rome.**
I’ve heard that taught, but take it with a grain of salt, because ‘Simon’ was a common name among the Jewish community. As far as Simon the socorer, I just leave his spiritual condition where the Word leaves him: in a state of fearing the Lord after Peter rebuked him, telling him to repent, and pray to God.
After all, Acts 2 shows that he believed, and was baptized. It says that when Peter and John came, they laid hands on them, they received the Holy Ghost. It doesn’t specifically say that Simon was or was not one that received the Holy Ghost. I know that just observing someone receive the Holy Ghost is startling, but receiving it is an amazing experience. It is so amazing, that it naturally makes one want to give it to others. Simon just thought he could buy that power from Peter.
People have to put away away the old things and put on the new, after being born again. Peter had to shake off his Law upbringings. Paul said, “I die daily”. We don’t know if Simon was able to lay down his old life of power equals money.
He displayed his fear of the Lord by asking Peter to “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come to pass”.
Just because the Word doesn’t continue to follow Simon’s life (whether he himself prayed to God), doesn’t prove he turned out to be a bad egg.
**Simon Magus was a Babylonian therefore and that’s where the Catholic Church gets a lot of their unbiblical practices from (Queen of Heaven, graven images, using the word “father” religiously to describe another man, etc).**
‘Goddess’ worship was indeed an ungodly practice in ancient Babylon, as the OT makes clear, and was a problem that moved throughout the civilized world many centuries before Christianity arrived in Rome. Others, including Priscilla and Aquila, were preaching in Rome well ahead of Paul’s physical arrival. No doubt, since satan can’t leave a good thing alone, confusion of the Gospel was instituted shortly after it’s arrival.
**Christ’s Church that will prevail against the gates of Hell are the original 12 and then those that listened and followed.**
I agree!
It was said during the apostle’s time that the deception had already started to undermine Christ’s Church. I figure it’s a good chance it was Simon Magus in Rome. Bears further study, I think.