Still coming from the mindset of seeking to astonish others to maintain a position of esteem, Simon sought to purchase this ability from the Apostles. Simon was witnessing real power, not the sleight of hand that he had mastered to trick people into considering him to be someone great. Therefore, at least some of them would have been given this gift as a sign to the Jews, and this likely is how Simon the Sorcerer was able to identify that when Peter or John laid hands upon the Samaritan who believed, they received the Holy Spirit. Although Scripture does not state that the Samaritans spoke in tongues, this was the sign being given to the Jews at this time that God was at work in what they were witnessing. Today, the Holy Spirit immediately immerses and indwells all who believe the Gospel because this sign is no longer being shown to the Jews due to their rejection of the resurrected Messiah. The gospel for salvation, 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, first went to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, Romans 1:16. Therefore, it was not until the Apostles sent Peter and John, who laid their hands on those who believed Philip’s message, that they received the Holy Spirit, Acts 8:16. Although the Samaritans believed in the facts of the Gospel, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit because God was using this as an opportunity to show the Jews that He is accepting the Gentiles into the Church. The signs and wonders that Philip was doing intrigued him, so he continued with Philip after being immersed, Acts 8:13. When Philip the evangelist came to Samaria proclaiming the gospel of the resurrected Christ, Simon the sorcerer was among those who believed. These men used magic to persuade the people that their power was from God and procure a position of high regard for themselves, giving them access to substantial wealth. Elymas, a false prophet who was known as a Sorcerer, stood against Saul and Barnabas, preventing them from speaking the Word of God to the proconsul of Paphos, seeking to turn Sergius Paulus from the faith, Acts 13:6-8. Simon was not the only one doing magic to obtain notoriety recorded in Scripture. This is the same type of magic that street performers use today to amaze people and gain financially from them as they seek to be well-known for their skills. Sorcerer (μαγεύω) is one who practices magic (μαγεία). Therefore, the people, great and small, all paid attention to him, saying that what he was doing was the great inherent ability of God, Acts 8:10. Simon was a man in Samaria who practiced magic to astonish the people, through which he claimed to be someone great, Acts 8:9.
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