False Prophets-Simon Magus Of Samaria Series

False Prophets-Simon Magus of Samaria

(Note: This message is based on a sermon preached at New Hope Baptist Church near Fulton, MO on Sunday evening, 3-23-2025, but is not an exact transcription.)

Introduction: Someone once remarked that where you find a religion, you’ll find a prophet or more than one willing to endorse that religion. There were false prophets in the Old Testament, some were named but others were not, and that was true in the New Testament era. Even the Lord Jesus Christ warned about false prophets in a number of places/

One of the first known false prophets in the New Testament was a man named Simon who lived in Samaria. He had everything going his way until Philip the evangelist came to town. Philip preached Jesus and won many to the faith. Simon was among those who believed—or was he?

The Prolog: when the persecution began

Text, Acts 8:1-4, KJV: 1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

The background for this message about Simon, the false prophet of Samaria, actually begins with verse 1 of Acts 8. Just before this, Stephen, one of the original seven men called deacons, was put on trial and then executed for his faith in Jesus the Messiah. Saul of Tarsus was there and, as verse 1 states, a great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem.

One of the sad things about this persecution was the universal aspect. Luke doesn’t mention it here, but Saul, later Paul the apostle, never forgot this. He testified before King Agrippa in Acts 26 as to what he had done to both men and women. And, this was a conflict between Jewish believers and Jewish non-believers about Jesus as Messiah.

Some believers stayed but paid with their lives. The apostles remained in Jerusalem (Luke doesn’t state why) but there were still others who got out of Jerusalem as fast as they could, one might say!

One of those who ran to Samaria, then, was Philip. This Philip was not the Apostle but another believer; one of the original seven “deacons” selected in Acts 6:1-6. The next several verses give us an account of some of what he did while in Samaria.

1 The ministry of Philip the evangelist

Text, Acts 8:5-9, KJV: 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

Verse 5 says Philip “went ‘down’” to the city of Samaria. This is true because Jerusalem sits about 3000 feet above sea level (see https://bibleatlas.org/jerusalem.htm) and a good bit of central “Palestine” seems to be a good bit lower in elevation. I haven’t found yet just what Samaria’s—the city, not the region—elevation except that it was “atop a steep hill” according to a Wikipedia ™ article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaria_(ancient_city)), for what it’s worth. At any rate, Philip the evangelist left Jerusalem and went to one of the cities of Samaria.

And there he preached Jesus! Just as others were doing, so was he, and the Lord was going to honor Philip’s efforts shortly.

We sometimes forget how important this was. Even when Jesus and the disciples came to Sychar (John 4), the Samaritan woman was surprised that a Jew would ask for even a drink of water because “the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans (John 4:9)”! At that time, though, many of that city believed in Jesus but, sadly, at a later time there was another Samaritan village that lost a golden opportunity to minister to Jesus and the disciples (see Luke 9:51-56).

Now it seems that the second part of the Lord’s final commission to the apostles was coming along. The Gospel had been pretty much retained to Jerusalem and those coming into that city. The early chapters of Acts describe this. Now, as Philip and the other unsung heroes of the faith who preached as they fled through Judea and Samaria, some heard and believed. And it wasn’t just because of the message, but also the miracles which Philip