Perry Stone says the dedication in Cleveland, Tenn., last week of the new Omega Center International is not only a miracle, but also the fulfillment of a decades-old prophecy. The prophecy is that an end-time revival would come from this area, where historians record an outpouring of the Holy Spirit 10 years prior to Azusa Street.
My wife and I had the privilege of attending the Friday dedication, where 1,400 enthusiastic partners of the ministry and many dignitaries witnessed the burning of the debt papers. The state-of-the-art Omega Center opened debt-free after church officials “miraculously” paid off the $22 million cost several months ago.
The dedication capped a full week of powerful Pentecostal preaching, amazing teaching and anointed praise and worship. People flooded the altars for ministry after each service.
The dedication service also included a half-hour video of memories shared by Perry and his wife, Pam, recalling pivotal moments in his 37-year ministry. That video will be shown on his Manna-Fest television program that airs in 249 nations.
I had hoped to provide links to that video, but it won’t be online until after the program airs. Instead, I interviewed Perry with my iPhone camera, which you can see here. And here is a link to another video where he tells about the prophecy about Cleveland. Perry says that prophecy is already partly fulfilled by the fact that Cleveland is the headquarters of several Pentecostal denominations, including the Church of God, as well as Lee University and a host of ministries, including his own and that of Judy Jacobs.
However, Perry says he also believes the Omega Center is a place where many will gather as a new outpouring of God’s Spirit takes place. The center is only the beginning of a larger complex that will include a training center and a reproduction of an Israeli village. When Perry shared the vision at the conference, there was a spontaneous offering, and businessmen jumped to their feet, pledging thousands of dollars. Perry said it was probably the largest single offering in his ministry’s history. It excited even the Cleveland mayor, who promised to see that two new hotels are built in the area!
Perry also told the unusual story that an autistic man from Huntington, W.Va.—with a proven prophetic gift—gave him the name Omega Center International. The reason: Jesus is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus came the first time as a lamb. He’s coming again as a lion!
Here, Perry tells how he was motivated several years ago to reach and mentor a younger generation being decimated by drugs and alcohol. It resulted in the beginning of a young group that has grown to more than 400, a majority of whom volunteered for the conference. These youth also hold powerful prayer services every Tuesday that are sent out via live streaming on the Internet to thousands of locations around the world.
Perry says it was the youth who prayed in the $22 million needed to build the facility after no bank would lend the money. Several of the gifts (including some that were anonymous) were more than $1 million!
When I interviewed Perry for our cover story in Charisma two years ago, he showed me where the Omega Center would be built. It was just an empty, red-clay lot back then. And he shared the vision. You can read that article on his ministry here.
Last spring, when I drove to Cleveland to have lunch with him, Perry walked me through the partly finished building. Even then, I was amazed by its size and scope. My brief description is not doing it justice. When you’re near Cleveland, plan to visit this amazing ministry. Or learn more online at perrystone.org.
In my work, I’m bombarded by the reality that many things are wrong with our nation—in the culture and in the church. My spirit was refreshed at Perry’s conference, and I was stirred to remember that God still does miracles and that there is a revival brewing among many of the youth of this nation. To think He would give the vision to a man known for Bible teaching and end-time prophecy is even more amazing.
Steve Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma. Follow him on Twitter @sstrang or Facebook (stephenestrang).
