I once heard from a tzaddik (whose name shall remain anonymous), that the last Great Person who lived, who he felt was the last one who had NEVUAH, was the Chazzon Ish. Now there are great Rebbes and tzaddikim since the Chazzon Ish, but he felt that the Chazzon Ish was in a catagory that is unmatched in his level of nevuah.
Here is a story he told us.
Once the chazzon Ish was learning in his home in Bnei Brak, and there was a ‘Hoiz Bochur’ there who was to take care of whatever the rav needed. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Chazzon Ish screamed “Get out! Get out, I told you so, and I don’t want to have anything to do with you!” The bochur froze, and his heart must have skipped several beats. He started to sweat, and stammering, he begged the rav for forgiveness for whatever it was that he did. The chazzon Ish smiled and calmed the bochur down saying he wasnt talking to him. “But there’s nobody else here!” the bochur said. The chazzon ish said, “I’ll tell you, but do not reveal what I say during my lifetime.”
Many miles away, many years ago, in a city in U.S.S.R. russia, there was a bad yid, an informer, who would inform government officials of jewish boys who were in hiding, trying to escape from being drafted into the army. The fact was that jewish boys that would be drafted by the tender age of 15-16, and would remain there for 10 years, eventually losing everything they had learned about yiddishkeit during that time. The yidden who were rich would be able to bribe authorities, but the poor were totally vulnerable. People begged him to stop, and even asked the Chazzon Ish who was visiting then, to try to speak to him. He spoke to him telling him of the terrible cheit he was committing, and he should stop immediately. He told the Chazzon Ish he needed parnassa and this was how he made his living. Bekitzur, he laughed him off. The Chazzon ish told him sternly before he left, “I’m warning you! You better stop now, or you will end up suffering for all that you have done”!
The Chazzon Ish turned to his Hoiz Bochur and said, this jew just passed away. As soon as his soul left him, the malachei chavala leaped upon him, and started torturing him. He screamed out that they are mistaken, and there is a big tzaddik who can save him. They laughed saying your tzaddik is not our tzaddik! But as soon as he mentioned the chazzon ish, they let go and let him seek the chazzon ish’s help. He flew from russia to BneiBrak in seconds, and before you know it, his soul appeared before the chazzon ish! He cried, begged, told him of the malachim ready to tear him apart, but the chazzon ish told him coldly,”Get out! Get out, I told you so, I don’t want to have anything to do with you!”