What ever happened to Simon the sorcerer after offering money to receive the power of the Holy Spirit?
Acts 8:18 - 24
ESV - 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. 19 Saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.
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Asked October 19 2020
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Gregory Jones
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Tim Maas
To my knowledge, there is no further reference to Simon Magus in the Bible following his confrontation with Peter in Acts 8 as noted in the question. Subsequent mention of him is found only in tradition or in sources such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius. These sources describe Simon as possibly being the founder of the heretical teachings of Gnosticism. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus indicate that he went to Rome and became associated with a pagan woman named Helen, who had formerly been a slave and prostitute in the Phoenician city of Tyre. As described by Epiphanius, Simon taught that in the beginning God had his First Thought, which was female. The First Thought then descended into the lower regions and created the angels. But the angels rebelled against her out of jealousy and created the world as her prison, imprisoning her in a female body. Thereafter, she was reincarnated many times, each time being shamed. Her many reincarnations included Helen of Troy (among others), and she finally was reincarnated as Simon's associate. God then descended in the form of Simon Magus, to rescue his Ennoia, and to confer salvation upon men through knowledge of himself. (Accounts of Simon from other sources are discussed in the Wikipedia article pertaining to him (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus).) In any event, it appears that Simon Magus never repented following his confrontation with Peter. (However, he did lend his name to the still-existing word "simony", which refers to an attempt to purchase spiritual gifts or religious positions with money or other material assets.)
Jack Gutknecht
This scene just shows how close an individual can come to salvation and still not be changed over. Simon heard the Good News, saw the wonders, claimed to be "a Christian," and was sanctified through water, but then he was never regenerated. He was one of Satan's astute fakes, furthermore, had Peter not uncovered the devilishness of his heart, Simon would have been acknowledged as an individual from the Samaritan gathering!
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