Has a healing miracle ever been recorded on camera?

Question

Simple question: has a healing miracle ever been recorded on camera? I'm open to answers from any Christian groups/denominations.

Answer 1

Yes. Lot's of them. I have collected some links to miracles reported online on my blog. A number of the links point to videos, and some of those show people being ministered to and indicating that the health problem is no longer there. My favorite is of a man healed of back problems he has suffered from for years. I just love how he responds.

However, when it comes to miracles, it is not a lack of historical or contemporary examples that is the problem. Rather, it our cultural predisposition to anti-supernaturalism. I have found Professor Craig Keener's work in this area particularly helpful, especially his two volume work Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. If you don't have time or motivation to read a two volume work, there are a number of videos of his lectures on the topic online.

Answer 2

AFAIK, the only denomination that has laid out the conditions for such a phenomenon is the Catholic Church, which requires:

• the healing must be “complete”,
• “instantaneous”, and
• “durable”, as well as
• “scientifically inexplicable”.

The "instantaneous" criterion combined with "scientifically inexplicable" implies that this phenomenon occurs as the subject is under measurable observation prior to, during, and after the phenomenon without interruption of measuring.

From a scientific POV, the subject should also not be receiving treatment in the form of medication, irradiation, or other techniques, as that would render the effect "scientifically explicable".

A phenomenon adhering to these conditions has never been recorded (either on still images or video, or otherwise documented in a scientifically undeniable way). And even that would not rule out the placebo effect or spontaneous remission.

Answer 3

I personally witnessed one of these healing miracles. The lady who was healed came to our prayer meeting that evening needing help to come in, as she was unable to walk on her own. She was not paralyzed, but her legs were impaired in some way that made her lame--a condition which she had had for some time.

I was uncomfortable with how the meeting progressed, to be honest. Usually, when we would pray together, one person would pray at a time--in an orderly manner. But there was a gentleman there who prayed that evening very loudly, in a commanding tone, commanding the evil spirits to cease their harassment of this lady, and he led the others to pray all at the same time with him, each in his or her own words, with hands outstretched towards the woman at the center of the circle. As I said, the manner in which this was conducted--perhaps it was the spirit of it--made me uncomfortable, but I had no clear idea as to the reason.

I do not know for sure if there were any pictures taken. Many people today have cell phones with cameras, and it is possible that someone did--but not likely while we were praying, as that was done with eyes closed, as is the usual custom. I do know that I personally took no pictures of the event. In any case, the woman, who had had to be assisted coming into the home, walked easily on her own two feet at the end of the meeting. And all were rejoicing at the miracle.

Three days later we received tragic news. The woman had died.

I believe the "miracle" was a temporary one--a trick of Satan to deceive us, and that all the while, Satan had his grip on the situation.

Remember, Jesus' own disciples were unable to cast out the demons from the demon-possessed boy at the foot of the mountain while their master was not with them. Jesus later answered their question as to the reason for this by saying:

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21, KJV)

And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29, KJV)

We may have prayed in that meeting, but we certainly had not fasted. We had not even known ahead of the meeting that the lady would be attending it. And there was, as it were, an uneasy spirit of confusion present in the meeting in place of God's sweet spirit of truth, order, and love.

I share this as a warning: Not every "miracle," even one that may be captured on camera, is a miracle indeed. Satan and his angels can mimic the miracles of God just as the servants of Pharaoh copied the miracles that Moses did in Egypt by God's power (see Exodus 7:11, 22). Beware of seeking miracles of the wrong source--as they will never have lasting benefit, but will always worsen one's situation in the end.