Simon Magus: Catholicism’s First Pope

Part V

Simon Magus: Catholicism’s First Pope

Copyright 2021 by Joan Berry

Jesus points out in Revelations 3 who is of the Synagogue of Satan, “. . . which say they are Jews and are not, but they do lie . . .” The Samaritans were the only people in the first two centuries that claimed they were Jews when it was expedient for them. Josephus tells about the Samaritans ‘being Jews’ when times were good, but when circumstances changed, they became Samaritans again. They could hardly claim  being Jewish because their records proved their nationality as Samaritan. When Jesus commissioned the 12 apostles to go forth to preach the gospel, He plainly states that they were neither to go to the Gentiles nor go to any Samaritan city, but go to the Jews. Meanwhile, Simon Magas was gathering members for his counterfeit-Christian church. Once Simon Peter had been crucified, Simon Magas appropriated the apostle’s name and his followers became apostles.

Simon Magas claimed to be a god, but just not any god. He assumed the personification of a chief god who had powers of creation. For the most part, pagan religions required a god to have a female counterpart. He chose Helena, a temple prostitute from Tyre. She claimed that Magas created her and she was the Queen of Heaven, and Mother of the Universe.  He was the sun and she was the moon. All of this had its roots in Babylon’s paganism. At times, when they were traveling and performing the magical arts to amaze people, they would pretend to be Zeus and Sophia (wisdom). Their cult addressed them as ‘Our Lord and Our Lady.’ Centuries later, Queen of Heaven and Our Lady were applied to Mary, the Mother of God.

Simon Magus went on to deceive many, founding Roman Catholicism, usurping Simon Peter’s name, and declaring himself God on Earth and the first Catholic pope. Magus exalted himself as the first leader of the false worldwide religious system – the Roman Catholic Church. Simon Peter never served as the first pope of the Catholic Church or the bishop of Rome. Jesus) did not build the Catholic Church upon the rock of Peter (Matthew 16:16-18); He built His church upon the faithful answer that Peter gave to Jesus, that He is the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the living God. Simon Magus is the foundational rock, the lie upon which the Roman Catholic Church was built (Lujack, G. n.d.)

I hope that you, dear readers, have favorably experienced the historical and spiritual aspects of this series.  It is not a pretty story of how Jesus’ simple, pure, and unpretentious teachings were usurped and used by Satan to infect the True Christian church with paganism. I looked into some of the worst things Popes have committed and I am still in shock. Some offenses were too filthy to write about. The craziest one was Pope Benedict IX whose father bought the papacy for him at age 12. When Benedict got tired of being pope, he sold his papacy, and later returned and took it back, quit, and then returned. This time he was despicable to the point of having sexual relations with animals. The Imperial guards removed him from the office of the papacy and the people ran him away from the area. Alexander was another pope removed from office for lewd and evil sexual acts as was another for raping a woman and her daughter. I suppose we should not be surprised about the charges against this counterfeit Christian church for sexually molesting our children.

The church sold indulgences for the forgiveness of sins as well as those not committed yet. A priest was burned because he objected to the practice. The popes also ordered the burning of Joan of Arc, William Tyndale, and countless women accused of witchcraft because he was paranoid.  An archbishop had Wycliffe’s body exhumed after 31 years and burned. The church is credited with organizing the collapse of the Knights Templar to appease a bankrupt king. When they were not burning the populace, they indulged in the Roman Inquisition and imprisoned Galileo. The church terrorized Jews and Muslims for 300 years.

During World War II, the Roman Catholic Church aided Hitler by providing sanctuary and false documents to help them escape. Pope Pius denied the Holocaust. The church refused to condemn the Nazi Party. 

The Catholic Church falsely teaches that our faith in Jesus is not sufficient enough for salvation.

What the Roman Catholic Church Teaches About Salvation

https://www.wayoflife.org/database/what_the…

Jul 09, 2008,· THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH’S DOCTRINE OF SALVATION CAN BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: 1. Rome teaches that Christ, having purchased redemption by His blood and death, delivered it to the Catholic Church to be distributed to men through her sacraments. Rome’s gospel centers in the Catholic Church, the pope, the priesthood, and the sacraments.

The final part of this series

Sources:

A Historical and Spiritual View of the Seven Churches of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. (2019). Berry, J.  ISBN 978-1-79472-2.

Bebe’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. (731). Bebe, priest and, historian. England.

Berry, V. J. (2016). Why Historical Phenomena Instigates Resistance to Female Clergy. ISBN 978-1-365-40463-4.   Berry, J. The Original Love, Learn and Live in Christ. Joan-berry.com

Bible Gateway.com (n.d.). https://w.w.w.biblegateway.com

Carriere, J. (1977). The Gnostics.  E. P. Dutton. New York; NY; Peter Owen Pub.2014.

Cave, W. (1840). The Lives of the Apostles…London, Eng. Oxford by J. Vincent.

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, May 6). Simon MagusEncyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simon-Magus

Duck, Daymond R. (1998).  Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblical Inept. Lancaster PA. Starburst Publishers.

Fletcher, I. V. (1984). The Incredible History of God’s Church . . . Altadena CA. Triumph Publishing Co.

Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text. (1957). Lamsa, George M. Trans,).  From the Aramaic of the Peshitta.  Harper, San Francisco.

Hunt, D. (1994). A Woman Rides the Beast. Eugene OR: Harvest House Pub.

Jameson, A. (1857). Sacred and Legendary Art. London Eng.: Longman, Brown, Green Pub.

 Josephus: The Complete Works. (1998). Whiston, William, Trans.). Nashville TN.  Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Life Application New Testament Commentary. (2011). Barton, Bruce et al. Wheaton IL. Tyndale Publishers

Lujack, G. (n.d.). Simon Magus: Catholicism’s First Pope. catholicism’s-first-pope-1544884.pdf

Martin, E. L. & Keyser, J.D. Simon Magus and the origin of the Catholic Church (n.d.). w.w.w.hope-of-isreal.org

McGraph, Alister. (2011). Christian Theology 5th ed. Kings College. London UK. Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.

New King James Study Bible. (2007). Radmacher, Earl D. general editor. Nashville TN. Harper.

Newman, D. (1685). The Lives and Deaths of the Holy Apostles. Ann Arbor MI, London Eng.; University of Michigan microfilm.

Olson, G. (1986). The Apostasy of the Last Century. Nordica S. F. Ltd. Hong Kong, China. 

Rome into 10 Parts; Divisions of the West. (2014).  Amazing Bible Timelines with World History. https://amazingbibletimelinewith world history.com

The Amplified Bible. (1987). Grand Rapids MI. Zondervan House publishers.

The Apologetics Study Bible: Cristian Standard Bible. (2017). Cabal, Ted, general editor. Nashville TN. Holman Bible Publishers.

The Christian  Theology Reader 4th ed. (2011). McGrath, Alister, ed. Kings College, London UK. Wiley-Blackwell.

Walsh, J. E. (2013). The Bones of St. Peter. Manchester NH. Sophia Institute Press

Bible references:

Acts 8: 9-21; 1: 23-26

II Thess. 2: 7

Matt. 10: 5-6

John 4: 9, 12

Rev. 2: 9; 3: 9; 2: 2; 2:20; 17; 18

I Kings 16: 31 Jezebel

I Kings 12: 28-30

II Kings 17: 24-41

II Chron. 11: 14

Num. 23; 22: 4-5 Peter temple

Deut. 23: 4