Sid Roth - What I Saw in the Spirit Realm Shocked Me
Sid Roth: Hello, Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world, where it's naturally supernatural. My guest, David Tomberlin, hears specific names of people, and then they are healed. I love it. David, when you were 21, you were on top of the world. What was going on in your life?
David Tomberlin: Sid, I had everything going for me, looking from the outside in. I was in college. I actually was a soccer player. I had professional teams talking to me about trying out in Europe and Latin America. I had a beautiful girlfriend who was actually a model. I had my own business: I owned my own house. 21 years old, owned a couple of cars. What I would say is, if I saw my life from somebody else's position, I would have been jealous of me.
Sid Roth: Isn't it like the movies though? You see on the big screen, but you don't know what's going on beyond the facade.
David Tomberlin: Yeah. Externally, things were great. This was the confusing thing about the whole thing: I couldn't point to something that was wrong. Everything was right: but inside I was really withering away. I was under this horrible depression.
Sid Roth: There was no real reason for it.
David Tomberlin: There's nothing I could point to, no financial reason, no relational reason. I was a young man, had everything going for me, and I slipped into this horrible depression, so much so that I was suicidal. All I could do was cry out to God. I remember every night I would cry for hours and hours and hours. And I'm originally from Texas. As a young man in Texas.
Sid Roth: Men don't cry.
David Tomberlin: We don't cry. It's against the rules. It's against the handbook. But I'd never experienced this before, and I would weep and cry for hours. Actually, a couple of time's I planned to kill myself, planned to commit suicide. I remember one night I was watching television, it happened to be a Christian TV program. I remember telling God "God, I don't know how much longer I can hang on, but I commit in my heart not to kill myself". That's what I did. The other thing that accompanied this whole depression darkness was I had a choking sensation around my neck at all times. The only time that choking sensation would go away was when I walked in the church that I attended. Then when I came back out, it would come back on. So I started going to church a lot, obviously. I was like "Can I sleep here"?
Sid Roth: Really? The only relief you would get? But there was one particular service you went to. Tell me about that.
David Tomberlin: It was in the spring, I want to say April, of 1995. I was sitting in this service, and the gentleman who was speaking was talking about what he called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or being immersed in God's spirit. I had some friends who were of a different mindset, and they told me that this wasn't real. That's what they told me, and they were good people, and they loved God. But I was attending the service. I remember I had been so emptied out by this experience that I told God "I don't know if this is real or not, but I need something from you". So at the end of the service, the gentleman who was speaking invited people, "If you want to experience this immersion in God's spirit, then come up to the front". So I immediately stood up and I began to walk towards the front, what they would call the alter area. As I was walking, I felt this unusual sensation. It was like I was walking upstream in a river, as though there were water coursing through my legs.
Sid Roth: If you didn't know you were in a building without water, you would've thought you were walking through water?
David Tomberlin: Right. I just didn't have a paradigm of the supernatural at that time. I just go "This is very odd. I'm walking up a river". I'm having this sensation of walking up a river, yet I'm in a church service. So I get to the front, and I close my eyes. I've always been the kind of person where I don't like anything fake. I don't like people that are not genuine. I've always had a dislike for that. I said "God, I'm not going to fake anything, but whatever you want to give me, please give me". Well, the gentleman was praying for people all along the front. There were probably a couple hundred people there. I was just standing there, and they were playing music, and I would close my eyes, and I'd see a golden light. Every time I closed my eyes, so much to the point that I opened my eyes and asked the gentleman "Was somebody just shining a flashlight in my eyes"? Because that's what it felt like.
Sid Roth: That's real.
David Tomberlin: He looked at me like "No, people don't typically do that in church. They don't shine flashlights in your eyes". But that was the sensation. I closed my eyes: there was a bright light. I was like, "This is unusual". First the water, then the bright light. I just closed my eyes. The gentleman finally got to me and put his hands on my head. And again, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking of my friends who told me this is fake. When this comes, there's also a supernatural language that he was talking about when this takes place. I said "Lord, again, I'm not faking this. I want whatever you have for me, God. I want what you have for me, but I will not fake an experience". I was at a low point. Faking wouldn't help me. I needed something real. All of a sudden, this guy puts his hands on my head, and this language begins to shoot out of my mouth, almost as though I'm not creating it. I'm not making it happen: I'm almost watching it. Then as soon as that language comes out of my head, in my mind I think this: "I wonder if I'm faking this"? All I did was think it. The guy who was praying for me yelled at me, in an angry way, "You're not faking this"! I go "Wow, I guess I'm not faking this". The next thing I know, I'm on my back. I look over to my left: I see some lady's high heel shoes. I was raised Anglican, or episcopal, and you don't fall on the ground in church. It's not proper. So I go, "What am I doing on the ground in church"?, number one. Number two, "How did I get here"? What happened was the power of God had so hit me that I had not been able to stand under that power.
Sid Roth: I tell you what, hold that thought, because you're going to find out about three circular evil things that come out of him, and that depression lifts! And what he has in its place, the whole world should have. Don't go away. We'll be right back after this word. We'll be right back to "It's supernatural"!
Sid Roth: Sid Roth here with David Tomberlin. David is a young man, he's got everything in the world going for him: there's no reason to be depressed, but he's so depressed he's suicidal. He goes into a building: a man prays for him. The power of God hits him, he falls on the floor, he begins speaking a language he's never been instructed. He has no paradigm for what's going on. He's wondering why he's laying there on the floor. What happened next, David?
David Tomberlin: As I laid there on the floor, I began to have this sensation come over me. The best way I can describe it is it was as though there was a little person inside of me cleaning me out. I had all this heaviness inside my heart, and all of a sudden I felt a swirling in my stomach area, and then these three black things popped out of my body.
Sid Roth: Did you see it? Did you feel it?
David Tomberlin: I saw it, in the sense of, I would say it's more in my mind's eye that I saw it, but I saw them very clearly. They were three black circles, and they came out of my mouth area, and they just went, then floated back. Right after that, I immediately felt clean: I was no longer depressed, I was happy to be alive.
Sid Roth: Instantly?
David Tomberlin: Immediately after that third thing left me. I almost threw up at this time as well. I don't know if you've seen some of the horror movies, like the different deliverance movies.
Sid Roth: "The exorcist".
David Tomberlin: Exorcism movies, yeah. I almost threw up, but I didn't. They came out of me, and I immediately felt this peace and joy. As I laid there on the ground, I heard a voice speak to me. I felt this absolute peace, and the voice said "This is what heaven's like". Absolute fulfillment, absolute joy. To the degree that I was suicidal and depressed was the degree that I was absolutely fulfilled. It was as though I felt every cell in my body had achieved its ultimate purpose. This radiant joy overflowing. I was so happy and elated, the burden was lifted off me, but I had one problem: I was on the ground in church, and I don't understand what's going on. So I stand back up. As I stand back up, the youth leader there came up and said "Lift your hands and tell God you want everything he has for you". I lifted my hands and said "God, I want everything you have for me". I fell down again. I got up again, I fell down again. I could not stand under that power and presence of God. It was amazing.
Sid Roth: David, what was the love like that you experienced?
David Tomberlin: The word I would use is saturation. I was saturated in God's love. I felt like a sponge that had been completely wrung out and then dipped in oil, or water, or honey, and that sponge completely filled up. I felt whole inside.
Sid Roth: You got rid of these three, let's call it what it is, demons. Where do you think they came from?
David Tomberlin: My belief is they came from immoral relationships I was in. Ungodly, premarital activity I was involved in. That's just the sense that I get. That's where I believe they came from.
Sid Roth: Ok. Something new happens to David. All of a sudden, he knows things about people that he never knew before. Tell me the first time this happened.
David Tomberlin: The first time this happened, I remember it clearly. I was driving to my mechanic's to get an oil change. I'm driving there, and I'm not thinking about anything, I'm just driving. Suddenly I hear a voice speak to me. I remember it like yesterday, and I'll tell you word for word. He said "Your mechanic's wife has something wrong with the back of her neck. You need to pray with your mechanic so that she can be healed". That specific, word for word, just like that. My thought was "I'm just going to get my oil changed". I'm not on some kind of...
Sid Roth: This isn't a church service.
David Tomberlin: This isn't a mission trip, a church service. I'm going to change my oil. And frankly, many of us would be excited about that today, but I was a little nervous. In fact, I was so nervous that when I got there, I went to the restroom hoping that the mechanic would go on a lunch break so I wouldn't have to deliver this word from God. So anyway, he was still there after I went to the restroom, so I just kind of approached him... How do you approach that? I'm in a mechanic's shop, belts on the wall, cars are lifted up, and this guy's like "Hey, what kind of oil do you want in your car". I go "Listen, this is unusual, but does your wife have something wrong with the back of her neck"? He goes "No. Why would you ask"? Then he goes "Yes! How did you know that"? He was shocked, I was shocked. He goes "She just told me that this morning". He had just found out, so he knew there was no way I could know.
Sid Roth: I could see how shocked you were. I mean forget him being shocked, you must've been shocked.
David Tomberlin: It was hot potato. He was scared, I was scared. But there we were, in the midst of a God encounter.
Sid Roth: You know, this is called a "Word of knowledge". He knows things about people, and then God demonstrates his power. I'd like you to see how this word of knowledge operates. Let's go to the screen and have this clip of a word of knowledge. Two of them.
Sid Roth: Hello, Sid Roth here with David Tomberlin. You just saw a clip of how the word of knowledge operates. David, what exactly is a word of knowledge? How would you explain it?
David Tomberlin: Simply put, it's just when God speaks a piece of information to you. As you saw in the video there, those were pieces of information about peoples' name, their sickness. Could be anything, like my mechanic, his wife's specific area where she was sick. Simply put, it's a word of knowledge. It's knowledge from God that he speaks to you.
Sid Roth: Ok. You had some pretty outrageous things happen in Holland. Tell me about that.
David Tomberlin: This is just a few months ago. I was ministering right outside of Amsterdam. I was in a service. The names over there are different. They're not bill, Henry, Steve like we're used to. So the Lord did something unique, he started giving me the first part of the spelling of the names. So I would spell out part of their name and they would come up and say a name I'd never heard of. It really hit home for them and me that God is on top of the situation and knows the people there.
Sid Roth: Give me an example.
David Tomberlin: I remember there was one, and today I still couldn't tell you the name, but I spelled it "M-a-r". God kept speaking to me "M-a-r". Up comes a lady with a name I'd never heard of. I want to say that she had a healing of a condition that was immediately healed. That I don't actually recall right now, but what really stood out was the spelling of the name and how amazed she was, and how amazed I was.
Sid Roth: Now this has been happening to you for a long time. But are you still in awe when God does this?
David Tomberlin: It's always fresh to me. It never gets old. It's always spontaneous, exciting.
Sid Roth: How about the lady in London?
David Tomberlin: This was right outside of London. I'd called up a health issue, a health condition, and the lady came up. I'm holding her hand, and then God starts speaking to me "Susan. Sue or Susan". I'll get part of a name, then I'll get more.
Sid Roth: So you get a partial information so to speak?
David Tomberlin: Yeah, sometimes it's just that repetitive pulsating "Sue, Susan. Sue, Susan". Like that. That's just how it came to me. So I'm holding this lady's hand and I go "Sue, Susan". I'm looking around the meeting room, "Sue, Susan". She goes "Oh, that's me". She's all polite and British. It was the lady that I was praying for. So she got hit by the power of God and was touched mightily.
Sid Roth: Does this happen only in churches, or does this happen wherever you are?
David Tomberlin: Well, like the first example that I gave...
Sid Roth: Right, the mechanic's shop.
David Tomberlin: It happens out, and that's really exciting. Then it's fun when it happens in church. It never gets old. It's like a fisherman catching a fish. I don't care how old he is, how many times he's caught a fish, it's exciting when you catch one.
Sid Roth: Between you and me, are there times when you hear something and you're out in public, and you just... "I don't want to say it. It may not be true".
David Tomberlin: You always think that.
Sid Roth: I mean you're taking a risk when you're doing this.
David Tomberlin: You always think that, but at the end of the day, what I try to do is not care about my position, but care about the person's position that needs to hear from God. And I go, "If I'm wrong, they'll walk away and, you know, what are they going to do? Chase me down"? So I just try to deliver whatever God speaks to me. And also, there's something that happens when you get a real clear word of knowledge. You may be nervous, you may be scared, but there's a faith that comes with that word of knowledge, and then you're excited to do it.
Sid Roth: Now you like to teach a lot on how everyone can move in the word of knowledge. Do you believe everyone can?
David Tomberlin: Absolutely. Everybody who's been immersed in the Spirit of God has access to the gifts of God and gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe anybody can. And really, it comes back to Jesus' simple statement, "My sheep hear my voice".
Sid Roth: So right now, look in the camera and tell me what God's speaking to people.
David Tomberlin: Ok. Actually Sid, I heard this earlier, just a couple of healing words. One for arthritis. There's a gentleman watching named barry. See, it just comes on me just as I'm speaking it. There's a gentleman watching named barry, and you have arthritis. God, I ask you in the name of Yeshua, touch him now. Heal him now in Jesus' mighty name. Also those watching who may have arthritis, and your name is not barry, believe in faith and I believe God will touch you and heal you now. There's also a knee injury, a gentleman in a motorcycle accident recently, in the last week or two weeks, seven days. That's what it is exactly. See, I thought it was a week or two weeks, then I see seven days. That's what it was.
Sid Roth: Whoa, did you see that?
David Tomberlin: Yeah.
Sid Roth: That's neat.
David Tomberlin: It's almost like a TV screen, but more in what I would call my inner eye, inner ear. I hear internally. It's not like I hear like I hear you speak, but I hear in my heart, and then also see as well.
Sid Roth: Are you seeing anything else?
David Tomberlin: Yeah. I could literally do this for a long time. God, I want to ask for faith for people to believe to do this for themselves. The closer you get to God, it's just like having a relationship on earth. You would tell me things, Sid, because we know each other. God will tell you things if you know God and get close to him. God, I release that faith right now, and that trust in knowing you, to operate in the word of knowledge. Skin diseases. There's a rash right now being healed. There's a rash, in Jesus' name, being healed. Thank you, Lord. Cancer is going right now in Jesus' name. Thank you, Lord. Fibromyalgia. Thank you God. In Jesus' name, be healed. In fact, the person with fibromyalgia that's being healed, you're feeling like an unnatural wind. It's not from a breeze: there's like a wind coming over you. That's God healing you. It's a lady. Thank you Lord, in Jesus' name.
Sid Roth: You know what I'm reminded of? Of that young 21-year old that was filled with depression. These evil spirits lifted off of, made Jesus his Lord, filled with God's spirit. Tell me again what you felt, how clean you felt, and how much love you felt.
David Tomberlin: It was truly going out of darkness into light. I felt depression, I wanted to die, I had no hope, I had no joy. The opposite happened after the Spirit of God touched me and I was immersed and saturated with the Spirit of God. That's what I remember more than anything. As much as the light and the river and the falling down and the evil spirits coming out, more than anything I remember that love. I just felt cared for. I felt loved.
Sid Roth: How would you like to feel loved? How would you like to feel cared for? Are you depressed? Are you in fear? Are you in torment? I know something. I know God's not a respecter of persons. What he did for David, he did for me. What he did for me, he's running with his arms wide open towards you right now. All you have to do is receive. You see, he actually came two thousand years ago. His name in Hebrew is Yeshua. In English, it's Jesus. And he died for every sin you've ever committed, so that you can stand in God's presence without condemnation, and receive that love. If you would pray with me, that's the first step. It's like putting little toes in the water. I believe there's going to be a river that is going to hit you. Say out loud with your mouth "I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I turn from my sins. Jesus, come inside of me". Say it out loud. "Jesus, come inside of me. Take over my life. I make you Lord of my life. Fill me with your spirit. Fill me with your Holy Spirit to overflowing. Let me experience your love, Jesus". And even when we go off the air, you keep telling him "I want to experience your love. I love you Lord. I love you Jesus. I love you".