Sid Roth

Sid: I’ve got a Jewish man that’s red hot for the Messiah we find out that he was born in Odessa, Ukraine in 1950 to Jewish parents. He didn’t know much about Judaism it was at that time very difficult to be a practicing Jew. He was raised as an atheist. He left the Soviet Union although he was a great Star there in the Moscow Circus and come to the United States and with $150 he borrowed from the Jewish Community he started a business of acro-gymnastics one of the first in the United States and he won a National Championship himself and he had all of the money he needed but there was something missing. He got into drugs got out of control messed up his life spent money like it was water and you know once you’re hooked on cocaine.  He even saw Jimmy Swaggert on television and said a prayer of salvation and something happened but he continued with his life of drugs. He went to Las Vegas with another Russian friend and things began to close in and you were I guess in a hotel room your friend was there and you cried out what did you cry out Igor Ashkinaszi?

Igor: That was just it was 4:00 in the morning I came extremely disappointed with myself me and my friend we walked into the same room he fell in his bed I fell my bed, he fell asleep immediately but I just could not sleep. My whole heart was just tormented and I said “What have I come to and my life has turned out to be absolutely nothing.” And I realized that there’s nothing to life. My friend was still struggling and my Russian Jewish friend was supposed to make it here you know to get some help he thought he was looking about $30,000 a year at that time.  I was making just 6 months ago over $150,000 a year just cash you know, but now I was on drugs of course and discouraged and disappointed.  In my heart I laid down and I cried “If there is God He alone can help me I don’t want to live in this body I don’t want to live in this situation I don’t know what to do I lived in communism, I lived in capitalism I was an athlete no body now I was poor I was rich and I don’t know what is the life?  What do I belong to is there a God please God help me” and just at that moment my heart was so open and so broken I cannot describe to you my whole being was just I couldn’t even feel myself it was like I didn’t exist just my heart spoke. And suddenly I heard a voice, it was dark it was 4:00 in the morning Vegas windows was completely covered with those heavy curtains and you never know time in Vegas there was no clocks it was dark. But it was 4:00 in the morning I looked at the watch when I came and lay in bed. And suddenly I hear a voice “Igor.” I thought my friend called me Igor but he was sleeping he was snoring in fact at that moment I was gripped with fear I thought I cracked up completely.  And I thought to myself “I don’t hear that voice it just seemed to me.” And then I hear it again “Igor I am your God.” And at that point I thought “That’s it I’m absolutely crazy now I know that I’m crazy because there is no God.” But He said “How can you think this you just called to Me and I answered you.”  And truly I remember I did call Him God to help me and I said “And I said “No it can’t happen.” But I heard the voice outside of me and inside of me at the same time. It was a strong powerful voice so strong it was like a thunder and yet it was so gentle it was like my mother and father blended both together.  I couldn’t deny there was a supernatural voice I’d never heard it could be in my mind it couldn’t be anything else.  But it could be something else and I said to myself “But God. no God doesn’t exist.”  And He answered on my thought “But I Am.”  And at that moment for some reason I don’t know why I ask Him loud it was strange when I asked loud “Um, um, um are You talking to me like You talked to Moses?” Why I said it I have no idea the only time I heard about Moses was my grandmother one time told me when I was about Moses.  And I said “Are You talking to me like You’re talking to Moses?” Surprised that I said it loudly and He laughed.” And that was the first time I heard God laughing and He said “Almost.” And now I think He said it because he didn’t want to hurt me but that was the question again I said loudly “But I know that You don’t exist” and this time He repeated strongly again. “But I Am what are you going to do with Me I Am?” That’s how he said to me at this point I felt in my heart I actually know that I talked to God I actually believed that God exist and the moment I knew in my heart I believed that God is the light broke through like the ceiling disappeared a brilliantly bright light with a silver light with gold streams like a veil with a golden rays in it I couldn’t even look at it. And it was not a light it was just a presence of God. And out of this light He said “Igor because you believe I am going to touch you now and you will never stop talking about Me.” And the light began to go down and it began to expand and descend on me. And where I was there was darkness but where the light was there was light and I could see that light and darkness in the middle. And as the light was moving upon me I begin to see my entire life in a whole but God knew everything about my life. I began to feel so bad about myself. Like I was repenting in my heart because I was in a meeting with God I was about to meet God face to face that was like I felt, I felt dirty I felt bad my whole life like a television video tape passed by me my whole…when I said something to somebody but meant something else. When I smiled but hated when loved I mean when I was double-hearted when people didn’t know what I meant but God knew always my heart and I felt bad. And at this moment the light….a hand came out of the light a human hand.  Now I cannot tell whether a human hand came out of the light or light transformed into a human hand.  I cannot remember I try to remember I always wanted to say it was a scarred hand but I don’t remember scars I just remember it was a hand and He touch me He touched my right shoulder. I just read recently Benny Hinn’s book “He Touched Me.” And I felt my God You actually touched me and the moment He touched me I died, I felt like I died, I died. And at the same time I was dying I felt death, I felt I was stiffening I was dying but suddenly at the same time another life starting pouring inside of me. Light life excuse me life full of joy, full of exaltation and the marrow of my bones began to sing and I’m not exaggerating I felt the music of heaven in my bones.  I was filled with so much love and so much joy that I wanted to bring that same joy to my best friend and my worst enemy.

Sid: But then you asked God a question a very strange question you asked Him is Jesus Your Son?

Igor: At that moment first I jump to my feet and my heart began to shout actually God is Jesus is God I didn’t know why my heart was saying that shouting this. And so I screamed from the top of my lungs “God is, Jesus is God.” But then I stopped and I stopped and I said “Jesus.” How could I say this? And I asked and I look up again to this wonderful light I was basking in it and I said “God is Jesus Your Son?” And He said to me very gently not like He’d spoken to me before no with a strong voice but you almost could miss it if you weren’t spiritually so aware and so spiritually alive at that moment.  He just said simply (softly) “Yes.” But when He said it was so dear to Him this question was so important so dear to Him this revelation is so special to Him He just said (softly) “Yes.” And when He said Yes that Yes just stuck to my heart until this day I just know that I know that I know that Jesus is the Son of God!  I just knew that this is that same Jesus Yeshua that is the Savior I just knew that.  And He said to me at that moment “You will never die you will be with me forever.” Oh the joy that flooded my soul I shouted from the top of my lungs again “God is Jesus! Jesus is God!” My friend jumped to his feet saw me at that state and that condition naturally he thought that I lost it.

Sid: Let me ask you a practical question “What about your smoking, your drinkings, your cocaine addiction?

Igor: That moment it disappeared!

Sid: Oh we’re out of time…