He asked me if I had any explanation for how I survived, and I just shook my head and said I did not know.

After two weeks of medical observation and debriefing, I was cleared to return home to my family in Ramadan.

My wife Shosana wept when she saw me, having been told only that I had been injured during a business trip and was receiving medical treatment.

My daughters, 12-year-old Tamar and 9-year-old Leah, hugged me carefully, afraid of hurting me.

I held them and tried to act normal, but inside I was being torn apart by the knowledge of what I had experienced and what it meant for my future.

I could not continue living as if nothing had changed.

I could not go back to synagogue and pray the prayers I had prayed my whole life, knowing now that the Messiah we were waiting for had already come.

I could not look my Orthodox father in the eye and pretend I still believed what he had taught me.

I could not serve in the Mosad protecting Israel while knowing that the greatest threat to Israel was not Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas, but our own spiritual blindness to Yeshua.

Everything had changed and I knew I could not keep it hidden for long.

I spent the next month in agonizing prayer and study, reading the New Testament for the first time in my life, finding a Messianic Jewish congregation in Natana where I could meet other Jewish believers in Yeshua and trying to figure out what obedience to Yeshua’s command would look like practically.

The believers I met were kind and welcoming, but they were also careful because many of them had experienced severe persecution for their faith.

They baptized me in the Mediterranean Sea one evening at sunset.

And when I came up out of the water, I felt the same overwhelming presence of Yeshua that I had felt when I died.

I knew I was on the right path, no matter how difficult it would be.

6 weeks after returning to Israel, I submitted my resignation to the MSAD.

My superiors were shocked and tried to convince me to reconsider.

They offered me a promotion, a desk job with less danger, more time with my family, but I refused.

I could not explain to them the real reason without sounding insane.

So, I simply told them that my near-death experience had changed my priorities and I needed to step away from operational work.

They were not happy, but they could not force me to stay.

As after 17 years of faithful service, I walked away from the only career I had known as an adult, from the identity I had built, from the purpose that had driven me.

When I told my family the full truth, that I had not just resigned from the Mess, but that I believed Yeshua was the Messiah, the reaction was even worse than I had expected.

My father declared me dead to him, literally sitting Shiva and mourning me as if I had died.

My mother wept and begged me to recant, to see a rabbi, to come back to the faith of our fathers.

My brothers refused to speak to me.

Shashana, my wife, was devastated and confused.

She had grown up secular and was not deeply religious, but even she understood that what I was claiming was an absolute betrayal of our Jewish identity.

She gave me an ultimatum.

Pete, either I would renounce this insanity about Yeshua and return to being the man she married, or she would divorce me and take the girls.

I begged her to listen, to read the prophecies with me, to consider the possibility that I was telling the truth.

But she refused.

Within 3 months, she had filed for divorce.

I lost my wife.

I lost daily access to my daughters.

I lost my extended family.

I lost my community in the Orthodox world.

I lost my career.

I lost my reputation.

Everything Yeshua had warned me about came true exactly as he said it would.

But even in the midst of that terrible loss, I felt his presence with me constantly, strengthening me, comforting me, reminding me that I had not lost anything of eternal value, and that what I had gained was worth infinitely more.

And I began attending the Messianic congregation in Natana regularly.

And the leader there, a former rabbi named Yakov Stern, took me under his wing and began discipling me in the faith.

He taught me how to read the New Testament as a Jewish book, how to see Yeshua in the context of first century Judaism rather than through the lens of Gentile Christianity, and how to articulate my faith to other Jewish people in a way they could understand.

I learned that there was a growing movement of Jewish believers in Yeshua across Israel.

Thousands of us meeting quietly in homes and small congregations facing opposition from both the Orthodox community and the secular government which had laws restricting religious proitizing.

But despite the opposition to the movement was growing because Yeshua was revealing himself to Jewish people in dreams and visions all across the country just as he had revealed himself to me.

Yakov told me stories of rabbis who had encountered Yeshua while studying Torah, of Holocaust survivors who had seen him in dreams, of IDF soldiers who had experienced his presence during combat, of secular Israelis who had supernatural encounters they could not explain or deny.

Every story was unique in its details, but the same in its essence.

Yeshua was moving in Israel, calling his people to recognize him, and nothing could stop what God was doing.

After 6 months of learning and growing in my faith, I felt Yeshua calling me to begin sharing my testimony publicly.

The idea terrified me because I knew what the cost would be.

But I also could not escape the memory of standing before him and hearing him commission me to warn Israel.

I started small sharing my story in Messianic congregations around the country and the response was powerful.

People wept as I described my death and encounter with Yeshua.

Many came forward afterward to say they had experienced similar things.

Word began to spread through the Messianic community that a former Mossad agent was openly sharing about his encounter with Yeshua and invitations started coming from different groups asking me to speak.

I shared my testimony in Jerusalem, in Hifa, in Bayer Shva, in small living rooms, in rented halls, wherever people would listen.

Each time I spoke, I saw the same pattern.

Some people would become angry and walk out, offended by the idea that a Jew could follow Yeshua.

But others would approach me afterward with tears in their eyes, confessing that they too had experienced something supernatural that they had been afraid to talk about.

An older woman in Jerusalem told me that Yeshua had appeared to her three times in dreams, calling her by name, but she had been too frightened to respond because of what it would cost her in her religious community.

A young man in Hifa, a combat soldier, described seeing Yeshua standing next to him during a firefight with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border.

A presence so real and protective that he knew without question who it was.

A university professor in Tel Aviv shared that while reading Isaiah 53 in preparation for a lecture in the words had suddenly come alive to her and she had understood for the first time that the suffering servant was not the nation of Israel but a person and that person was Yeshua.

These testimonies confirmed what Yeshua had shown me in the vision.

He was actively revealing himself to Jewish people across Israel, breaking through centuries of religious tradition and cultural [snorts] resistance with personal encounters that could not be denied or explained away.

The movement was growing and I was becoming part of something much larger than myself.

But as my visibility increased, so did the opposition.

I began receiving threatening phone calls and messages telling me to stop speaking or face consequences.

Someone vandalized my apartment in Ramat Gan spray painting traitor and Nazi collaborator on my door.

Though I was followed on several occasions by men I recognized as working for Orthodox extremist groups who specialized in harassing Messianic Jews.

One evening after speaking at a congregation in Ashdod, three men attacked me in the parking lot, beating me severely and warning me that next time they would do worse.

I went to the hospital with broken ribs and a concussion, but I refused to stop speaking.

The persecution only confirmed that I was doing what Yeshua had called me to do.

If the enemy was fighting this hard to silence me, it meant the message was having an impact.

Then, in February 2024, almost a year after my return from Russia, Yakov approached me with an idea that seemed both exciting and terrifying.

He said that the Messianic community in Israel had been praying about organizing a large public event where multiple Jewish believers could share their testimonies openly, not hidden in small meetings, but broadcast widely so that the entire nation could hear.

The goal was not to be provocative or confrontational, but simply to let Israelis know that there were thousands of their fellow Jews who believed Yeshua was the Messiah, and to give them an opportunity to hear why.

Yakov wanted me to be one of the main speakers because my story as a former MSAD agent and Orthodox Jew carried weight that could not be easily dismissed.

I spent two weeks praying about whether to participate, knowing that this would cross a line from which there would be no return.

Speaking in small messianic congregations was one thing, but broadcasting my testimony to the entire nation was something else entirely.

It would bring a level of visibility and persecution that I had not yet experienced.

But every time I prayed, I felt Yeshua’s presence confirming that this was what he wanted me to do.

The time for hiding was over.

The time for boldness had come.

We scheduled the event for March 27th, 2024 at the Eshkol Events Hall in Ashdod, a venue that could hold 8,000 people.

We arranged for live streaming online so that people across Israel and around the world could watch.

We promoted it through Messianic networks and social media advertising it as testimonies of Jewish believers.

Why we follow Yeshua.

We knew the event would attract not only curious seekers and supportive believers but also hostile opponents who would come to disrupt or protest.

We hired security and made plans for how to handle disruptions, but ultimately we trusted that Yeshua would protect what he had called us to do.

In the weeks leading up to the event, I prepared my testimony carefully, praying over every word, wanting to communicate clearly and lovingly without compromise.

I knew I would have only about 20 minutes to share everything that had happened to me.

So, I had to choose the most important elements.

I decided to focus on three things.

First, my background as an Orthodox Jew and MSAD agent, so people would understand that I was not someone easily deceived or manipulated.

Second, the detailed account of my death and encounter with Yeshua, so they could hear directly what I had experienced.

And third, the warnings Yeshua had given me about Israel’s future on because that was the message he had specifically sent me back to deliver.

The night before the event, I could not sleep.

I lay awake in my small apartment.

now empty and quiet since my family had left.

And I talked to Yeshua like I had learned to do.

I told him I was afraid of what would happen the next day, afraid of the persecution that would certainly intensify, afraid that I would say the wrong words or fail to communicate clearly.

And I felt him speak to my heart, not audibly, but unmistakably, reminding me that he would give me the words I needed, that he would be with me on that stage, and that my job was simply to be faithful and leave the results to him.

I finally fell asleep around 3:00 in the morning and slept deeply for a few hours.

When I woke up on March 27th, I I felt a supernatural peace that made no logical sense given what I was about to do.

I got dressed carefully, putting on a simple button-down shirt and slacks, wanting to look respectable but not formal.

I ate a small breakfast.

Even though I had no appetite, I prayed one more time, committing the day to Yeshua and asking him to use my testimony for his glory and for the salvation of Jewish souls.

Then I drove to Ashdod, my heart pounding, but my resolve firm.

When I arrived at the Eshkol Events Hall around noon, 3 hours before the event was scheduled to start, I was amazed by what I saw.

There were already hundreds of people gathered outside the building, some waiting to get in early, others holding signs protesting the event.

The protesters were mostly Orthodox Jews and some secular Israelis who opposed missionary activity.

Uh their signs said things like Jews for Jesus are not Jews and stop the deception and protect Jewish souls.

But there were also people holding signs of support, Messianic believers who had come to encourage the speakers and show solidarity.

Police were present to keep the two groups separated and prevent violence.

Inside the hall, volunteers were setting up chairs, testing sound equipment, and preparing for the massive crowd that was expected.

Yakov was there directing everything.

And when he saw me, he came over and embraced me.

He said, “Today is historic, Avi.

What happens here will ripple across Israel.

Are you ready?” I nodded and said, “As ready as I will ever be.

Yeshua will have to do the rest.

” We prayed together along with the other speakers and volunteers, asking for protection, for clear communication, and [snorts] for hearts to be open to receive the truth.

By 2:00 in the afternoon, the hall was completely full with every seat taken and people standing in the aisles and along the walls.

The atmosphere was electric, charged with expectation and tension.

I looked out at the crowd and saw such a mix of people.

There were Messianic believers who had come to support us.

Curious secular Israelis who wanted to understand what this movement was about.

Skeptical religious Jews who had come to argue and disprove us.

journalists with cameras recording everything and even some people I suspected were sent by orthodox organizations to gather intelligence or cause disruption.

The diversity of the crowd was itself a testimony to how much interest this topic generated in Israeli society.

At exactly 3:00, uh Yakov opened the event with a prayer in Hebrew, asking Hashem to guide the evening and open hearts to truth.

Then the first speaker, a woman named Ruth Schwarz, who had been a rabbi’s daughter before coming to faith in Yeshua, shared her powerful story of how studying the Talmud had led her to questions that only Yeshua could answer.

The crowd listened with wrapped attention, some nodding in agreement, others shaking their heads in disagreement, but everyone engaged.

Two more speakers followed, each with compelling testimonies of encountering Yeshua in supernatural ways.

a doctor from Hadasa Hospital who had seen Yeshua during a near-death experience during a terrorist attack.

A former ultraorththodox man from Benet Bra who had been studying to be a rabbi when Yeshua appeared to him in a vision while he was reading the book of Daniel.

To each story was unique, but the common thread was undeniable.

Yeshua was revealing himself to Jewish people in Israel in ways that transcended human explanation or manipulation.

Then at 4:30, Yakov introduced me.

He gave a brief background of my credentials as a former Mossad operations officer and lifelong Orthodox Jew, emphasizing that I was not someone prone to delusion or deception.

The crowd grew very quiet as I walked onto the stage.

I stood at the microphone and looked out at 8,000 faces in the hall and knew that thousands more were watching online.

This was the moment Yeshua had prepared me for.

This was why he had sent me back from death.

I took a deep breath, felt his presence settle over me like a mantle, and I began to speak.

I started exactly as I had planned, with the words I spoke at the very beginning of this account.

My name is Avi Goldstein.

I’m 42 years old and until 18 months ago, I was a senior operations officer with the MSAD, Israel’s National Intelligence Agency.

I went on to describe my background, my orthodox upbringing, my specific and taught hatred for Yeshua, my career serving Israel in the most dangerous places on earth.

I saw people leaning forward interested because this was not the typical profile of someone who follows Jesus.

Then I described the operation in St.

Petersburg.

The moment I was shot, the sensation of dying, and the transition into the supernatural realm, the hall was completely silent now except for my voice.

I described meeting Yeshua face to face.

My initial rage and resistance, his overwhelming love, the scars in his hands, and the scriptures that suddenly made perfect sense.

I quoted Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 and Zechariah 12:10, showing how the Hebrew scriptures pointed clearly to a suffering Messiah who would die for sins and then reign as king.

I described being shown heaven and seeing Abraham and Moses and David worshiping Yeshua as the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

I described the horror of hell and seeing Jewish people there who had rejected Yeshua, not because God hated them, but because they had refused the only atonement for sin he provided.

Then I shared the vision of Israel’s future, the two possible timelines, depending on whether we recognized Yeshua or continued to reject him.

I spoke with tears running down my face, pleading with my fellow Jews to understand that I was not a traitor trying to destroy our people, but a brother trying to warn them of danger and point them to salvation.

I said, Yeshua is not the enemy of the Jewish people.

He is the Jewish Messiah, born in Bethlehem, descended from David, crucified in Jerusalem, and raised from the dead, just as the prophets foretold.

Everything our fathers waited for, he fulfilled in his first coming.

Everything we still hope for, he will fulfill in his second coming.

But we must recognize him.

We must call on his name.

We must trust in his atonement rather than trying to earn righteousness through our own efforts.

The time is short.

He is coming soon.

And when he returns, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Yeshua is Lord.

The only question is whether we will recognize him willingly now and be saved or reject him stubbornly and face judgment.

I finished my testimony and stood there in silence, emotionally exhausted, waiting to see how the crowd would respond.

For several long seconds, there was complete silence in that massive hall.

Then suddenly, like a dam breaking, the response came from every direction at once.

Some people erupted in angry shouting, yelling that I was a liar and a deceiver, that I was mentally ill or demonized, that I was betraying the Jewish people and helping our enemies.

But at the same time, from different sections scattered throughout the hall, other people stood up with their hands raised and began shouting their own testimonies.

A woman near the front row cried out, “I saw him, too.

” Yeshua appeared to me in a dream 3 weeks ago.

An elderly man in the middle section stood and declared with a strong voice, “I died during a heart attack last year and met Yeshua just like he described.

He sent me back to tell my family.

” A young soldier in uniform stood on his chair and shouted, “Yhua spoke to me while I was on guard duty in the Golan Heights.

I heard his voice as clearly as I hear my own.

” All across that enormous venue, in what had to be hundreds of instances, Jewish people who had been silently carrying their own encounters with Yeshua felt emboldened by my testimony to speak out publicly for the first time.

 

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