Why Thousands of Christians Are Heading to Branson This December | Prophecy Watchers

Summary

Podcast Summary: Prophecy Watchers

Episode: Why Thousands of Christians Are Heading to Branson This December
Hosts: Gary Stearman, Mondo Gonzales, with guest Bob Ulrich
Date: July 2, 2026

---

Main Theme

This episode spotlights the upcoming "Branson Christmas Prophecy Conference", an event gathering Christian prophecy enthusiasts and renowned speakers in Branson, Missouri, from December 10th to 13th, 2026. The hosts discuss the unique features of this major event, the speaker lineup, and why the community values gathering in person to engage with Bible prophecy and current world events.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of the Branson Prophecy Conference

• Scale and Uniqueness:

  • Bob Ulrich highlights that their conferences are “one of a kind...literally bring 20, sometimes even 30 speakers to one event for four days of blessing, encouragement, education.” (00:25)
  • Unlike traditional prophecy conferences, this event features a much larger slate of speakers and spans four days.
  • The conference will be at the Chateau on the Lake, a five-star hotel overlooking Table Rock Lake, enhancing the festive, communal atmosphere of "Christmas in Branson." (00:44)

• Special Events:

  • Attendees will enjoy local festivities including “nativity scenes to gingerbread houses,” and on Saturday night, the “Miracle of Christmas” at the Sight and Sound Theatre, which Bob calls the "very last showing of this planned for the future.” (01:28)

2. Diverse and Expanding Speaker Lineup

• Returning and New Voices:

  • Mondo Gonzales: “Your favorites too that you've come to know and love. Larry Ollison and Billy Crone, of course, and others. But we also have some new people...even some of the younger people that are coming in that God is raising up.” (02:09)
  • Emphasis on including both established and emerging voices in Bible prophecy, creating an opportunity for new scholars and speakers to reach a wider audience.

• Speaker Highlights:

  • The roster includes: Billy Crone, Randall Price, Ken Johnson, Tom Hughes, Don Perkins, Bill and Tonya Koenig, Michael Carey, Lee Brainard, J.B. Hickson, Pete Garcia, Paul Wilkinson, Terry James, James Panafino, Mark Henry, Matt Freeman, and Joe Hawkins, among others. (04:15)

  • Bob Ulrich: “It's like the old expression: drinking from a fire hose. Four days of messages, four days of encouragement, a blessing. People literally leave our conferences on cloud nine.” (05:13)

• Hybrid Experience & Accessibility:

  • The conference has also expanded to include virtual speakers through livestreams and post-conference DVDs, allowing even more voices: “We actually bring a lot of people in being the live streaming feed on the DVDs once the conference is over.” (02:46)
  • This allows greater participation and a wider spread of expertise, bringing the number of presenters closer to 30.

3. Community and Fellowship

• A Place for Prophecy Enthusiasts:

  • Mondo reflects on a core appeal of the conferences—gathering like-minded believers:
    “I'm so excited because I don't get to talk about this stuff with anybody...But to come here, it was great to see people interacting, but then their hearts were already going. Branson's on my list.” (05:52)

  • The conferences provide a rare venue for individuals “who can't talk about prophecy in their local church” to connect and fellowship. (05:36)

• Growing Anticipation:

  • The excitement is palpable—registration and interest build even before the previous conference concludes:
    “Before it was even over, we had talked about what’s coming up in Branson and people like, 'This is great. I'm already eager to go to Branson.'” (05:36)

4. Expert Commentary on Contemporary Issues

• Biblical Lens on Current Events:
  • “Our speakers will tell you what the Bible says about these things…so you'll enjoy it, I know you will.” (07:15)
  • Attendees gain insight into global events and trends, interpreted through the lens of Bible prophecy, with direct commentary from experts of varied backgrounds: science, theology, archaeology, astronomy. (04:14)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Conference’s Value:

  • Bob Ulrich: “We do them to bless other people, to bring 1200 Christians together who are all praising Jesus in one room or sometimes two rooms at the same time. It's just, it's a once in a lifetime experience.” (05:13)

• On Speaker Diversity:

  • “We have people from the world of science...pastors...theologians...archaeologists...astronomers. So you never really know what you're going to get at a Prophecy Watchers conference. We'd like to think it's the best of all worlds.” – Bob Ulrich (04:15)

• On Community:

  • Mondo Gonzales: “I don't get to talk about this stuff with anybody...to come here, it was great to see people interacting.” (05:52)

• On Anticipation:

  • “Larry Ollison called me this morning, said, 'Bob, I'm so excited to go back to Branson. Half my church is already signed up. We're coming.'” – Bob Ulrich (06:29)

• On Prophecy in Today’s World:

  • Gary Stearman: "When you go to a Prophecy Watchers conference, you hear commentary, expert commentary on the things that are happening globally today. You read about them, you see them on television and you say, I wonder what the Bible says about these things." (07:10)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:25 – Introduction to the scale and uniqueness of the conference
• 01:28 – Details on the “Miracle of Christmas” and special holiday activities
• 02:09 – Speaker lineup: e.g., Larry Ollison and Billy Crone, plus new additions
• 02:46 – Explanation of hybrid speaker model (in-person, livestream, DVD)
• 04:15 – Listing of major speakers and the event’s “fire hose” of content
• 05:13 – The core purpose: blessing attendees and building Christian community
• 05:52 – Mondo on the importance of gathering prophecy enthusiasts
• 06:29 – Growing anticipation and early registrations from entire congregations
• 07:10 – The value of biblical analysis on current global events

---

Conclusion

The Prophecy Watchers Branson Christmas Prophecy Conference is portrayed as a major, spiritually energizing gathering for Christians passionate about Bible prophecy. The episode enthusiastically details how the event blends expert insights, new and established speakers, and rare fellowship. The anticipation is high, not just for the teaching, but for the unique opportunity to connect with likeminded believers. As the hosts repeatedly affirm, this is more than an event—it’s a memorable and transformative experience for everyone involved.

---

For more information or to register:

• Visit prophecywatchers.com and click the Branson banner
• Conference site: bransonchristmasprophecyconference.com

“Keep watching. We are.” — Gary Stearman (07:15)

Transcript

[A]

Hello, I'm Gary Stearman of Prophecy Watchers here at Prophecy Watchers. We're always doing something exciting and would you believe this? December 10th, 13th we've got something really exciting coming up and Bob Ulrich is beside me. He's going to tell you all about it.

[B]

Bob, Amen. You know, for the last 12 years we have had the biggest prophecy conferences in the entire United States. Our conferences are one of a kind. They're unique, they're different. This is not your father's prophecy conference where three or four or five speakers come. We literally bring 20, sometimes even 30 speakers to one event for four days of blessing, encouragement, education. These conferences literally are one of a kind. We're excited to tell you about our latest event that's coming up 12-10-13, 2026 in Branson, Missouri. Now, we were in Branson two years ago and we had such a spectacular crowd. There were over 1200 people with us and we're at a five star hotel, the Chateau on the Lake, literally overlooking Table Rock Lake. Christmas in Branson, the time of year there the hotel puts on a show. From nativity scenes to gingerbread houses. The entire town of Branson is lit up and ready for guests. And I couldn't tell you how excited people were two years ago to be there. It took us a couple years to actually get another reservation date. 12-10-13. You're going to want to join us there. We're also going to be celebrating something very special. The Sight and Sound Theater in Branson is one of the most popular places for Christian films and plays. And we're going to be at the Miracle of Christmas again on Saturday night, December, during the conference for the Miracle of Christmas, the very last showing of this planned for the future. So if you enjoyed Sight and Sound Theatre before, you're going to want to join us again. 24 speakers this year joining us. Mondo, Our old favorites are with us again, aren't they?

[C]

Yeah, it's pretty phenomenal. And your favorites too that you've come to know and love. Larry Olison and Billy Crone, of course, and others. But we also have some new people that we've done interviews here with that are now making their way into kind of the rotation of the speakers, which I appreciate, having new people, new thoughts, new ideas, even some of the younger people that are coming in that God is raising up in order to share God's word. It's to me, I appreciate as well that we get to be the venue to help many of these speakers get an opportunity to share their Messages with a broad audience mono.

[B]

This is the worst part of my job. We literally start off with a list of probably 60 people and try to figure out who we have to leave at home. And we've started doing something unique here recently in Colorado Springs where we in addition to having the in person speakers, we actually bring a lot of people in being the live streaming feed on the DVDs once the conference is over. So Josh Peck and Dustin Blystone and Gary joined us at the Colorado Springs conference. We'll be doing that same thing in Branson this year. So it's going to be more than 24 speakers. It may be upwards of 30 speakers. There may still be some big names who will be joining us soon. But Gary, you know what it's like to go to a prophecy conference and be surrounded by people who want to shake your hand, tell you how much you've meant to their lives and their education in the world of Bible prophecy. Their there really is nothing like coming to one of these conferences.

[A]

It's wonderful, Bob, and particularly at a time like the times in which we live right now, when exciting things are happening globally speaking and our speakers all address individual situations that are popping up around the world today. And Bob, I don't know how many times I've heard people say things are happening as they never have before.

[B]

I'm really glad you said that because one of the main things these conferences really do is we bring in the experts.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

People who have a specific area of expertise. We have people from the world of science. We have pastors, we have theologians, we have archaeologists, we have astronomers. So you never really know what you're going to get at a prophecy watchers conference. We'd like to think it's the best of all worlds. You know, Mondo, I'm looking at the speaker list here. You know Billy Crone, Randall Price, Ken Johnson, Tom Hughes, Don Perkins, Bill and Tonya Koenig, Michael Carey, Lee Brainard, J.B. hickson. Ken Michael, Pete Garcia, Paul Wilkinson. One of my favorite people in the world is going to be joining us for the first time in Branson this year. Terry James, literally a legend in the world of prophecy. James Panafino, Mark Henry, Matt Freeman. Did I leave out Joe Hawkins? I wouldn't want to leave Joe out. But when you look at the list of names, it's actually an overwhelming experience. It's like the old expression drinking from a fire hose. Four days of messages, four days of encouragement, a blessing. People literally leave our conferences on cloud nine. And I just think that's really what we want. This is why we do these events. We do them to bless other people, to bring 1200 Christians together who are all praising Jesus in one room or sometimes two rooms at the same time. It's just, it's a once in a lifetime experience.

[C]

Yeah, it really is. And what we saw in Colorado was this is one of the first times I've seen this is that. I mean, Colorado, there's a lot of energy there. It was exciting. Many of you were there. But before it was even over, we had talked about what's coming up in Branson and people like this is great. And I'm already eager to go to Branson. So I thought, wow, this is pretty powerful that people recognize how meaningful it is to sit around with others. And it's all the time. And even this conference is the same as I'm so excited because I don't get to talk about this stuff with anybody. My pastor, I can't talk about it. Other Christians, I can't talk about it. But to come here, it was great to see people interacting, but then their hearts were already going. Branson's on my list, so I thought that was cool.

[B]

It's a unique place, to say the least. One of my wife's favorite places. Larry Ollison called me this morning, said, bob, I'm so excited to go back to Branson. Half my church is already signed up. We're coming. So you know it's going to be another great event. Now here's how you sign up. Go to prophecywatchers.com, find the Branson banner, click on it and register. That's all there is to it. There's a phone number involved. We have customer service waiting to help you and make it easy for you. If you're looking for the full description of the entire conference, it's at branson christmas prophecy conference.com branson christmasprophecyconference.com you can see all the speakers, all the names. We'll have our schedules up. We'll have message titles on before too long. So come join us in Branson. It's a great place.

[A]

And that's Branson. December 10th, 13th, 2026. One thing I would add, and that is when you go to a prophecy watcher prophecy conference, you hear commentary, expert commentary on the things that are happening globally today. You read about them, you see them on television and you say, I wonder what the Bible says about these things. Well, our speakers will tell you what the Bible says about these things so you'll enjoy it. I know you will. I'm Gary Stearman, and thanks for watching. This is prophecy. Watchers keep watching. We are.