Apologetics – Evidence for Miracles – Documented Miracle Healings
Table of Contents
(Jesus Said) I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I go to My Father.
– John 14.12
Overview
Since the beginning of recorded history, civilizations have laid claims to miraculous events, signs, and wonders that people have witnessed or experienced. Every culture, in every country, throughout history has made these claims. Miraculous and wonderous events that seem to supersede our understanding of the natural world and the sciences have been a part of every human society throughout all of time. Encounters with the supernatural (or outside of the natural course of events), and various wonders and signs that have been associated with these events.
The attempt to create a test for the supernatural or miraculous utilizing scientific methodology has only scratched the surface of how to tackle such a difficult problem. It would seem that the use of our modern-day methods are inadequate to test for such events. As the modern scientific method relies upon natural phenomenon and measurements, human observation, and repeatable experimentation with predictability to assert something as fact. The best we can determine regarding the miraculous, due to the nature of these phenomena, for now is to observe and report.
Today hundreds of millions of people claim to have witnessed some type of miracle throughout their life (Miracles V.I p.209 by Craig Keener). Some of the claims of modern-day miracles leave behind evidence that was either observed or recorded, allowing us to conclude from the evidence and testimonies the validity of these events. The following accounts are miraculous healings that were recorded in peer reviewed medical literature and contain various information for previous ailments that were miraculously or instantaneously healed. These are events that happen outside of normal occurrences and are therefore considered miraculous.
Etymology
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
– Hebrews 2.4
What is a miracle? There are three words used in the Greek New Testament that relate to the miraculous:
Signs – in Greek (G.4592) ‘Semeion’ which means a sign, typically miraculous, given to confirm or authenticate the one doing the work. Think signature or credit given to the one doing the work.
Wonders – in Greek (G.5059) ‘Teras’ which means a wonder or marvel, a miraculous wonder done to elicit a reaction of awe. A extraordinary event, with its supernatural effect left on its witnesses.
Miracles – in Greek (G.1411) ‘Dunamis’ which means power, might or strength. A might, ability, force powerful deed or deed showing power.
We can find in these definitions, that miraculous deeds are anything that is outside of normal occurring circumstances. An instantaneous healing or recovery from a permanent or deadly injury or illness is a miraculous event. This is especially true, when coupled with the fact that the healing or recovery began to take place after a spiritual encounter or prayer took place, signifying the start of the process.
Modern Day Medical Miracles
Polls taken on medical professions have shown that an overwhelming portion of Physicians believe in either the support for spirituality in healing or the existence of miracles based on their experiences in their field. In 2004 a national study on 1100 Physicians; 73% said they believed miracles occur in modern times. 59% said they pray for their patients and 46% said thy encourage their patients to pray to God. 55% said they have seen treatment for their patients that resulted in what they would consider miraculous (Source: Science and Miracles, summarizing he results by HCD research and the Louis Finklestein Institute for Religious and Social studies [Miracles by Craig Keener p. 721]).
Medical Documentation
Case Study – Miraculous Healing of Gastroparesis After 16 Years
The patient was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis and had a pyloromyotomy at two weeks of age. He had a barium upper gastrointestinal study at seven weeks of age and various other procedures that led to the diagnosis of gastroparesis. This condition could have been caused by an injury to the vagus nerve or could have been congenital.
At six weeks of age, he was placed on feeding tubes, including a G-tube and a J-tube. The prognosis for recovery was poor. Morbidity rate for patients with gastroparesis is high. Patient had no improvement after 16 years.
At age 16, the patient and his family attended a Pentecostal church led by a healing evangelist. The speaker reported his own story of having his life spared when his intestines were severed in a serious accident to his abdomen. Upon hearing this the teenager felt a pulsating sensation in his abdominal region. The boy was prayed for by the Evangelist and felt a shock going through his body. A sensation often felt by those who receive healing, a sensation that is often described as either; heat, electricity, tingling, coolness, removal of pain. That night he ate his first meal for the first time.
The patient was taken to his primary care physician who stated that the case was difficult to explain but verified that the symptoms had resolved. The tubes were removed three months later after confirmation of oral feeding was made. After six years, to date, the patient has had no need for any further surgery, medication, or therapy, not any other health problems.
Documentation – https://docs.streetwitnessing.org/sci-research/medical-docs/miracle-heal-gastroparesis
Case Study – Miraculous Healing of Degenerative Blindness
Eighteen year old patient lost the majority of her vision, showing signs of sudden bilateral vision loss in each eye, with less than 20/400. Each fovea corresponded with yellowish-brown areas of atrophy in each eye. After being declared legally blind for over 12 years, she was diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration in both eyes.
The patient reported instantaneous healing of her vision after receiving intercessory prayer from her husband in their bedroom one night. For the first time in over 12 years, she began to see her husband kneeling in the bedroom. The couple belonged to a Baptist Church that did not practice the laying on of hands in praying for the sick.
The first written medical documentation of her acuity in her vision was on a prescription in the VA. At the time improvement was notated to be at 20/100 in each eye, a 400% increase in vision. There was no report of correction or follow up until 2001, when her visual acuities measures 20/40 in each eye, with a recorded normal peripheral vision.
Documentation – https://docs.streetwitnessing.org/sci-research/medical-docs/miracle-heal-degen-blind
Case Study – Instantaneous Healing of Lupus
In 2009 a 40-year-old white female was diagnosed with early stages of Systematic Lupus Erythematosus. Her disease process was determined by doctors to be incurable and was recommended to a Lupus support group. She described her symptoms as severe pain inside her bones, a constant 9/10 on the pain scale daily. Low energy, constant flu-like symptoms, and muscle aches.
SLE Lupus is the most common type of Lupus. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs. It can affect any of the following: joints, skin, brain, kidneys, blood vessels or lungs. There is currently no known cure for Lupus, but medical intervention is said to be able to help control it.
Her symptoms became progressively worse until 2010 when she came to John Douglas for healing in Santa Barbara. She achieved 100 stability without any recurrence of symptoms to the recorded follow up.
Documentation – https://docs.streetwitnessing.org/sci-research/medical-docs/miracle-heal-lupus
Case Study – Miraculous Healing and Regrowth of Amputated Intestines
In November of 2006, Bruce Van Natta, a diesel truck mechanic from Wisconsin, was working on a diesel truck. Unfortunately the jack slipped and the truck fell crushing Bruce underneath. Paramedics came to the scene and witnessed heavy bleeding, rushed Natta to Wisconsin University Hospital.
Surgeons reported and confirmed Van Natta was nearly cut in two, severing 5 major arteries and had to remove over 18 feet of the small intestine. After four operations, the doctors were only able to save about 3 feet of his small intestine. Bruce Van Natta dropped in weight from 180 to 125 lbs over the next following months because his body could not get the nutrients and properly absorb food.
“Small bowel resection x 3… Last night he underwent resection of the 4th portion of his duodenum and resection of mid-jejunum to terminal ileum. In all, he had 75 cm of proximal jejunum and 25cm of distal ileum with preservation of his ileocecal valve”
– Bruce Natta Trauma Operative Notes, University of Wisconsin Hospital, Nov 22, 2006 – Surgeon: Michael Schurr
Bruce Van Natta was literally wasting away because his bowels where not long enough to properly absorb food, he was dying. Doctors told him they did not expect him to live out beyond a year’s timeframe. Then a friend of his from New York felt that God told him to go to Bruce Van Natta to pray for him. He took a flight to Wisconsin, and prayed for Bruce by laying hands on him and commanded his intestines to grow in Jesus’ name. Bruce Van Natta reports immediately feeling a shock shoot through his body, and something like a snake uncoil in his intestines.
Over the next few weeks, Bruce began to gain weight and when the medical personnel performed another upper G.I. tract x-ray exam, they witnesses nearly 10 feet of small intestines. Today Bruce is a health 175 lbs.
Timeline of events:
- Nov 16th, 2006 – date of injury and first surgery, removal of all but 100cm of intestines.
- Nov 17th, 2006 – date of second surgery, finished repairs and closed the abdomen.
- Nov 21st, 2006 – date of third surgery, put in a feeding tube and closed abdomen.
- Feb 5th, 2007 – date of fourth surgery, had to cut another 5cm of intestine due to contracture of blockage.
- June 18th, 2007 – small bowel X-ray showed an increase in intestinal length.
Source – DocumentedHealings.Com – Small Intestine Healed
Source – Saved by Angels – by Bruce Van Natta, p.13
Source of Doctor Statements – The Insanity of Unbelief by Max Davis
Source of Medical Documentation – Bridges for Honest Skeptics by Joel Lantz
Newspaper Article on the Accident – Feb 05, 2007 The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Newspaper Article on the Miraculous Healing – Nov 13, 2007 The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Case Study – Cassimiro Raised to Life after 45 Minutes
Ruby Graupera-Cassimiro at age 40, had gone to the hospital for cesarean section on September 23rd. The surgery was successful with a healthy baby boy, but Cassimiro began to experience shortness of breath, and then stopped breathing. Medical personal attempted to revive her for 3 hours, and had no pulse for 45 minutes. After several minutes of the medical staff leaving her alone, he heart finally began to beat again.
Cassimiro recounted what she experienced while unconscious; she said she was being led down a tunnel by a spiritual being she said reminded her of her father. At some point she was not able to go any further, and that is when heart began to beat and she became conscious. She woke up without any brain damage, broken ribs or burns from over four times of shock therapy attempting to revive her.
Doctors found out she suffered from a rare condition called amniotic fluid embolism. A condition in which the amniotic fluid leaks into the blood stream causing blood clots that leads to cardiac arrest.
ABC NEWS Report Ruby Graupera-Cassimiro Miraculous Resuscitation
AFE Survivor, Ruby Graupera-Cassimiro deemed ‘Miracle’ Woman
Case Study – Bone Cancer Miraculously Healed
Lisa Larios was miraculously healed of reticulum cell sarcoma in her right pelvic bone. In 1972, Lisa began to experience pain in her right hip, eventually developing into a limp. She and her mother where Catholics that attended Mass three or four times a year and did not consider herself deeply religious. She was eventually taken to the hospital after three weeks of not being able to walk because of the pain.
On May 15th, 1972, at St. Josephs Hospital, she had x-rays done on her hip which revealed legions of the right hip socket. Ten days later she was taken to surgery for exploration and biopsy of the right pelvis. The malignancy involved the right ileum, and her diagnosis was reticulum cell sarcoma of bone.
She was transported to L.A. Children’s Hospital to begin chemotherapy. Doctors of the L.A. Children’s Hospital confirmed the tumor had spread from the bones, the bone marrow aspiration, extended to the pelvic bone into the pelvis and a few inches into the soft tissue. Without therapy Lisa was expected to live about 6 months, with therapy perhaps longer. After the first injection of chemotherapy Lisa vomited repeatedly and her family decided not to give her any more treatment.
Lisa’s mother was advised by a friend, Bill Truit, to take her to a healing conference at the Shrine Auditorium. On July 16, 1972 Lisa went to the healing service at the Shrine and told her mother she felt a warm sensation in her stomach. The preacher stated that ‘someone in the wheelchair section is getting healed of cancer,’ stand up and take your healing.’ Lisa turned to her mother and said I think I can walk now. She stood up completely pain free.
Compare with Fig. 1.
The pelvis is radiographically within normal limits.
Compare with fig.1
Soon after, Lisa was brought back to the L.A. Children’s Hospital for the previously scheduled x-rays. The doctors consulted with other doctors about the unexpected findings, there as definite improvement and signs of healing. Every six week she went back for x-rays with improvement showing each time. In Feb of 1974 her hip was completely normal.
Case Study – Malignant Brain Tumor Miraculously Healed
Marie Rosenberger had a malignant tumor in left temporal lobe in her brain that was miraculously healed. Mrs. Rosenberger began to complain of severe headaches and was admitted to Hollywood Community Hospital, where there where extensive studies done to her. A neurosurgeon performed a left temporal craniectomy and partial resection of the tumor. The pathologist confirmed it was a malignant astrocytoma, grade I. However they were not able to get the entire tumor. She began cobalt treatments.
Unfortunately, after the cessation of the cobalt treatments, her condition severely decline. She could not longer speak, read or write. She continued to get worse until she was hospitalized a year later, and the doctors confirmed the tumor had grown back.
Her husband, Herman Rosenberger, sought God for healing and went to an ordained minister of the Four Square Church of Life Bible College. Herman continued in prayer with his family and requested many other churches to join with intercessory prayer for Marie one Sunday night. The following evening, Marie was able to speak and felts a crackling and popping sensation in her head.
A month later they went back to the neurosurgeon and he found a stark improvement with no increase in intracranial pressure. A few months later, her speech was faultless as an active speaker, sharing what God had done for her.
Again there was a shift of the cerebral artery from the left to the right across the midline.
Findings where consistent with reoccurring mass in the left temporal region.
Case Study – Miraculous Healing of the Spine
Delores Winder was diagnosed with osteoporosis of the entire spine and was miraculously healed of her condition. Delores, a devout Presbyterian did not believe in miraculous healings. She had four back surgeries over the course of 15 years that resulted in the fusion of four back lumbar. The surgeries removed various spurs and corrected three deformities and scoliosis. The first fusion broken, and after a second fusion she had multiple complications. She received Novocain injections in her spine and had a plaster of Paris body cast made for her. She was later hospitalized and was diagnosed with pseudoarthrosis and osteoporosis, she lived in constant pain and none of the surgeries or medications helped her, she was bed ridden.
Mrs. Winder attended a healing service at a Methodist convention and the preacher spoke about the Holy Spirits presence and ability to do anything. When she prayed, Delores felt her legs were on fire which startled her because of her bilateral cordotomies had left her without feeling in her legs. She felt a compulsion to leave but a man caught her as she attempted to leave and told her should could remove her body cast. She reluctantly did so and for the first time felt no pain in her body. She could feel her legs and the pain in her head was gone. Afterward she spoke regularly in Churches sharing her testimony.
Note: Spinal Cordotomy is the surgical procedure of cutting the spinal cord to relieve pain in intractable diseases. This is to relieve the pain in the torso of a person, and is especially useful when the pain is coming from the abdomen. Delores Winders underwent percutaneous cervical cordotomy, which means instead of being opened up for surgery, she had needles inserted through the skin to interrupt the nerve. A radio frequency is introduced which produces a heat lesion. This type of procedure is most commonly applied to poor risk patients with short life expectancies.
She had worn out seven casts in the preceding fourteen years.
In her right hand is her neck brace.
After the healing, her physician noted in her chart that the patient had some type of faith healing and had experienced an excellent physical and emotional result. That the patient girdle no longer fit her because she stands up straighter then she ever did before. Her back and neck are more mobile and her legs signs negative. After many years she was now pain free and normal.
Additional Cases
Case Study – Miraculous Brain Tumor Removal in 2 Days
Kayla Knight had a brain tumor that covered almost a quarter of her brain, according to an MRI scan of her brain. She experienced frequent severe headaches and pain in her head. Her parents prayed for her one Sunday at Church with about 30 other people. Two days later Kayla was sent to Baylor Hospital in Dallas for another MRI scan but this time, it was completely gone.
Source – KLTV NEWS Report on the Miraculous Healing of a Brain Tumor in 2 Days
Case Study of 27 Miraculous Healings
27 Cases of various diseases and the effects of intercessory prayers effects on them recorded in the Science Direct Medical documentation. Many experienced instantaneous healing and healings of various type of ailments.
Source – Science Direct Case in Netherlands on the Power of Prayer and 27 Case Studies
Resources
Peer Reviewed Medical Resources – Science Direct; Articles for Peer Reviewed Medical Documentation
ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.
Proximal Intercessory Prayer and its Miraculous Effects
References
Miracles, The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, by Craig S. Keener Vol I. Baker Academy, Grand Rapids MI.
Darren Wilson: The Finger of God – CBN.com – YouTube
Best Documented Healing Miracle Site (documentedhealings.com)
Shaw and Habermas Miracles Review_PC 20-1.pdf (garyhabermas.com)
The Lazarus phenomenon: When the ‘dead’ come back to life (medicalnewstoday.com)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.