Lessons in the Ladder Days

Candace Long: I'm Candace Long with Lessons in the Latter Days, offering biblical commentary to make sense of the times that we're living in. Today's episode is called "I've Heard the Spirit of Elijah."

The events leading up to hearing this voice were troubling, so bear with me as I try to memorialize them. And as I do, I want you to keep in mind the level of discernment needed to distinguish one voice from another—to discern whether the words coming out of someone's mouth are layered with truth or error.

The other night I went to a dinner party honoring ministry colleagues from Israel, and I was anxious to see these two men again and hear what's going on over there, being so close to the Lord's coming.

Keep in mind I typically live in my Levitical cave, away from people in a world of quiet. But at this one event, I was plopped into a face-to-face encounter with the current mindsets of three different groups: marketplace Christians, Messianic Jews, and Palestinian Christians.

After a few hours I left the event. I was speechless and spiritually mute, for to be honest with you, I did not resonate with one person there except a believer friend I'd invited to go with me.

Our first encounter was sitting around the table with the hostess, who asked each of us to tell what church we go to. My friend said, "I'm not affiliated with a church. I am becoming Torah-observant." Blank stare.

I was next. I likewise said I've been Torah-observant for many years and belong to a Messianic congregation in Texas. More blank stares. I told them about my calling to help believers understand the end of days and shared recent findings that indicate we have witnessed the falling away of the church mentioned in Second Thessalonians 3, as evidenced by Christians celebrating Easter while those of us who are Torah-observant were celebrating Purim.

The hostess blurted out, "What's that?" I explained how far off Christians have strayed from God's appointed times, leaving the church, I believe, unprepared for what's to come.

Encounter number two was finally speaking with the honoree, a Messianic Jew I've known for a long time. I asked him how believers are seeing things unfold in Israel. All he could talk about were the long-range plans he's working on to disciple Messianic believers who have business ideas waiting to be funded.

I said, "Frankly, I'm surprised. My research is telling me that we are just a couple of years away from the Rapture." And to my amazement he said, "Well, if the Lord is coming that soon, I don't think I'll be going."

"What?" I thought. He said, "We are raising our second million to build generations of business leaders to transform Israel."

My final encounter was with the host himself, a member of a large group of Christian business leaders who have dedicated their companies to Christ. And like with my Israeli friend, there was absolutely no thought of the Lord's imminent return. His focus was building a legacy of godly business leaders over the next 15 generations.

Everything in me was screaming what I have been teaching you since 2021—namely, that we are almost at the end of the final seven-year period before the Day of the Lord. And I had a hard time realizing that this message was diametrically opposed to 99% of those who were at this party.

I could not fathom, and still can't, the Lord coming to the clouds only to hear one of his servants say, "I know you're here to take me, but I think I'll stay behind and go through the tribulation."

In the middle of the night, while tossing and turning, I woke up hearing three words: "Consider the times." That led me to Deuteronomy 32:29, which is the last thing Moses said to his people before leaving this earth.

He said, "Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them." And then we come to our passage in verse 29 where Moses speaks of Israel and says, "They are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end."

God describes Israel right before the Day of the Lord as void of three of the seven spirits of God: the spirit of counsel, the spirit of understanding, and the spirit of wisdom. The word "void" means to wander away and open the door to destruction. That is apostasy.

What I witnessed at this party was foretold by Moses. Israel is unable to perceive correctly the latter days they find themselves in. But there's more. Just as they were fulfilling Deuteronomy 32:29, I believe my friend and I also witnessed the strong delusion the Apostle Paul warned would come to believers in Second Thessalonians 3 once the falling away had taken place.

I'll put a link to the episode called "2024: The Year of the Apostasy" in the description notes to this episode if you'd like to learn more what's happening in the church.

The bottom line is we must be careful what voices we listen to and ask for discernment in this chaotic season. I want to spend the rest of our time together introducing you to a voice God is bringing out of the wilderness, I believe, in fulfillment of Malachi 4, in which the prophet said, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes."

The word "send" is *shalah*, which is an apostolic commissioning sent specifically to the Jewish people. When? He says, "before the Day of the Lord comes." The word "before" is *panay*, translated "in the face of." This means the spirit of Elijah will come simultaneously at the same time with the coming of the Day of the Lord.

I believe this prophecy is being fulfilled now by an Orthodox Israeli Rabbi named Alon Anava, whose teachings I have been drawn to for several years now. My Rabbi, Michael Washer, is descended from the line of Aaron. He's a follower of Jesus as the Messiah, and he follows Rabbi Anava closely. He recognizes the spirit of Elijah in him too.

Now, I could simply put some links for you to hear Rabbi Anava for yourself, but to be honest, sometimes he's difficult to understand. Even though he grew up in New York, Hebrew expressions spill out in his teachings, and I often have to stop the video to figure out what he's saying.

I've spent many hours listening to his teachings, and I want to sum up some of his thinking for you. What he is saying is that significant for he is an important signal in identifying the final days as they are unfolding.

I want to share four things: one, a little of his background; number two, his near-death experience, which shook him deeply and redirected his mission; number three, the wisdom God has given him regarding the present state of Israel; and number four, why he spent the entire summer in the United States. Very plainly, he was compelled to come because Jews have no idea what is coming.

Concerning his background, I'll give you bits and pieces of his teachings. Rabbi Anava is not your typical Orthodox rabbi. Yes, if you see him on YouTube, he most assuredly looks Orthodox, but his thinking is anything but typical.

He openly criticizes the way the Israeli government is run. He says Israel is controlled by the *Erev Rav*. Now, this was the group referred to as the mixed multitude that came to Israel when the Jews left Egypt. *Erev Rav* is Anava's name for the evil regime controlling the world.

He refers to them as the real mafia, but says Hashem is allowing them, all leading up to Messiah. This group has existed 4,000 years. They are the real enemy, the heads of everything, and are all related to Amalek.

He says Zionism is 100% Amalek. If you're pro-Israel and loving Israel, these are totally different from Zionism. Zionists have the culture of Greece. That's where Antiochus came from, and he was sent to destroy Israel. He didn't want to kill the Jews, but to force them to become like the Hellenists.

Don't do circumcision, no Sabbaths, no new moon. They could study Torah, but their culture had to conform to the rest of the world. All of the Israeli leaders want to get rid of Torah. They hate Orthodox Jews. He sees the culture in Israel as total Hellenism. Sephardis came in, they cut off their hair, materialism, malls, sports, dressing beautiful—all Greek culture.

In Israeli schools, they teach kids that Torah is a hoax. It is an evil regime. All the leaders are acting on behalf of *Erev Rav*. *Erev Rav* is always against Hashem. All of the elections are rigged. Amalek is in key positions all around the world. Even the religious leaders are infiltrated. Our hope is Messiah will come and destroy it all.

Let me comment a moment. If you have heard my six-part series on "Uncovering the Ancient Snare of Amalek," you'll recognize familiar themes that what I've been teaching aligns perfectly with what he says is going on there.

Rabbi Anava teaches Torah to listeners all over the world, to Jews and Christians, because of today's hunger to return to Hashem and observe Torah—a movement that I've been part of for many years now.

Hashem delivered Anava in a miraculous way. Early on in his life, he was a drug dealer. Cartel leader wanted by the FBI. He and many others were arrested, and he faced 49 counts of felony indictments.

He humbled himself before God by doing *teshuva*, which is biblical repentance, and reconciled himself to spending the next 40 years in prison studying Torah. By a series of miracles, God responded to his brokenness.

After being in jail for one year, mysteriously, all of his records were wiped clean. He has no idea how this happened, but he ended up with a $1,000 fine and one year probation. And since that time, some 20 years, Rabbi Anava has been a devoted servant of Hashem, studying and teaching Torah to students all over the world.

His near-death experience took place during the High Holy Days of the month of Tishrei, which was the last week of October in 2019. Interestingly, the exact same time period as the Hamas attack four years later.

Now, if I'm not mistaken, Anava was in the process of removing an old tattoo and developed a skin infection that brought about encephalitis, which caused his brain to swell. He then developed sepsis and ended up in ICU with liver failure and a blood clot in the main artery of the lung. He was not expected to live.

Suddenly one night, he found himself outside his body, and there was no pain. He heard this beautiful music. He said, "In my mind, it was Erev Shabbat. But in the back of my mind, I knew it was Tuesday."

Now let me pause here to comment. Erev Shabbat is the period right before Shabbat begins, the transition period into the holy time. But it is also a Jewish expression that refers to the coming of Messiah.

The awareness inside the dream was minutes before Shabbat. I was going through this perfect, magical village. The aroma was unbelievable, and the music beckoned me. I met a man dressed in a brilliant white, with a long white beard, taking me through the village.

I asked, "Why is everyone here dressed for Shabbat?" He tells me, "Because it's Erev Shabbat." But I'm saying in my mind, "No it's not, it's Tuesday."

I asked the man, "Are you Moshiach?" "No, I am his messenger." Suddenly, the music stopped. The scene disappeared. I was afraid to look up. A huge, frightening angel spread his wings that covered the face of the world with darkness.

Fear pierced my body. I started hearing screaming. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it felt like the entire heavens were chanting—like an army screaming in unison coming to attack.

Suddenly, this huge angel smashed the ground with what looked like an eagle's leg. It sounded like thunder, and the whole earth was shaking as if it was breaking into pieces. Then this angel screamed out a verse a million times louder than the explosion on the ground: *Ein Od Milvado*.

There is none else besides Him. The whole earth was crumbling into pieces by this voice: *Ein Od Milvado*. Infinite number of angels were screaming back to him and echoing through the heavens.

I understood that this Angel of Death spreading his wings over the whole universe was acknowledging there is nobody but Him. What I knew became so clear: that the entire human race believes in other gods; that for the last few thousand years, the honor of the Kadosh Baruch Hu—the Holy One, Blessed be He—has been thrown on the floor and trampled.

The angel said they were here to take him, saying, "You're done, you're finished." Anava said, "But what about my wife and my children and my students?" He pleaded his case to Hashem to be allowed to stay and help others. What you hear in his teaching is his love for the Torah and his desire to restore the honor of His holy name.

More of his thoughts: "During this near-death experience, I wasn't afraid for myself, but for everyone else. If it were up to me, I'd shut off the camera and go into the mountains with a goat and smash my phone.

The final scream from the Angel of Death was from Exodus 15:18: *Adonai Yimloch L'olam Va'ed*. The Lord will reign to all eternity. It ripped my spirit. I felt like I was exploding. The numerical value of this verse is 367, the same value as this little virus, Corona."

Anava is one of few rabbis who saw through the pandemic. God said, "How dare you call on other gods than me?" You know what COVID is in Hebrew? *Kavod*. My honor, my glory. Where's my *kavod*? Hashem is screaming, "I am the God of the world and you're bowing down to other idols to save you."

What hit me was that when COVID hit, that is what consumed people. They idolized anyone who had the magic cure. Who got the glory? Hashem? No, the vaccine. We have to believe in God Himself. End of story.

Some of his closing thoughts: "When I came to the Jewish faith, I became very disappointed because the focus was not on Hashem. It was 'Which congregation do you belong to?'" His answer to them was, "I'm a God-fearing Jew who follows the Torah. I have one Rebbe, the Kadosh Baruch Hu."

Why did he spend the summer teaching in America? He said Jews have no idea what is coming. We are in judgment right before the birth pangs. What we are experiencing now is nothing compared to what is coming. Hashem is saying, "I'm going to break every foundation you think you have in this world."

We need to do *teshuva* and return to doing the *mitzvot*. No matter where you are, if you are walking in the ways of Torah, you will be safe. Acknowledge what you are guilty of.

My Rabbi and his wife drove all the way to Dallas to hear him and said seeing Rabbi Anava was like going to see Elijah or Jeremiah. It was intense. Rabbi Washer reminded our congregation that we are not in the birth pangs and explained the difference between what scripture refers to as birth pangs and contractions, saying they are two very different things.

Rabbi Anava believes Israel has already experienced two contractions: one in 2021 when 45 Orthodox Jews were trampled to death at an annual celebration of Lag BaOmer, saying that it was a scathing judgment from Hashem because his people showed no respect and regard for each other. I will put a link to this significant event in the notes to this episode.

The second contraction was October 7th, 2023, when more than 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas. He believes the next contraction will be even worse.

In closing, what I have shared with you, I believe to be a fulfillment of Malachi 4, which is an end-times signal—a specific prophecy for Israel. Rabbi Anava is being sent not to the world, but to Jews. He is telling Jews everywhere the birth pangs are almost here.

Now, the purpose of the birth pangs—which we know as the seven-year tribulation—is number one, for the repentance of the Jewish people; number two, so that the baby is born, Moshiach; and number three, to cleanse the world. In Rabbi Anava's vision, it was Erev Shabbat, right before Day Seven.

Now for me personally, hearing him has been tremendous confirmation. The two contractions he identified in 2021 and 2023 fall within the seven-year time frame I've been laying out for you of the last seven years of the church age, becoming more and more oppressive and dangerous each year.

My research tells me that we will see at least one more big contraction in 2025, ending with the sudden removal of millions of believers at the end of 2026. It's the Rapture that will trigger the seven-year birth pangs.

You'll find the entire seven-part series called "The Final Week of the Church Age" at candacelong.com/podcast. These are incredible times we are living in. In the description notes to this episode called "I've Heard the Spirit of Elijah," I'll include links to several of Rabbi Anava's teachings. I encourage you to experience him for yourself.

I have no doubt in my mind that when the Rapture occurs, Rabbi Anava will be among the first to be sealed for the day of redemption. Yes, he is blinded now to Jesus as the Messiah, but what a leader the Lord is making him to be for his people in the days ahead. I'm Candace Long. Join me next time for Lessons in the Latter Days. God bless.