The Book of Acts was a history of the Early Church and it is significant that much of Chapter Eight is devoted to the early heresy of Simon Magus. Most all the epistles mention the religion of Simon Magus, exposing errors committed by Simon and his brand of Christianity. This heresy had spread throughout the entire Church by the second century and in various schools of Gnosticism.
The Apostle John was the one who seems to have taken the battle to this false Christianity the most. John wrote his Gospel very late and knew that the teachings of our Saviour were being corrupted by this false doctrine. Notice how John stresses the importance of keeping the commandments as he well knew their doctrine included a "Libertine" approach to things spiritual.
John mentions "Samaria", the home of Simon, more than any other Gospel and not just in a geographical sense. There was something sinister about Samaria....and Samaritans. You'll find these efforts to overthrow the truth throughout his epistles and in Revelation he even tells us the names of this evil system. As the Book of Acts was history, the Book of Revelation is prophecy showing this false system's history down through the ages.
We are told in plain language that it will be the "Samaritans" that will bring us this false system. [Revelation 3:9] This "Synagogue of Satan" who claim to be Jews....and are not!" We also see these same folks spoken of in [Revelation 2:9] a synagogue of Satan....ones who call themselves Jews and are not. The Samaritans were the only people in the history of the world who did this....call themselves Jews when it was to their advantage. Remember in [II Kings 17:24] Babylonians were brought to Samaria by the King of Assyria to live where the Northern Kingdom of Israelites had dwelt. They brought their Babylonian religious system with them and continued these practices into the first century.
Simon was a Samaritan and Simon practiced the Mystery Religion of Babylon. Notice in [John 4:9-12] when Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan women....She lies about her ancestry calling Jacob, "Our Father". In Josephus, speaking of the Samaritans [Antiquities Book IX, Chapter 14, Paragraph 3] he says, "And when they see Jews in prosperity, they PRETEND they are changed and allied to them, and call them kinsmen as though they were derived from Joseph.....and had by that means an original alliance with them. But when they see them falling into a low condition they say they are no way related to them and that the Jews have no right to expect any kindness or marks of kindred from them, but they declare that they are sojourners that come from other countries."
This is one of the reasons our Saviour told the Apostles not to go into any cities of the Samaritans [Matthew 10:5-6] nor Gentiles....but only to the House of Israel.
The Samaritans knew about the prophecies foretelling a Messiah from the House of Judah(Jews) and this is why they pretended to be Jews....when it was to their advantage. Simon had convinced most of the folks in Rome that he, indeed was this Messiah. The emperor Claudius erected a Statue to Simon Magus which under Roman Law was illegal to do unless one was declared a God!
Yes, Simon (Pator) Magus was indeed a Roman God, instituted a false brand of Christianity to the Romans, was known by his reputation to the Apostle Paul, brought his Babylonian Mystery religion to the Gentiles....masquerading as a Christian....and it is still being done.
I wish people could divorce themselves from their preconceived notions and simply read the Bible.
II Kings 17:24 reads:
"And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon . . . and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in its cities."
Bingo!!! That makes sense and goes a long way to explain the Mystery Babylon in the Book of Revelation which is the embodiment of the magic, witchcraft,and sorcery rising from the Roman Bishopric of Simon Magus himself, and why this Roman/Samaritan/Babylonian religion perpetrated such a hatred for the Jews throughout its history and theology.
And it explains why one of the biggest proponents of expelling the Jews from the Land in Israel and filling it with Palestinians today is the Vatican in Rome itself, fulfilling the destiny of its founder with the prophesied consequences at its heels.