Did Perry Stone Prophesy California Wildfires? Charisma News Makes Shocking Claim!

Testing Modern Prophecy Against Scripture

The main story I want to look at, the first one, is from Charisma News, so I do not recommend this website. There's a lot of wacky stuff on Charisma News, but their headline reads, how Perry Stone's prophetic word, so who's heard of Perry Stone?

He's a televangelist on TBN, I think he's on TBN. And how Perry Stone's prophetic word for 2025 is unfolding before our eyes. So that's the claim of Charisma News, that Perry Stone is a prophet and he has made a true prophecy and it's being fulfilled right now.

So the article is, let me read it, it says, as we step into 2025, Perry Stone's prophetic insight offers a timely word for navigating what lies ahead. His message for Joseph Z's New Year's Eve prophetic broadcast challenges believers to refocus on spiritual priorities while preparing for the unexpected, a reminder that already feels strikingly relevant.

All right, let's turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter five, because in trying to think biblically, we want to compare what's being said here in these Christian news stories to what the Bible says. The article continues, Stone points out a pattern that he's observed year after year.

He says, it's not the things we expect to happen that often occur, it's the things that we didn't see coming. This insight became startling true almost immediately as wildfires erupted on the outskirts of Los Angeles within days of his broadcast, bringing devastation to coastal areas, just as he had warned or predicted.

So okay, the claim that Charisma News is making that Perry Stone, they're basically saying he's a prophet and his prophecy came true. So let's listen to his prophecy. Okay, it says on New Year's Eve, Perry Stone specifically stated, quote, there are going to be different natural disasters to strike the world again in 2025, including some that will take place on the coastal areas, perhaps also within the United States itself, as happens.

Every year, end quote.

That's the prophecy. Okay, let me read it again. I know I are seeing reactions. There are going to be different natural disasters to strike the world again in 2025, including some that will take place on coastal areas, perhaps, and also within the United States itself, as happens every year.

And then eight days later, the California wildfires started in Charisma News and saying, well, this proves he's a prophet and his prophecy is coming true. This is amazing.

Barb.

If I'd been thinking about it, I could have prophesied that. For a place with a severe drought and lots of resinous bushes and shrubbery and lots.

Of houses made of flammable materials, I mean, you know, I mean, it's sort of like saying, you know, someone's going to win the lottery. Well, yeah, but I mean, if you specifically say who and you need more than this, I think,.

But Larry, didn't you say different disasters?

Different natural disasters. Now I would say if it's a man-made, didn't someone light the fire, they think, like if somebody is lighting the fire, I don't know if it's, is it still a natural disaster if someone lights the fire?

I don't know.

That's another issue. But all right. I know there's a lot of hands. Let's just read 1 Thessalonians 5, 19 through 21. It says, here's what Paul tells the church at Thessalonica. He says, do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophecies, test all things, hold fast what is good.

Let me just, I don't want to say devil's advocate, but let me just try to get into the minds of the people at Charismatic News. They say, see, you're laughing at this. You people are despising prophecy.

Here's a prophecy and you're laughing at it. Shame on you. You know, is that what we're doing now? I would argue this is not a legitimate prophecy. Do we despise prophecy? I mean, first of all, all I believe in all of the prophecies in the Bible and we preach them, we believe them, we affirm them.

So those are the prophecies I know that are true and I affirm all of them. Now the question is, are there still prophecies being given today in 2025? Now that's obviously a difference that your average Baptist church, non-denominational church, we do not believe that there are modern day prophets.

So no, I do not think that people are giving prophecies today in that sense. Although if I was faced with just an undeniable prophecy, I mean, I'm open to the fact that I could be wrong, but it has to be a real confirmed prophecy.

And this just, it isn't it, and I'll explain why in a second, but you had something you wanted to say.

I was just going to say, he's stating the obvious, but Barb pretty much reiterated that. I mean, everybody knows there's going to be a fire because there's always a fire. Everybody knows there's going to be a landslide because there's always a landslide.

Everybody knows there's going to be, you know, hurricanes because it happens every year, multiple times. So it's just the obvious, but you can't call that prophecy. It's just historic.

Right. Yeah.

But this is the difference, as most of you know, between, like I said, Baptist churches, non-denominational churches, many of them, versus charismatic churches who believe that there are modern day prophets and that people can get up in the church service and say, the Lord spoke to me and thus saith the Lord, and they give a prophecy that they say is going to happen this year or whatever.

So they do that on a regular basis. In my experience, looking at the prophecies that have come out of the modern charismatic movement, I have come to the conclusion that I do not believe these are on the same level as biblical prophecy.

If not, most of them, I think you can demonstrate, are not really prophecies. And many, if not most, have been proven false.

The Gift of Prophecy and Testing the Spirits

But Marcus.

I have heard that one of the spiritual gifts is prophecy. Yeah. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't look it up, but I think there's a verse that says, earnestly desire the greater gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

I think that the correct understanding of the gift of spiritual prophecy is that you are able to accurately handle God's word and expound upon it.

Yeah.

A lot of people would view the gift of prophecy as the gift of preaching and rightly handling God's word. Other people see it different, but just for the few people who had come in, we're talking about a prophecy who Perry Stone gave this prophecy.

Supposedly he predicted the California wildfires. First Thessalonians five tells us, do not despise prophecies. But then Paul says, test all things and hold fast to that which is good. So even in a charismatic church, if a prophecy is given, they should be taking what he's saying or she's saying and testing it against the Bible.

And then obviously testing whether or not it comes true. So he says, and I'm going to explain one more question, and then I'm going to explain why this is not a legitimate prophecy.

Larry.

How many prophecies have not come true?

Oh, just, I mean, we could be here all day in 2020. There was a, a large number of prophecies about Donald Trump having two consecutive terms that really kind of shined a spotlight on that where clearly they were false, but all right, let's test what he said.

So the apostle John or the apostle Paul says, test all things. And the apostle John and first John four, one says, beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone.

Out into the world.

So Paul says, make sure you're testing the spirits. And then John tells us why we need to test the spirits, because there's a lot of false prophets in the church. So let's test it.

Why This Prediction Does Not Count as Prophecy

Okay.

He said, natural disasters will strike somewhere in the world in 2025. That is not, that does not rise to the level of prophecy. That's a guarantee.

Okay.

So far, so good, including, he says some that will take place on coastal areas. Now that narrows it down a little bit, but the world's a big place. There's going to be some natural disaster again, hurricanes in and of themselves.

That's a guarantee that there will be some natural disaster in a coastal area in 2025.

Okay.

So far, not a legitimate prophecy, but then he says perhaps also within the United States. Now, if I wanted to be cynical, I would say he's phrasing this in such a way where he, when he brings up the United States, that's more specific, but he says within, so he's not really predicting on the coast of the United States.

It sounds like just somewhere within the country, maybe in the heartland, perhaps, perhaps a.

Tornado happens all the time.

Right?

So, so far there's just nothing, nothing here. And then he acknowledges that these types of things happen every year. So he sort of undoes, let me just go through that again, just cause my, my own mind is just racing here with things I want to say.

So he said natural disasters will strike somewhere in the world in 2025, including some that will take place on coastal areas, perhaps also within the United States. So his statement about the United States is worded so that it may or may not be on the coast since it could be within, you know, the middle of the country.

And he acknowledges this stuff happens every year, but charisma news is reporting this as a remarkable, is this a remarkable prophecy?

Yes or no?

Why are they printing this? Well, people, yes, Aaron.

It sounds to me that there's a difference between the judgments of God that were prophesied by the Old Testament prophecies and a word from God where he illuminates some of the scripture for you so you see it more truly than you've seen it in the past, or where God gives you a personal word for yourself.

I mean, I've heard a lot of pastors say there's no prophecy anymore, that that's done. And I wonder if we're only thinking of the judgments of God that like Elijah prophesied or Jonah prophesied, and that God, we tend to dismiss, I can't think of a word, disregard, you know, God is still speaking because a particular church uses that as a way to change.

Scripture.

But God does still speak to us through his word and what he says to us is backed up in his word. And that's, that's not what we're saying when we say. There's no prophecies, right?

God doesn't speak to us at all.

Right.

Okay, just clarify.

Yeah, I mean, God's, yeah, as I think I've said many times, God is still speaking. He speaks through his word. I believe he leads us. He guides us. He illuminates his word that we understand it better.

Prophecy is preaching. It's not just predicting the future. It can be forth telling, so it's exhortation. So, yeah, there's a lot of different ways this is defined. And I'm actually in my sermon, I'm going to make an argument that there may be a prophecy in the Bible that is being fulfilled, you know, in process right now.

So I, we are not despising prophecies as Paul says in first Thessalonians five 20, but we are testing all things. And in fairness, just because this is not a legitimate prophecy doesn't mean that there are no prophecies.

That's not proof, but I mean, I never really seen one.

I've never heard one.

So what other scripture is there? Let's turn to Deuteronomy 18 verse 20. This to me, this is the problem with people standing up and giving prophecies. Obviously, many of them are incorrect. Many of them are so vague.

It's a guarantee. They're going to be quote unquote fulfilled in some way, shape or form. But I feel like people, they get a feeling. They get a thought in their mind and they think, oh, this, this might be God.

And they just come out with this prophecy. Thus saith the Lord. God told me, here's what's going to happen. This is a, you should never ever do that unless you are certain. God actually spoke to you. Why?

Because Deuteronomy 18 verse 20 says this. Moses laid the guidelines for prophecy back in the law of God. Deuteronomy 18 verse 20. But the prophet who presumes, this is the Lord speaking through Moses.

The prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall, what? That prophet shall die. Now, obviously, this is Old Testament Israel.

Not, you know, no one is going to be, you know, put to death today for this. But in Old Testament Israel, if you gave a false prophecy, if you said God, the Lord spoke to me and here's what he said, and then it didn't come true, it's proven false.

That was the capital crime in Israel. So that was on the level of murder and kidnapping and other crimes that required the death penalty. So this is a very serious matter. But here's the thing. If the God of this universe spoke to you, you would know it.

So if you're wondering, oh, is that God? Is God speaking to me? Was that him? If you have to wonder, it wasn't him. Because if God talks to you, you're going to know. So in that way, no one should ever just willy-nilly get up and just, you know, I think I have a feeling this and God told me that.

And according to the Bible, it's a very serious matter. And it's just not being treated seriously. And I know we're sort of laughed about it because it's it's well, it's somewhat absurd, really what he was saying.

But this is a serious issue.

False Prophets, Psychics, and Charismatic Credibility

OK, Marcus, this has been going on forever.

Remember Gene Dixon? And I'm sure this has been going on. Of course, there's a lot of people that are. Yeah, there's mediums and liars and con men and scammers. Yeah, that's the world we live in.

There's mediums, there's psychics who do this stuff all the time. But when it's done in a Christian church in the name of the Lord and other churches are recognizing, well, you know, this charismatic church or assemblies of God, they're they're Christians like us.

And I mean, that's where that's why we have the right to talk about it. I don't know if I'd waste my time on some psychic in some little shop somewhere because I don't think they have any credibility in the minds of Christians.

But Charisma News is a major publication and millions and millions of Christians are aware of it and probably read it. So, all right, that's all I have. But this is these are the passages that we want to test all things.

Hold fast to that which is good. First Thessalonians 5 21. And then the Apostle John beloved do not believe every spirit. So he's telling us if somebody makes a prophecy in the name of God, just do not just believe anybody.

That's what the Apostle John said. Don't just believe anything you hear, but test the spirits because many false prophets have gone out into the world.