Lazarus the Kidney

I did not intend to share the following testimony with many people, out of respect for the men involved and their families, and because I did not think it was my place to share. I simply thought it best to chronicle what the Lord had accomplished in the following situation so I didn’t remember it wrong in the future. However, as is often the case, God had other plans. In this instance, I was at a tent revival, and this miracle was in the foreground of my thoughts. I was in awe at how God could orchestrate such a beautiful miracle, and the Holy Ghost gently urged me to share it with others. And so I will. For God’s glory, for your edification, and as a miraculous sign to those who may doubt, this is the story of the miracle I am calling "Lazarus the Kidney."

I don’t think my little brother Phillip (pictured above with his family) ever met my friend Jon (pictured below by himself), but they both have the same middle name (spelled differently), their wives have the same name, and they each have a daughter with the same name. Jon has seven kids, Phillip has four, and family is very important to both of them. Jon is about three years older than Phillip, and they both have a few piercings and tattoos. Jon has been battling an illness for about 20 years, and his kidneys stopped functioning about a year ago as a result of that illness. When that happened, he went on dialysis and was told that he would need a kidney and pancreas transplant. That set the stage for God to work a miracle.

Prophecy #1

Around 8:20 PM on Monday, March 24, 2025 at the Living Proof Tent Crusade just outside of Charlotte, Mario Murillo prophesied over Jon, saying: "Son of God... You're a son of God, and this is the end of this nightmare, right now... ...The devil has told this young man he's about to die. He's told him he's got only a few..., a few... a little time left before he dies. But, you know, this is Lazarus right here...” "I bind this malignant lie from the pit of hell in his body. I thank You that his blood, his vital organs are all being cleansed.... And God, You're setting him free for the first time in his life. He's being healed, he's being healed by the power of God. Glory to God! Glory to God!” "Brother, I want you to get up. I want you to know something. All the pain is gone. All of the weakness is gone. This thing that was in your body has been pulled out, and you are healed in Jesus' name... ...You have new vital organs. This thing is gone. It's gone, it's gone. You laid hands on him, and Jesus healed him. Somebody shout!"

Prophecy #2

Around 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 23, 2025 in the lower parking lot of The Encounter Charlotte, our mutual friend Dan prophesied over Jon, saying: "This year on Rosh Hashanah, your new season begins."

A Medical Emergency

Less than a month later, around 8:00 PM on Friday, September 19, 2025, Phillip suffered an unexpected brain bleed at his home in Unionville. As the first responders removed him from his home, he suffered a subsequent cardiac arrest. They transported him to a nearby hospital, where they conducted a brain scan, identified a bleed at his brain stem, and transferred him to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at a larger hospital in Charlotte. Later that evening, the medical staff told the family that his prognosis was likely death, but there was a slight chance of survival in a permanent vegetative state. The amount of blood and swelling made it difficult to see the full extent of the damage to his brain. Our family began praying that God would perform a creative miracle, and that Phillip would live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord.

Deteriorating Condition 

The next morning, Saturday, September 20, 2025, the doctors placed a tube to drain the blood from the brain and reduce swelling. A subsequent scan showed that Phillip had a lot of dead brain stem tissue, and no possible chance of recovery. Our family continued praying, knowing that nothing is impossible with God. Ultimately, we knew that Phillip had to want to live to pull through, because God does not force people to stay alive. Thus, we spoke to Phillip's spirit (assuming it was still present in his body), encouraging him to overcome the flesh's desire for death because of how much his wife and children needed him. Despite our expectation of a miracle, Phillip's body began to shut down as his condition slowly deteriorated. Phillip did not want to be kept on life support indefinitely, and they expected to withdraw life support on Sunday evening.

Prayer Request #1

At 6:08 PM on Sunday, September 21, 2025, I posted the following prayer request (edited for relevancy): "Praise God for the first in a series of miracles (a 48-hour extension of Phillip's life support)! Please pray with us that 1) Dead things come to life, and 5) Phillip will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord.”

Prayer Request #2

At 8:55 AM on Monday, September 22, 2025, I posted another prayer request: "Please join me in praying for a Matthew 19:26 miracle. "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."" My friend Jon replied at 8:59 AM, "You said it, I believe it, You said it, it is done."

A Difficult Decision

At 9:22 AM on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, which was Rosh Hashanah, I contacted the organization that handles transplants. I mentioned that my friend Jon needed a kidney and asked how to see if Phillip's kidney was a match. This was a difficult call to make because we were still holding out hope for a miracle while they were testing his organs and making plans to harvest them. Because I knew it was partially Phillip's choice to live or die, I understood that he might die, and that if I waited too long to see what happened, it would be too late to ask about the kidney. The enemy did not like me making the phone call, and began to attack me with condemnation, saying that I was a double-minded man for considering the possibility of Phillip’s death while I was believing for God to heal him. In retrospect, that lying devil was trying to stop a miracle.

When I called, I mistakenly thought that Jon was on the transplant list at a hospital in Winston-Salem. By the time I realized my error, that hospital had called him and asked if he could be there for a 1:30 PM appointment that day (Tuesday, September 23). His father agreed to drive him there, and they performed the necessary testing that day. They also admitted Jon into the hospital while they determined whether Phillip's kidney was a viable match.

Phillip’s Death

Eventually, it became evident that Phillip was absent from his body. Knowing that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, we rejoiced that Phillip was with Jesus. The medical staff removed his life support, and he was pronounced dead at 12:12 PM on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. We were very sad that he died so young and so unexpectedly. However, God comforted us in our grief. On the same day we said goodbye to Phillip, we learned that his kidney was a viable match for Jon. 

Miracle Day

Jon had surgery on the morning of Thursday, September 25, 2025, and the kidney slowly began functioning in his body. I will never forget how excited Jon’s wife was when she heard Phillip's kidney pumping in Jon's body through the ultrasound. 

Lazarus Lives Again

     I called to check on Jon at 10:33 AM on Monday, September 29, 2025, and he was very excited that the kidney was waking up. He also mentioned that he needed a name for it, which is customary for donated organs. I suggested Lazarus, but the nurse came in before he could respond and he had to end the call. However, he texted me at 8:45 PM the same day and said: "Me and Lazarus have made it home."

Summary

This was a happy ending to a sad story for my family, but it is impossible not to see the hand of God at work in the situation. The accuracy of the prophetic words, the answered prayers, the timing at Rosh Hashanah, the favor at the hospital, and the matching and viable kidney would be impossible for humans. Here is what God orchestrated:

1. "This is Lazarus right here." Jon now has a new lease on life, with a resurrected kidney he named Lazarus.

2. "You have new vital organs." Jon has a new vital organ.

3. "This year on Rosh Hashanah, your new season begins." Jon's new season began when I called the transplant company and the hospital called him, both of which happened on Rosh Hashanah.

4. We asked for Phillip to live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord. His kidney has lived, not died, and is declaring the works of the Lord in Jon's body.

5. We praised God for the first in a series of miracles (48-hour extension of life support), and other miracles followed as part of that series.

6. We prayed that dead things would come to life, and Phillip's kidney, which was dying with him, has now come to life in Jon's body.

7. We prayed for an impossible miracle, Jon came into agreement with it, and we have seen it.

8. Favor at the hospital - The average wait for a kidney is about 5 years once you're on the list. Jon was not on the list at the hospital that performed his transplant. He received a kidney before he was added to the list. They do not keep world records because it is a lifesaving procedure (yes, my daughter checked), but we're pretty sure this is a world record for shortest time on a transplant list. It was a very visible case of God not getting the miracle ready for you, but getting you ready for the miracle.

9. A matching kidney - Statistics are hard to come by, but here's what I found. An average of 13 people die every day waiting for a transplant, and 86% of people needing transplants are kidneys. Thus, about 11 people die each day because they cannot get kidneys. The odds of an unrelated donor having a matching kidney are about 1 in 100,000.

10. A viable kidney - Because of some health issues, and because of the extreme treatments his condition required, it was also unlikely that Phillip’s kidney would be viable, even if it was a match.

    
    

A matching (1 in 100,000), viable (even more unlikely) kidney becoming available before Jon was on the list (5 years ahead of schedule), and on Rosh Hashanah (as prophesied), is statistically unlikely. When you factor in the answered prayers, the other prophetic words, Jon being healthy enough for surgery, and the other factors that I haven’t even stopped to consider, it becomes statistically impossible - a miracle! I am so happy for Jon (my brother in Christ and kidney), Lazarus (a little piece of Phillip living on), and his family. God is still in the miracle-working business!