Having deceived the people of Rome into believing that he was the Apostle Peter, Simon Magus went about establishing his “universal religion,” touting the combination of Christian doctrines and Babylonian heathenism as the only religion that God recognized. A recent pope stated publicly that Simon’s religion, today known as Catholicism, is the only religion through which man can be saved, and that all men must abandon their false religions and return to the Mother Church in order to have any hope of salvation. Unbeknownst to the masses that heard him or read his statement and did not believe it, he was actually right on one count, but wrong on the other. Both counts were equally deadly. That all religions will eventually be absorbed by Catholicism is a Scriptural reality as the teaching titled The Ingathering reveals. But that no one who continues to be associated with that “church” will inherit eternal life is also a Scriptural reality. Once again a Counterfeit Church leader successfully used the ruse made popular by the Serpent of Eden–stating a Biblical truth which causes people to accept him as a messenger of God, then deceiving them into believing Satan’s lie. The trick works as well today as it ever did. The Scriptures tell us that the deception will continue to be effective because religious man will continue to rely on church leaders for Truth instead of looking to the only God-designated source–His Holy Bible. In any conflict between God’s Word and Satan (man’s) word, churchman will reject God and embrace Satan 99% of the time as the proliferation of Catholic and Protestant churches attest. Satan always provides a better, more user-friendly way, and man is always looking for it. And what man seeks, the devil makes sure he finds. This is proven by the fact that billions of people call themselves Catholics or Protestants.

Having established “the church,” Simon Magus continued to perform miracles in the sight of the people of Rome. In this way he successfully presented himself as The Vicar of Christ–the one who sits in Christ’s place on earth (“vicar” means replacement). In this way Simon the Sorcerer became the Catholic Church’s first pope. His public miracles–including levitation and disappearance–combined with his powers of persuasion, were so convincing that the people began referring to him as “Simone del Sancto”–“the Holy God Simon.”

History records that upon his death Simon Magus, aka Simon Peter, was buried on Vatican Hill in Rome. The word “Vatican” comes from the word “vatis,” meaning “soothsayer.” Vatican City, the home of world Catholicism, is in fact the home of world heathenism.

Since the first pope’s self-orchestrated rise to godship, subsequent popes have followed in his steps with unabashed certainty, their followers wholeheartedly agreeing with them. In church writings we find the following things written and believed about members of the Papacy by the proponents of Catholicism: “The pope has power to change times and repeal laws, even the doctrines of Christ.” “All names attributed to Christ in Scripture relative to His supremacy over the church are also attributed to the pope,” who is “… another god on earth,” who “… being god, cannot be judged by man,” who is “… the lord god the pope,” the “… lord our god,” to whom all must be subservient in all things “… necessary for salvation.” Over the years various popes have described themselves as: “… the vicar of (substitute for) Christ,” “… the lion of the tribe of Judah,” “… the master of the universe, the father of kings, the light of the earth,” who “… cannot err, cannot be deceived and who knows all things.” Obviously, Simon the Magician taught his people well. To be continued. L.J.