Mike Oliver's Messages

There are beasts rising from the sea, a lion, a bear, a leopard and a terrible devouring kind with iron teeth, multiple heads and horns in Daniel 7. These are later explained as representing kingdoms and kings referred to as the empires which ruled over the earth in Biblical history - Daniel living in the time of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon who had won Jerusalem and taken Israel captive as prophesied by Jeremiah. These unusual beasts are rising from the sea; symbol of humanity. These animals depict the nature of the beast which gains thrones over other nations just as the royals of Great Britain utilise the lion, Russia the bear, China the dragon and USA the eagle to symbolise their nature. Interestingly in this piece the lion has removed its eagle wings (symbol of spirituality) but is given a man's heart. Nebuchadnezzar had his heart changed from that of a man and given the heart of an animal (Dan 4:16). One king of England w...

Simon Peter, praying around lunch time, finds himself in a trance, hungry and contrary to God's command saying, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." (v14). But a voice from heaven tells him, "You must not call unclean what God has cleansed" (v15). Here we have a wonderful example of what power prayer can be and what powerful things can occur while on home visiting. Here our Father in heaven is bringing elements of His realm to earth through the Holy Spirit; creating a place for His children without racial or cultural distinction. But his servant is caught up in a paradigm of Jewish exclusivity and prejudice; it being unlawful for a Jew to mix with Gentiles (v28). Cornelius is a Roman centurion in Caesarea, a God fearer, generous, praying daily, and he is also praying in a trance like vision when approached by an angel of the Lord, saying to send for Simon Peter w...