Act 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
Act 8:9 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:
Act 8:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
Act 8:11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
Act 8:12 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.
Act 8:13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Act 8:19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Act 8:21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
Act 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Act 8:23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Act 8:24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
The account of Simon the sorcerer aka Simon Magus continues in various Gnostic works such as Gospel of Peter and Irenaeus’s Adversus Haereses translated Against Heresies.
Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. The figure appeared prominently in several highly legendary apocryphal accounts by early Christian authors, who regarded him as the first heretic. There is also a brief mention in the Book of Acts.
According to reports by ancient Christian Orthodoxy, the Gnostic sect of Simonianism believed that Simon Magus was God in human form.
The latest Gnostic work, Gospel of Judas continues the attack on the truth of God’s Word. The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel, the text of which was partially reconstructed in 2006. It has a strong positive focus on Judas Iscariot, but does not claim to have been written by him. According to the canonical Gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus Christ to the Jewish authorities, who then turned him over to the Roman authorities by whom he was crucified. The Gospel of Judas interprets this act positively, as one performed in obedience to the instructions of Jesus, rather than as a betrayal. This positive portrayal follows from the Gnostic notion that the human form is a prison. In this view, Judas helped to release the spirit of Christ from its physical constraints.
The Gospel of Judas does not claim that the other disciples agreed with gnostic teachings. On the contrary, it asserts that the disciples have not learned the true Gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot.
Dan Brown’s book, The DaVinci Code continues to promote Gnostic teaching and attempts to derail the teachings of the church.
A quote from ‘The DaVinci Code’ states “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times and it has evolved through countless translations, additions and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.”
A quote from the Bible says
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The world is seeking Truth.
They want answers to life’s questions
People don’t know where to turn to, but they know they need help. This is why organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous have proliferated in our modern world.
People are turning to other people for help.
Man can do only so much, and cannot take the place of the source of their pain.
Jesus is the only one who can wipe away their tears.
But you have to know Him.
Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
God will be returning soon.
He has come to divide His sheep from the goats. Will I be on the right hand or on the left?
Will I have my lot with the devil and his angels or with Jesus and the faithful and true?
The only way I can truly know is by reading God’s Word.
Other’s say we have lost God’s Word through the centuries by misinterpretation or mistranslation. To this I would say they are partially correct.
There are misinterpretations of the scripture floating out there. Some of the best known are the doctrines of the trinity, once saved always saved, and salvation is complete upon a confession of faith in Jesus Christ which ignores one’s need to repent, be baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues.
There are also mistranslations out there. Some of the best known of these are the American Standard Version and the New International Version. Even a cursory surface glance into the history behind these translations reveals an attempt to stifle the truth of God’s Word.
But despite banning the bible, burning it, and killing those who preach it’s message of peace and hope; the Bible has been preserved for every generation .
The true gospels record Jesus’ Words very clearly “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” This is found word-for-word in Matt 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33. The synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called synoptic because they follow pretty much the same pattern in telling of the good news of Jesus. This verse is unique however in the fact that it is stated word-for-word in all three.
God knows how to preserve his Word. We are living in the time of grace. We don’t have to have strict obedience to the over 600 laws written for the people of Israel. God saw that this was not working. His people were disobedient and unloyal.
God killed off 450 false prophets once when His peculiar people, His chosen generation back-slid into idol worship.
In our time we are seeing the signs of the second coming of Christ being fulfilled. In our generation! In our lifetime!
Will we be left at the well, wondering where our sisters have disappeared too?
Our time is limited. God’s bride is almost made perfect. His second coming is at the door.
We need to pray.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
We need to fast.
Luk 5:34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
Luk 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
We need to study God’s Word.
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
John the Baptist was waiting for the Messiah. When he heard of Jesus he sent two of his disciples to Jesus asking Him if he is the Messiah. Jesus’ answer was” Luk 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. “
The Messiah is coming!
The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, dead are risen, the gospel is being preached!
There is no more time.
This world will pass away.
God is going to make a new heaven and earth. The city will be New Jerusalem.
Whatever pain or hurt you have can be washed away by Jesus Christ.
An early Christian theologian known as Origen first popularized the idea of a guardian angel and a devil assigned to every soul.