Resurrection Stories

September 3, 2026

In October 2006, Jeff Markin walked into the emergency room at Palm Beach Gardens Hospital in Florida and collapsed from a massive heart attack. Medical staff worked on him for a long time. His heart had stopped, he was flatlined for approximately 40 minutes, and his body showed clear signs of death (his extremities had turned black). The team was preparing to move him to the morgue.

Cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall felt prompted to pray for the man. He prayed specifically for Markin’s soul and asked God to raise him if it was His will. After the prayer, they shocked him one more time. Suddenly a normal heartbeat returned. Markin later woke up with no significant brain damage — something doctors said should have been impossible after that long without a pulse. Dr. Crandall (a respected cardiologist) has publicly shared this account in detail in his book Raising the Dead and in multiple interviews. He describes it as a clear miracle.

Stories like this force us to confront the claims of John 11. When Jesus stood before the tomb of His friend Lazarus, who had been dead four days, He declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). Then He called Lazarus out of the grave. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus is still at work. Before this Jesus had raised two other people from the dead: The Widow’s Son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17) and Jairus’ Daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-56).

Throughout church history, early church leaders such as Augustine, reported raisings of the dead attested by local eyewitnesses. A second-century source links the conversion of a Mesopotamian bishop in the year 99 to a dead person being raised through the prayers of a Syrian evangelist. John Wesley recorded in his journal that on Christmas Day 1742 he prayed for a man who appeared dead, and the man revived. Historical records of Catholic evangelist Vincent Ferrer also include multiple accounts of the dead being raised during his preaching across Europe.

In our own day, reports continue to surface from places where the gospel is advancing rapidly: China, India, Mozambique, and parts of Africa. It is noteworthy that dramatic miracles often occur among people hearing the message of Jesus for the first time. Miracles and the spread of the gospel frequently travel together.

Western culture tends toward skepticism. The philosopher David Hume argued that miracles violate the laws of nature and that only “ignorant and barbarous” nations believe in them. Yet modern surveys tell a different story. A 2026 survey by the American Bible Society in partnership with CBN News found that 35 percent of Americans say they have personally experienced or witnessed a divine healing. In many parts of the world, people turn to God in desperate situations because they have no other hope. They are not anti-medicine; they simply need a miracle. And often they receive one. I can certainly add my name to the list of those who have witnessed divine miracles. I have seen God use me to bring physical healing to people, but just as miraculously spiritual and emotional healing.

These accounts do not replace the unique, once-for-all resurrection of Jesus. They do, however, remind us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is still active. They also challenge the church. Miracles seem to accompany the church when it is on mission, going out with the good news, more than when it is merely trying to preserve its comfort or reputation.

The God who raised Lazarus and who restored Jeff Markin is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still the resurrection and the life. The question is whether we will live and speak as people who truly believe it.

How does the story of Jeff Markin’s resurrection challenge or encourage your own faith in God’s power? Why do you think dramatic miracles seem more common in places where the gospel is newly advancing? In what ways might Western skepticism keep us from expecting God to act powerfully today? How can you live this week as someone who truly believes Jesus is “the resurrection and the life”?

This week, ask God to renew your confidence in His resurrection power. Pray for those who are sick or grieving. Look for opportunities to share the hope of the risen Christ. And if you have never trusted Jesus as the One who conquered death, consider that the same power that brought Jeff Markin back to life is offered to you for eternal life. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).