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Next came the incident of Ananias and Saphira, stealing and lying.
It was PETER who spoke and caused them to drop dead.
Next, when signs and wonders were performed by the Apostles. It
was PETER'S SHADOW, as he passed by, that healed the sick.
Next, the Apostles were brought before the high priest and the
council, and the spokesman for the Apostles was PETER, who said,
"We ought to obey God rather than man."
Corning to Acts 8, when Philip, then a deacon, went to Samaria,
and when the people believed Philip preaching the things concerning
the Kingdom of God, they were baptized. It was Peter and John who
went down to Samaria, laid hands on the newly baptized (Gentiles) and
prayed for the Holy Spirit to be given to them. This is the first
example of the Church of God custom of laying hands on the baptized
for receiving the Holy Spirit--and Peter was the leader, for when Simon
the sorcerer tried to buy an apostleship with money, it was PETER
who said to him (the first pope), "Thy money perish with thee.
for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the
bond of iniquity." He was the pater or peter--papal--pope of the
Babylonian Mystery religion. Paul cites (II Thes. 2:7) "For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work." That religion, having
without authority appropriated the name "Christianity" is named,
in Revelation 17:5, "MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT."
Is it not ironic that the one who rebuked and condemned the
first pope was Cephas, whom Christ had called PETER?
But continue on.
We come to Acts 10. Although Paul was later to be made an Apostle
to the Gentiles, the time had come to first open salvation to the
Gentiles officially. And this was done by PETER, not Paul. It
was Peter whom God sent to the house of the Gentile Cornelius, to
teach him. It was Peter who convinced the others at Jerusalem that
God had opened salvation to the Gentiles. As in, Acts 11.
UNDERSTAND THIS about Peter. He WAS NOT A PROUD RULING POPE.
He was a humble man, strong in Christ's Gospel and faith, but he did
not try to lord it over others, or always take the top seat, unless his
position required. He was HUMAN, still, though since the day of Pente
cost he had the Holy Spirit. When Peter came to Antioch, more than 14
years after founding of the Church, his human nature showed when he
withdrew from the Gentiles, after some Jewish converts arrived from
Jerusalem. Paul rebuked Peter publicly for this. But then, w� might
well remember that Paul was also. human. This event occurred ip the
chief Gentile Church, and Paul was a little nettled at seeing Peter
withdraw from eating with Gentiles because some had arrived from
Jerusalem. This incident reflects the humanity of both Peter and Paul-
and demonstrates, also, that Peter was not a pope, else Paul would
never have dared rebuked him.
Now we come to that crucial 15th chapter of Acts.
Few in God's Church have fully understood this chapter.
go into sufficient detail to MAKE IT CLEAR!
I shall