Neville Goddard on Acts 8:9-13 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 8 in context

Scripture Focus

9But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

10To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

11And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 8:9-13

Biblical Context

Simon the sorcerer in Samaria bewitched the people. When Philip preached the kingdom of God and Jesus' name, they believed and were baptized, and Simon himself joined.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this scene the sorcerer is a state of mind that seeks power by dazzling appearances. The people call him great because they are moved by outer signs, and he basks in the belief that external feats confirm reality. Philip’s proclamation of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ steps into your consciousness as the invitation to shift allegiance from form to state. The kingdom is not a distant place but the invincible presence of I AM within you, the living act of awareness that creates all things. When they believed and were baptized, what happened was a conversion of belief from the enchantment of perception to the inner reality of being. Simon’s own belief and following Philip shows that even a former strong man can be carried into this new state by the power of the inner word. Miracles and signs, in Neville's terms, are the outward effects of a changed inner state, not proofs to fear or doubt. The true question is: what state am I identifying with now? Do I dwell in the outer applause or in the kingdom within?

Practice This Now

Assume the feeling of the kingdom now. Close your eyes, declare 'I am the kingdom of God within,' and let that reality fill your consciousness until it dissolves every sense of lack or separation.