As several well-known ministers of the gospel have passed away in recent years, many believers have felt the weight of a generational shift. But in a recent message, Perry Stone suggested that what we are witnessing may be more than the natural aging of leaders. He asked a bold question: Could the deaths of key ministers be prophetic signals that we are nearing the end of the age?
The Methuselah Connection
Stone pointed to the days of Noah to explain what he believes could be unfolding now.
“Right before the Flood of Noah, there was one man left who was truly prophetic. His name was Methuselah, and he died seven days before the Flood came,” Stone said. “He was a sign of what was coming in the end.”
In Stone’s view, Methuselah’s death was not random. It marked a countdown. He suggested that the passing of certain chosen leaders in our time may carry similar meaning. When God assigns someone to a generation, their life and even their death can signal a shift.
Called vs. Chosen
Stone centered part of his message on Matthew 20:16. “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
“When you look up this word called… it means to be invited,” he said. “God calls people. He invites them into the kingdom.” But he made clear that being chosen is different. “That word in Greek means selected… God’s elect means those who are selected for an assignment to their particular generation for a particular purpose.”
According to Stone, certain ministers are not only called to preach but are selected to carry an assignment for their era. “God protects the assignment, and sometimes God covers the person,” he said. If they drift from that assignment, “God will have to spank you,” referring to biblical chastisement.
He listed the traits that set apart those who are chosen for major assignments: faithfulness, truthfulness, obedience, sacrifice and the ability to hear and respond quickly to God. “God looks at faithfulness,” Stone said. “If you’re faithful over little things… I’ll make you ruler over many things.”
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Revival Cycles and Israel’s Prophetic Clock
Stone then walked through major spiritual turning points in American history and connected them to events in Israel.
“When Israel became a nation in 1948… the healing revival hit the United States,” he said. He described the powerful healing meetings of that era as part of a larger prophetic wave.
He also pointed to 1967, when Israel recaptured Jerusalem. “Great prophecy being fulfilled,” he said, referencing the Six Day War. What followed, he noted, was the Charismatic Renewal that spread across denominations.
“We see that these outpourings of the Spirit… come in cycles,” Stone said.
In his view, revival movements rise at key prophetic moments. God raises up leaders to carry those moves. When those leaders begin to pass away, it can mark the close of that chapter.
A Remaining Sign
Stone built anticipation around one prominent older minister who is still living. He said he would explain “why his life and his living and being alive right now as an older man is prophetically significant.”
The implication was clear. Just as Methuselah’s death came shortly before the Flood, the passing of certain remaining spiritual fathers could signal a major prophetic shift.
“Anybody ready for this?” he asked the crowd.
What It Could Mean
Stone did not announce dates or predict a specific event. Instead, he suggested that the timing of these losses may matter. If God assigns leaders to specific generations and if revival comes in cycles tied to Israel’s prophetic timeline, then the fading of a generation could mean something significant.
If that pattern holds, the church may be standing at a turning point.
The larger question is not only who will replace these voices, but what era comes next. If the final leaders of a revival generation are nearing the end of their race, believers may need to pay attention. According to Stone, history shows that when God closes one chapter, another often begins. The issue is whether the church will recognize the moment when it arrives.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
