When did Philip preach in Samaria according to Acts 8?
According to Acts 8, Philip preached in Samaria about seven years after Pentecost. This occurred after Stephen had been martyred in Acts 7. Philip, one of the seven appointed in Acts 6, went up to Samaria and preached the Gospel, though it was the Gospel of the Kingdom, not yet the Gospel of grace.
Les explains that about seven years after Pentecost, after Stephen's martyrdom in Acts 7, Philip—one of the seven appointed in Acts 6—went up to Samaria and preached the Gospel. However, it was not the Gospel of grace, which had not yet been revealed. The Gospel of the Kingdom was still going to Israel through Jesus and the twelve, and Philip was continuing it. There is no mention of salvation by the finished work of the cross, no death, burial, and resurrection for salvation; they emphasized that the One they crucified was indeed the Christ. Les points out that Simon made a pseudo-profession, a fake and counterfeit. For those who truly believed Philip's message that Jesus was the Christ, it took the laying on of hands by Peter and John before they received the Holy Spirit. This was a slight departure from what had been taking place before, but it showed the Samaritans that authority rested in Jerusalem, in the twelve, and nowhere else.