Lessons in the Ladder Days

Candace Long: I'm Candace Long with Lessons in the Ladder Days, offering biblical commentary to make sense of the times that we're living in. Today's episode is the final week of the church age, part five, subtitled The 10 Plagues.

When I began this study, my premise was that before the rapture, we would experience all 10 plagues that God brought upon Egypt. And here are the three reasons why this theory made sense. Reason number one: the festival going on during Jesus' last seven days was Passover. And Passover is referred to as a moed, an appointed time every year when God chose to meet with his children.

But Passover is also called a mikra, a Hebrew word that means a rehearsal. So what was Jesus rehearsing? Reason number two: the last event that Jesus spent with his disciples was the Passover Seder, during which the entire Exodus story is rehearsed in detail.

Now if we are following the body of Jesus' last days on our way to the rapture, if God means for that to be our template, then we too need to understand everything about the Exodus. Every event, every plague, every miracle of deliverance. Why? Reason number three: the meaning of the word Exodus.

In the natural, it means a mass departure of people from one location to another. This was an appointed time for God to transport his people out of Egypt to meet with him and learn to become a nation of priests. Well, isn't that what the rapture is? A mass of people figuratively known as the church who, at the appointed time, must be transported from a wicked earth to the kingdom in heaven for a similar time of training?

In a brief overview of the plagues as they unfold in the book of Exodus, what we're looking for are answers to five questions. Why did God choose those plagues? Why in that order? What was his purpose for them? How do we know they are to be repeated now? And if so, what are we to learn from them?

Now, before I begin, I want to tell you about a recent visit with a dear friend that I hadn't seen in a while. Marie is close to 90 and has walked with the Lord a long time. During our visit, I took a piece of paper and I drew the graph that I've been working on to show the final week of the church age so she could see how close we are to the rapture. All of a sudden her eyes got real wide with excitement and she looked at me and asked, "Who else is teaching these things?"

Now, what she was really asking is, "Where are you getting all this? Who are you listening to?" I said, "Marie, I have no idea if anyone else is teaching these things. I'm too busy trying to put into words what I believe I'm being shown." Now, as a listener, you may be asking this same question and that is okay. So let me explain.

If I have a strong impression about something when studying, it takes me hours to test it out because I know I have to give account to the Lord for everything that I teach. I look for confirmation in the scriptures. If I don't find it, I leave it out. And I've come to realize that in each generation, God chooses certain men and women to chronicle what they experience because in the kingdom these will be able to testify to the fulfillment of biblical prophecies that came to pass during their lifetime.

And my calling is one of these who chronicles. Isaiah 28 explains how the Lord imparts these latter days mysteries. He writes, "Whom will he, meaning God, teach knowledge? And to whom will he make to understand doctrine? Those who are weaned from the milk and those drawn from the breast. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

Here are six takeaways to think about. First, when you see something repeated twice back to back, our Jewish forefathers teach that this is God's way of saying that that thing will be fulfilled twice. Once in the present time and the second right before the day of the Lord. Second, let's look at the phrase "to whom will he make to understand doctrine".

The word doctrine in Hebrew means an announcement. The verb tense is passive. We don't automatically understand these divine announcements. We have to be made to understand. Third, Isaiah tells us who is able to hear these announcements. He says they have to be "weaned from the milk, drawn from the breast".

God repeats this also because he has two breasts. We find them in Isaiah 66. One of them is the Torah and the other is the Holy Spirit. Now, how long does it take to wean a child? Biblically, the timeframe is between two and four years. Number four, we see then that those to whom God communicates these news bulletins have been nurtured for at least three years in dedicated Torah study.

Number five, the phrase precept upon precept and line upon line. The word for precept is tsav from the word tsava, often translated as commandments. There are 613 of them. So precept upon precept is what flows out of God's breast. When he says "line upon line", the word line is kav and it means a connecting cord or a rule.

Number six, the final takeaway brings together what Isaiah is saying. God is pleased to give heavenly news bulletins of doctrine to those who have been in dedicated Torah study for at least three years. These precepts are chunks of wisdom that build upon each other and are joined together by divinely appointed connecting cords to help you see the big picture.

Let me give you an example. For months I studied the days of Noah. I needed that foundation before God led me to research the final kingdom that the prophet Daniel wrote about. And only then was I ready to uncover the ancient snare after stumbling across it in Deuteronomy and Holy Spirit connected all of that with the Nephilim agenda that I've studied for over 30 years.

Precept upon precept, line upon line. And one day during Hanukkah in 2021, I saw the doctrine and I heard God's announcement that the vaccine was dangerous. Now I've been in intense Torah study for over three years studying the wisdom of the sages, learning the doctrines of our Jewish forefathers and how God communicates. And this is how I get what I'm teaching, so you can discern it for yourselves.

More than anything, I want to testify to the incredible rewards that we receive when we're weaned at the breast of Torah study. There is no substitute for God's foundational milk. So let's take a look at these 10 plagues. A couple of introductory comments. First, the word plague is nega which means a blow or affliction, like a divine spanking. They are instruments of God's wrath, a punishment for unrighteousness.

Now the sages note that during the Exodus account, there were three sets of three plagues each because God wanted to establish three eternal principles for all time. Set number one was the plagues of the blood, frogs and lice. And they were given to prove his existence. He said, "You shall know that I am God."

Now keep in mind in Egypt, the people worshipped many gods. And it's this set that we are going to focus on today. Set number two: the plagues of flies, livestock epidemic and boils. And that proved God's providence extends to earthly affairs. In fact, in these plagues he says, "I will set apart on that day the land of Goshen where my people dwell, that there will not be a swarm, so you will know that I am God in the midst of the land and I make a distinction between my people and your people."

This is a promise that whatever God may bring upon our country by way of discipline, he is bound by covenant to protect those who are his. Set number three is hail, locusts and darkness, showing that God is unmatched by any other power. "For this time I am sending all my plagues against your heart," speaking to Pharaoh, "and upon your people, so that you will know there is none like me in all the world."

The second thing to note is that within each group of three, only the first two plagues were preceded by warnings. The third one came as punishment for Pharaoh not heeding the message. And you will notice the three sets did not include the 10th one because the death of the firstborn had a different purpose.

The first nine plagues were designed to encourage repentance. But the killing of the firstborn and drowning of the Egyptian army were retribution for Pharaoh's refusal to heed the warnings that God gave him and his people. Let's examine this first set. First by looking at them in the natural and then metaphorically to find the deeper meaning.

Plague number one is the blood. Moses told Pharaoh in Exodus 7, "By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand and it shall be turned to blood." Four things to note. Number one, the word strike or smite in some Bibles denotes discipline or punishment.

Number two, the water was the Nile river which sustained Egypt's entire agricultural system. It was critical to their survival. Number three, the word for blood is dam. Now we know what literal blood is, but where I want to focus is number four, the word turned as in the water turned to blood.

The Hebrew word is hafak which means to change or to pervert, to become something other. So what was changed and perverted? The water. Chemically, water is the inorganic compound H2O and is the primary element not only within planet earth but inside all known living organisms. Water is vital for all forms of life.

We can only survive a few days without it and the lack of it causes organ failure. So at the Nile river this God-given resource that the nation depended on was turned to blood. Now I read that you can change the color of water by simply adding baking soda and a pH indicator like a magic trick. But in this case the water was changed molecularly into a totally different liquid.

Scripture tells us the fish in the Nile died so all of the water became foul. Josephus, the famous first century Jewish historian added, "The water not only became the color of blood, but it brought those that drank it great pains and bitter torment." Moses told Pharaoh, "If you refuse to send my people out, I will plague your country with frogs."

Now interestingly, it was the plague of blood that brought about plague number two, the frogs. The ancient historian Jasher wrote, "Once the waters turned to blood, the people's bodies were invaded. The frogs laid their eggs inside of them to where the people perspired frogs when they lay in their beds."

Interestingly, the word frogs appears in two books of the Bible, in Exodus and in Revelation 16, which tells us that frogs are a picture of unclean spirits. Now with that in mind, consider this definition. Frogs have secretions that are toxic. They are well camouflaged. They're slippery. They know no boundaries. They can live on land and water and they are used in witchcraft rituals.

Plague number three is lice. Pharaoh was given no warning. It was sent directly by God as punishment for failure to heed the warnings concerning the bloody water and the frogs. In other words, he did not repent. God told Moses, "Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout the land."

Notice this is the second time that one thing changes into another. Scripture says the dust became lice. This means the molecular properties of what was dust changed into billions of tiny insects with a fastening sting that feeds on blood. The lice literally sucked the life out of people.

Jasher added that this plague specifically targeted the flesh and the people had no protection against it. They were beside themselves with constant physical aggravation and irritation. Let's look now at these three plagues metaphorically to see what God may be saying. Now there are many applications, but these are the lessons that speak most to me.

Key among them is the word Exodus and why that is what God emphasized during Jesus' last week. As we saw earlier, the word Exodus means a mass departure of people from one location to another. Interestingly, scripture gives us three events that could qualify as an Exodus. Let's examine them.

Exodus number one is found in Genesis 6 and 7, when the blood of our ancestors became contaminated through intermarriage with the Nephilim. The molecular changes inside the bodies of this now polluted population opened the door to such wickedness, idolatry, corruption and perversion that God determined to destroy the earth.

But he had an evacuation plan to save the righteous. How many were saved? Only eight people, Noah and his family, leaving behind some 700,000 patriarchal descendants with mixed DNA to drown in the flood. How were the righteous saved? Their deliverance came through the waters.

The Lord transported those who were his to a land that had been cleansed and purged of filth. And charged them with repopulating the earth and teaching the ways of the Lord. Exodus number two is recounted in this episode. There was an appointed time in the month of Nissan when God desired to deliver his people out of Egypt so they could serve him.

But first, they had to go through the 10 plagues God brought upon the nation. As in the days of Noah, the first plague was the polluting blood which signaled that the Exodus was in motion. The bloody water opened the door for the frogs, followed by the lice, causing extreme bodily torment to the Egyptians.

God offered deliverance to all of the Jewish people, but to qualify for the Exodus, they had to leave behind everything they knew. They had to follow Moses and they had to uphold all of God's ways that Moses would subsequently teach them. How many were saved? Scripture tells us that 600,000 men plus the women and children chose to leave and follow Moses.

Now the ancient records tell us that this amounted to only 20% of the population, which means that 80%, about 12 million Jews, chose to stay in Egypt. Now according to the sages, these subsequently died during the remainder of the plagues. How were the righteous saved? Their deliverance also came through the water, just like in the days of Noah.

God miraculously divided the sea for them to cross safely. He then led them supernaturally to a place where they were consecrated to become a nation of priests with God in their midst. Exodus number three is where we find ourselves today. The Lord's evacuation plan is about to happen. But first, we must go through the 10 plagues.

I want you to consider that the plague of blood, plague number one, began during Hanukkah in 2020 when people were injected with a genetically engineered substance designed to pollute the bodies of billions around the world, many of whom love God. Now this confirms the proposed start date of the final week of the church age beginning in 2020.

If I'm correct, we should see confirmation. I believe 2021 was when molecular changes began to take place inside those who took the vaccine. This pollution, plague number one, then opened the door to the plague of frogs which represents an invasion of unclean spirits of disease and infirmity, leaving countless people suffering and tormented by health complications they suddenly had to contend with.

These unclean spirits would also account for the horrific rise in wickedness, corruption and perversion in our cities since 2020. The aftermath of the vaccine rollout literally invaded and destroyed every part of our lives. How will the righteous be saved? Just as the other two Exodus events delivered God's people through water, so will this one.

We will be delivered through the water of the word. There are over 100 scriptures that teach the metaphorical meaning of water is the word of God. Jesus said the coming of the Son of Man would be as it was in the days of Noah. The Lord himself will appear in the clouds and miraculously transport us to the kingdom in heaven.

There we will be consecrated, trained and commissioned to become the nation of kings and priests who will serve him during the messianic kingdom. How many will be saved? Historically, those who were miraculously transported were very few compared to all who were offered the same invitation by God.

What we do know is that the Lord is coming for his bride, but this bride must be pure and uncontaminated. And that's why this next part is critical for you to understand. Unbeknown to most, this cascade of events stemming from the pandemic fulfilled a 3,500 year old prophecy. We were catapulted back into the days of Noah, suddenly living among a polluted population that is growing.

It also fulfills a 2,100 year old prophecy found in the book of Daniel. Now for those of you who have taken the vaccine and are disturbed about what I'm saying, I want to give you hope and encouragement by directing you to some helpful resources. When I shared all these things with my friend Marie, she said, "Candace, I need to pray and come against any harm that came into my body because I took the vaccine."

And that's what we did. We prayed together right then and there and she verbally cancelled any assignment the enemy intended against her. If you want to learn more, I'm putting links to two free transcripts so you can understand the evil intent of this ancient snare and the biblical ways that God gave to release yourself from its grip and cleanse you.

You'll find these transcripts on my podcast page at candacelong.com/podcast. Click on the episode The Final Week of the Church Age, Part Five: The 10 Plagues. A link to the transcripts will be in the description notes. The Lord loves his children and wants you with him, cleansed and free from the grip of this snare.

To understand how it developed and how it deceived so many, take a look at my 35-page monograph called Uncovering the Ancient Snare, which is one of my most important publications. You'll find it at candacelong.com/store. I want to thank you for being with me today. Join me next time as I continue this series on the 10 plagues. I'm Candace Long and you've been listening to Lessons in the Ladder Days. God bless.