People Raised from the Dead mentioned in the Bible

The widow of Zarephath’s son (1 King 17:17–24). Elijah, the prophet, raised the widow of Zarephath from the dead. Elijah was staying in an upper room of the widow’s house during a severe drought in the land. While he was there, the widow’s son became ill and died. In her grief, the woman brought the body of her son to Elijah with the assumption that his presence in her household had brought about the death of her boy as a judgment of her past sin. Elijah took the dead boy from her arms, went to the upper room, and prayed, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” (verse 21). Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times as he prayed, and “the Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (verse 22). The prophet brought the boy to his mother, who was filled with faith in the power of God through Elijah: “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (verse 24).

The Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37). The prophet Elisha raised the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead. Elisha regularly stayed in Shunem in an upper room prepared for him by this woman and her husband. One day, while Elisha was at Mount Carmel, the couple’s young son died. The woman carried the body of her son to Elisha’s room and laid it on the bed (verse 21). Then, without even telling her husband the news, she departed for Carmel to find Elisha (verses 22–25). When she found Elisha, she pleaded with him to come to Shunem. Elisha sent his servant, Gehazi, ahead of them with instructions to lay Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face (verse 31). As soon as Elisha and the Shunammite woman arrived back home, Elisha went to the upper room, shut the door, and prayed. Then he stretched out on top of the boy’s body, and the body began to warm (verse 34). Elisha arose, walked about the room, and stretched himself out on the body again. The boy then sneezed seven times and awoke from death (verse 35). Elisha then delivered the boy, alive again, to his grateful mother (verses 36–37).

The man was raised out of Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20–21). Elisha is connected with another resurrection that occurred after his death. Sometime after Elisha had died and was buried, some men were burying another body in the same area. The grave diggers saw a band of Moabite raiders approaching, and rather than risk an encounter with the Moabites, they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s grave. Scripture records that “when the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet” (verse 21).

The widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11–17). This is the first of the resurrections that Jesus performed. As the Lord approached the town of Nain, He met a funeral procession leaving the city. In the coffin was a young man, the only son of a widow. When Jesus saw the procession, “his heart went out to [the woman], and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (verse 13). Jesus came close, touched the coffin, and spoke to the dead man: “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (verse 14). Obeying the divine order, “the dead man sat up and began to talk” (verse 15). Thus, Jesus turned the funeral into a praise and worship service: “God has come to help his people,” the people said (verse 16).

Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:52–56), Raised by Jesus 

Jesus also showed His power over death by raising the young daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader. 

The Lord was surrounded by crowds when Jairus came to Him, begging Him to visit his house and heal his dying twelve-year-old daughter (verses 41–42). 

Jesus began to follow Jarius home, but on the way, a member of Jarius’ household approached them with the sad news that Jairus’ daughter had died. 

Jesus turned to Jarius with words of hope: “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (verse 50). Upon arriving at Jarius’ house, Jesus took the girl’s parents, Peter, James, and John, and entered the room where the body lay. 

There, “he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up” (verses 54–55). Jesus and His disciples then left the resurrected girl with her astonished parents.

Lazarus of Bethany (John 11), Raised by Jesus

The third person that Jesus raised from the dead was His friend Lazarus. 

Word had come to Jesus that Lazarus was ill, but Jesus did not go to Bethany to heal him. Instead, He told His disciples, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (verse 4). 

A couple days later, Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus had died, but He promised a resurrection: “I am going there to wake him up” (verse 11). When Jesus reached Bethany, four days after Lazarus’ death, Lazarus’ grieving sisters both greeted Jesus with the same words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (verses 21 and 32). 

Jesus, speaking to Martha, promised to raise Lazarus from the dead (verse 23) and proclaimed Himself to be “the resurrection and the life” (verse 25). Jesus asked to see the grave. When He got to the place, He commanded the stone to be rolled away from the tomb (verse 39), and He prayed (verses 41–42) and “called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’” (verse 43). 

Just as Jesus had promised, “the dead man came out” (verse 44). 

The result of this miracle was that God was glorified, and “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him” (verse 45). Others, however, refused to believe in Jesus and plotted to destroy both Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:53; 12:10).

Various saints in Jerusalem (Matthew 27:50–53) were Raised by God

The Bible mentions some resurrections that occurred en masse at the resurrection of Christ. 

When Jesus died, “the earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open” (verses 51–52). 

Those open tombs remained open until the third day. At that time, “the bodies of many holy people . . . were raised to life. 

They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (verses 52–53). 

On the day that Jesus was raised to life, these saints were also raised and became witnesses in Jerusalem of the life that only Jesus could give.

Tabitha (Acts 9:36–43) Raised by Peter

Tabitha, whose Greek name was Dorcas, was a believer who lived in the coastal city of Joppa. 

Her resurrection was performed by the apostle Peter. Dorcas was known for “always doing good and helping the poor” (verse 36). 

When she died, the believers in Joppa were filled with sadness. 

They laid the body in an upper room and sent for Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda (verses 37–38). Peter came at once and met with the disciples in Joppa, who showed him the clothing that Dorcas had made for the widows there (verse 39). 

Peter sent them all out of the room and prayed. Then, “turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet” (verses 40–41). 

The overjoyed believers received their resurrected friend, and the news spread quickly throughout the city. “Many people believed in the Lord” as a result (verse 42).

Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12) Raised by Paul 

Eutychus was a young man who lived (and died and lived again) in Troas. 

He was raised from the dead by the apostle Paul. 

The believers in Troas were gathered in an upper room to hear the apostle speak. 

Since Paul was leaving town the next day, he spoke late into the night. 

One of his audience members was Eutychus, who sat in a window and, unfortunately, fell asleep. 

Eutychus slipped out of the window and fell three stories to his death (verse 9). 

Paul went down and “threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him” (verse 10). 

Eutychus came back to life, went upstairs, and ate a meal with the others. When the meeting finally broke up at daylight, “the people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted” (verse 12).

Jesus (Mark 16:1–8). Of course, any list of resurrections in the Bible must include the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection are the focal point of Scripture and the most important events in the history of the world. The resurrection of Jesus is different from the Bible’s other resurrections in a very notable way: Jesus’ resurrection is the first “permanent” resurrection; all the other resurrections in the Bible were “temporary” in that those raised to life died again. Lazarus died twice; Jesus rose, nevermore to die. In this way, He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus’ resurrection justifies us (Romans 4:25) and ensures our eternal life: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

2016 Friday, May 20, UNA Front Porch Storytelling Festival

Nick Foster and his grandmother performing Doug’s Tune

Friday, May 20, 2016 

9:00-9:30 

The introduction was a performance by Doctor Foster's grandson, Nick Foster, who played the banjo. He played a tune familiar to everyone that was played on the Andy Griffen Show, by the Darlings, called Doug’s Tune,” and he was joined by his grandmother.

Next, we watched a video about Katheryn Tucker Windham, she talked about going to the funeral home to make her final plans. She was now in her 90s. The funeral director asks for whom was the coffin and she replied for me. He showed her several coffins starting with the most expensive. That was more than she wanted to pay so she kept asking for a cheaper coffin. Katheryn thanked the undertaker and left. She decided that she was going to ask her friend, John, to make her a coffin. John said Kathryn I have never made a coffin. Katheryn said I want a solid pine box, the old fashion kind, with six sides. John measured Katheryn before the built the box to make sure she would fit. 

When John finished the coffin, Katheryn had him bring it to her house and put it on top of about twenty boxes full of insulators she had collected over the years. She said I don’t know why I collected the insulators but when I saw one, I got it and took it home. 

She also told me about collecting insulators. She said when I die to wrap me up in a quilt, put me in my coffin, and bury me, I do not want a funeral or anybody fussing over me. Then she read a poem by Jan Strutters 

“She was twice blessed: she was happy: she knew it. “

Kathryn Tucker Windham died June 12, 2011, and she is buried at New Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Dallas County Alabama. 

9:30-10:00 Donald Davis from Waynesville, North Carolina

Donald said I was the eighth of thirteen children from Haywood County.

He said the worst month of the year was February by April the family was out of food, with only half-year of the growing season. 

His family had two large gardens where they grew four rows of corn and four rows of beans. He said the family grew every vegetable in the alphabet from A to Z. He said his mother’s sisters would come for a visit and they would always get the best can vegetables. His mom would order her chickens from Sears Catalog. 

His side mom would not watch the chickens being killed but would listen. 

He said when his dad chopped off the head of the chicken that his body would leave its head, his body would end up under the smokehouse. He would have to crawl under the smokehouse to retrieve the chicken. He said then his mom would cut up the chicken and then fry it up in a skillet. He said we recycled everything, we did not eat, we would give it to the pig, then we would eat the pig. 

He said we had a cow named Helen, our neighbor's name was also Helen, she was a right fleshy woman. When the cow would get out papa would holler for the cow, and he would say, Helen, I am nearby! Mom would say papa why do you do that? Papa would reply I cannot help it if she knows her a cow. 

He also told a story of when he and his brother went with his mother to can soup mix and apple sauce at the Cannery.

He and his brother played outside, throwing rocks, while his mother canned the soup. She asked Donald if he wanted to label the soup, and he said yes. He said when mom went back inside that he and his brother continued throwing rocks. 

She came out a little later and ask if he had finished labeling the soup mix, and he said yes. His mom said I am ready for you to label the apple sauce. 

He and his brother went inside to label the apple sauce but to his surprise, all the cans looked the same. 

He said to his brother you label half apple sauce and the other half soup mix. They had no clue what was inside each can. 

Everything was fine until the company came for supper and his dad wanted dessert. When we went to open the apple sauce, we got a soup mix. We open at least six or more but all was soup mix. Papa never asked the preacher over to dinner. 

10:00-10:30 Tim Lowery from Summerville, South Carolina 

He loved sweet tea, loved school and he grew up in Kentucky

He said he learned to drive a stick shift in the first grade. He was the first child the bus driver picked up. The bus driver had a cast on his arm and could not shift the gears. He asks him if he knew his ABCs. He said the gear shift was like the letter H. 

He said his first-grade teacher was a woman with a mustache and she carried everything she needed, her money, spoon, makeup, and reading glasses, up there. 

He said in first grade we learned to read from Dick and Jane Books. 

See Jane, run Spot run.  

He said one of the boys in my class was tired of Spot so he said died Spot die. His teacher took out her spoon, from up there and put it in his mouth. Everyone can remember having the spoon from up there put in their mouths.

10:45-11:15 Dolores Hydock from Redding, Pennsylvania 

Dolores talked about her parents and how they loved to dance. She said when her mother was cooking, she would dance. She would take her in her arms and dance. She said every Saturday night her dad would take her mom out to dance the polka. She said I would shine my dad's shoes. My mom would wear a Cherry Red dress, and fog up the room in perfume. She said that she and David Doggett taught ACME dance for twenty years. She said that she learned three lessons. Never take up more than your space. Always wear comfortable shoes and I didn't write down the third.

She said that she was from Redding Pennsylvania. When she was in high school that they were going to use a computer to hook everyone up with their perfect match. There were to answer twenty questions about the type of person that would be their perfect match. But the computer program backfired on them giving them the least perfect match. Everyone had to dance the first dance with their perfect match but after that, they were free to dance with other people everyone was relieved. 

11:15:11:45 Bil Lipp from South Charleston, West Virginia 

Bil’s father was a Methodist preacher and their church never got excited. All the kids went to a Baptist church 

11:45-12:15 We listened to Geraldine Buckley

12:15-1:30PM we ate our sack lunch. Peggy brought three of her friends, with her to the festival. Everyone shared what they brought. We sat at one of the tables in the hallway to eat our picnic lunch. 

After lunch, Peggy and two of her friends went back to the Performance Center. 

My friend and I went to the loft.

1:30-2:00 We listened to Rev Robert B. Jones from Detroit, Michigan he performed to praise and protest songs.

2:00-2:30 We listened to Donald Davis talk about his trip down into the Grand Canyon riding a Mule.  

3:15-3:45 We listened to Bil Lepp talked about the Baptist and Methodist Churches. About visiting the Baptist church and wanting to see the baptism waters. The preacher catches them and tells them they were going to hell for disobeying him. He talked about how the girl and boys were trying to raise money. They were using tin cans that were balanced and the one who put in the heaviest money would win. He and his friend brought a large bag of pennies.

He talked about bats in the attic.

He talked about being caught in a vacuum while watching a train come through a tunnel. 

3:45-5:00 We listened to Dolores talk about a true story of friendship, feeling, foreign, and finding your way home. 

How she and a friend went to Europe thinking they could live on five dollars a day. How her friend fell in love with a German boy and did not want to continue on their journey.

How she learned several different languages and took a job as a nanny for 3 French children. 

I had to leave at 4:30PM to be at my grandson's Wedding Rehearsal.