The mysterious Shroud of Turin, is it fake? Or is it proof of Christ's crucifixion?

The mysterious shroud of Turin. Is it fake or is it proof of Christ's crucifixion?

Hello and welcome to the weekly broadcast of Preach the Gospel. Trouble is coming to the earth. The program designed to give you solutions for prevailing during chaotic times. Yes, we will discuss this burial cloth called the shroud of Turin and we'll let you determine whether it is real or fake.

And so, let us embark on a journey to review the most studied artifact in the history of the world. An object that has been called the most hated and the most lied about religious relic in the history of the world. An item that for hundreds or practically 2,000 years has been fiercely guarded and protected from natural disasters, several fires, bombings in two world wars, and from the maniacal Adolf Hitler, who was obsessed with acquiring religious relics, apparently.

And I'm talking about a linen cloth called the Shroud of Turin and a 33 x 21 inch headcloth that many claim to be the burial clothes of Jesus Christ. They claim these are the items seen in the tomb by the apostles Peter and John after Mary Magdalene had run to call them when she discovered that the tomb that Christ had been laid in was now empty. Turin is a major city in northern Italy that has been the Catholic home of the 14 foot linen cloth for nearly 450 years.

The shroud is respected among many Christian denominations. According to various sources, the shroud is respected as a religious artifact by Christians of several denominations, including Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Greek, Orthodox, Pentecostals, and even Presbyterians. However, in 1543, John Calvin wrote that the shroud cannot be genuine because the custom of the Jews was to wrap the body by itself as far as the shoulders and then the head was bound by a napkin tied by four corners into a knot.

Well, it appears Calvin overlooked Matthew 27 and 59, which says, "Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his body in a linen cloth." And all translations seem to agree with this. All four gospels indicate that they had very little time to bury the Lord. And so, it is likely that they skipped the traditional wrappings because of the fast approaching Sabbath.

Eyewitness report of the tomb on resurrection morning. Following along the John 20 verses 4-10 text, let us enter the tomb of Jesus Christ through the eyes of the apostles Peter and John on resurrection morning. And the Word of God says they ran both together and the other disciple namely John did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher or the tomb. And he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying there. Yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed.

And so the apostle saw two items in the empty tomb. The first is presumed to be the 14x3 foot linen cloth in which the savior had been wrapped. And some translations call this item cloth, others call it wrapping. And the King James version refers to it as linen clothes. Which description seems more accurate? Well, Matthew 27 and 59 gives us some clarity by saying, "And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth." So, it sounds very much like it was indeed a linen cloth.

The second item, only 33 inches by 21 inches had been wrapped around the Savior's head and face. Now various translations also have different names for this item such as a handkerchief, face towel, cloth or even sudarium. Presently the 14 ft cloth is in an argon filled glass case at the cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Italy. The head wrap called the Sudarium or shroud of Oviedo is in the cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo, Spain, where it has been for about 1300 years.

Now, here's where the present day story of the shroud began. In October 1978, the Vatican allowed Barrie Schwortz, a Jew, and a team of more than 30 American scientists and experts to examine the cloth. The team was called STURP, which stands for Shroud of Turin Research Project and was allowed 120 continuous hours of unlimited access to this precious artifact.

When he joined the team, Barrie had a secret agenda to prove that the shroud was a fake. He thought that he would spend a few hours viewing the shroud and then enjoy his all expense paid holiday in Italy and that would be the end of it.

However, this turned out to be only the beginning of 46 years of analyzing and reanalyzing all the data and photographs of the shroud by Barrie Schwortz. He used a VP8 image analyzer, a tool used by NASA, and discovered the image on the shroud was three-dimensional. And it would take 17 years before he would be 100% convinced that the shroud was indeed an authentic burial cloth.

The STURP team consisted of Protestants, Catholics, atheists, agnostics, scientists from major institutions like NASA and the US Air Force Weapons Lab. And there were very few in the end who did not agree that it was indeed the image of a real human male who was scourged and was crucified. They found no evidence that it was a forgery. However, as to how the image was produced, how it got to be on the cloth, no one had an answer.

And then a surprise because Shroud theories were blown out of the water and data was withheld. Let me explain. Major disappointment came in 1988 when it was declared that the shroud was not authentic because it failed the carbon dating test. It was announced to the world that the shroud material was less than 500 years old and the Vatican downgraded it calling it merely an icon at this point.

But the British Museum and the three laboratories that had performed the famous 1988 radio carbon dating on the shroud withheld raw data of their tests. In fact, this was withheld for 30 years. They refused to release the data from these tests even though many requests were made for them.

And Barrie Schwortz was intrigued. Something was not measuring up as far as he could tell, and he was determined to find out what it was. The one who had been a skeptic was now the strongest ally of the Shroud of Turin.

And finally, in 2017, there was a breakthrough under the UK's Freedom of Information Act when hundreds of pages of raw data were finally released. Sometime later, the error was uncovered. It was discovered that the 1988 tests were done on pieces of the shroud that had been repaired during the medieval period. In fact, the specimens were taken from the edge of the shroud.

Now, let's take a look at the Catholic Church shifting statements on the shroud.

The shroud has been denounced as a fake many times over the years.

• And even today the Catholic Church chooses its words very carefully and this is understood. Very carefully they choose their words when making any statement about the shroud.

• In addition, it was denounced as fake in 1389 in a letter to the antipope Clement VII. However, a short time later, Pope Julius II reversed this position in 1506, leaving the decision up to the individual to decide whether or not the shroud was authentic.

• Then along came Pope John Paul who called it a distinguished relic.

• In 2013, Pope Francis called it an icon of a man scourged and crucified. He then venerated it in 2015, which means it now was regarded with great respect, honor, and reverence because of its connection to God Himself.

• The shroud was damaged by fire in 1532 and the edges were repaired by Catholic nuns and Barrie Schwortz and most of the STURP team believed the cloth was declared to be fake in 1988 because only the 1532 repaired edges of the cloth were carbon dated and no samples were taken from the main body of the cloth itself.

And so what happens is that the shroud theory was brought to life again. Between 2017 and 2024, studies led by the University of Padua identified the presence of type AB blood, a rare blood type found mostly among Mideastern people. This was found on the cloth. They found sweat and serum that came from a person who had suffered severe scourging and crucifixion. They also found more than 370 individual scourge marks on the body image. And then using 3D and imaging studies along with more advanced dating methods, it suggested indeed the shroud belonged to the first century CE. In fact, specifically 55 to 74 AD, also referred to as CE. Many other scientists continue to dispute this today, but there are some amazing features of the shroud that we need to take a look at.

• Looking through his professional eyes as a technical photographer, Barrie Schwortz says the shroud never behaved like a painting, but rather it behaved like a photographic image. And there's no evidence of paint, no brush strokes, no pigment or stains discovered. And this of course was his field of photography.

• The square nails passed through the wrist and not the palms. In John 20 and 27, Jesus told thus to examine His hands and His side. There's no issue here because the Greek word cheir used for hand includes the wrist also. And the wrist is a more reliable location for the crucifixion because the hand would not be able to hold the body.

• And so the blood type on the shroud which is stored in Italy even

  today matches the AB rare blood type on the headcloth which is stored all the way in Spain.

• The real findings of the date of the clause were withheld from 1988 to 2017 until a British university was forced to release the information.

• In addition, identical pollen particles are ingrained in the fabric of the shroud and the handkerchief connecting them both to Jerusalem.

• Bright red blood stains found on the cloth is evidence that the individual's body had been tortured. You see, normal blood turns brown or black after a while, but much of the blood on the shroud remained bright red. An interesting scriptural point that the Lord told Cain is He said that Abel's blood cried out to Him from the ground. So this means that blood is able to tell the story about what happened to the victim, what caused the person's death.

• And one source says that there may have been as many as 700 wounds on Christ's body.

• The shroud imaging also seemed to show that the man's beard had been plucked out in agreement with Isaiah 50 and 6.

• The image cannot be seen closeup, but when one steps back and looks at the shroud, if he steps back about six feet or more, the image on the shroud becomes very clear.

And now let's move to the fact that there are two very outstanding points that I want to mention at this point. These two things about these two relics stand out to me most of all.

Number one, whether one believes the claim that the shroud is authentic or not, it has been proven that the shroud is the burial cloth of a man who was scourged and crucified. And scientists say something supernatural appears to have happened in the tomb or while the man was wrapped in the shroud. They say the event was so nuclear or radioactive like that it left a detailed negative image of the body and the man's face on the cloth. And Barrie Schwortz, the technical photographer after 46 years of study, concluded that indeed the image was placed on the shroud after the blood went on the shroud. And the image is barely resting on the top of the cloth. The image is not into the fabric of the cloth. This continues to baffle the scientists today. Furthermore, key markings and images on the cloth are precisely consistent with the Holy Scriptures report of the torture details of Jesus Christ's suffering. What a coincidence. This is almost like a fairy tale.

The second point is that Barrie Schwortz who was most instrumental in proving the authenticity of the cloth never came to know Jesus Christ even after 46 years of studying the shroud. And while he repeatedly said that the shroud was 100% authentic and he said it was proof of Jesus of Nazareth's crucifixion, he also repeatedly insisted that he was not a Christian. We will examine this. At first, he was not even a practicing Jew, but during the course of his study of the Shroud over the years, he returned to his Jewish roots and study of the Word of God. Eyewitnesses report say that even up to the time of his death in 2024, Barrie Schwortz never converted to Christianity. He never accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

So why is this? If he was so convinced, why could not Barrie Schwortz find Jesus Christ? Why did he not accept the Lord as his personal Savior? The answer is simple. The Word of God says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." And this is found in Jeremiah 29 and 13. Barrie did not search for God with all of his heart. He searched 46 years to determine whether the shroud was genuine and he found the answer to that question and he appeared to be satisfied with that answer.

So while Schwortz accepted the hard data of the torture of the man from Nazareth, he continued to be a skeptic about the resurrection of that man. He believed the shroud was an authentic cloth that covered Jesus of Nazareth, but he refused to accept that Jesus Christ had arisen from the grave. Indeed, Christ is not discovered by eyes that see and by hands that touch. But when a determined heart humbles itself and searches for Him, he is able to find Him.

You see, even though the shroud may be the identical, the actual cloth that Jesus Christ was buried in. The fact remains that many saw Christ Himself walking through Jerusalem and were still not convinced. So if Christ Himself could not convince them, can the burial cloth convince them?

The work of Barrie Schwortz continues and is on display at shroud.com. The website receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. As for visitors to the actual shroud of Turin in the cathedral in Italy, there are 36 million visitors every year. And research continues at what is called STERA, S.t.e.r.a incorporated. Yes, they are continuing to do research on this amazing burial cloth.

And so this man, Barrie Schwortz, went to his grave in 2024, having received all that he was seeking, which is an answer to the question of whether the shroud really and truly covered the dead body of the man called Yeshua. If instead his lifelong study had been to see whether the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, whether the gospel is authentic, he would have certainly arrived at that conclusion. If he sought it with his whole heart.

Now, there are two kinds of blindness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And let's examine them. And any who search for Him with all their heart will find Him.

There's the partial and temporary blindness of the Jews. According to Romans 11:25, the Word of God says, "I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." So yes, it has never been more clear to me that indeed most Jews and even Barrie Schwortz have been blinded until the fullness of the full amount of the Gentiles have come into the Kingdom of God.

Secondly, the blindness of the Gentiles according to second Corinthians 4, the gospel is hidden to those who are perishing because of this reason. The god of this age who is Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God. Because of this truth, millions of Gentiles as a result of unbelief, in fact billions are blinded about the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So how do you overcome this blindness? Both these blindness can be overcome by faith and by the grace of God which is available to help the process. The evidence of this exists because there are millions of Messianic Jews who've accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and billions of Gentiles who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior. Ephesians 2:8 tell us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

And so, my friend, whether the shroud is real or not, it is not sufficient to convince the doubter that Jesus Christ really is Lord. Why? Yes, friend, whether it is real or not, we must use the measure of faith given by God to reach out our hand to Him and be unshakable in what we believe about the Word of God and being determined to let nothing shake that belief and let it be founded upon faith and faith alone.

And all of the above stands out as proof that empirical or physical evidence alone may never be sufficient to cause a person to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved. After all, the Jews had someone greater than the burial cloth walking among them. They had the real deal. They had the actual Christs. For Christ Himself walked and taught in the flesh among the Jewish people. And yet the alarming majority of them still rejected Him and even insisted that the Roman authorities crucify Him, which they did. And they continue to reject Him today. But the day is soon to come, the Word of God tells us, when Israel will embrace Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and Master, and they will weep and weep and weep with joy.

John 12:40 tells us this happened because of Isaiah's prophecy that said the Father has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. And such was the fate of Barrie Schwortz. He could not see, he could not hear, he could not understand. And in his heart, he could not accept that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Savior of the world, the Messiah, the soon coming King, Yeshua Hamashiach. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

You've been listening to this message. It's an astonishing amount of information about a burial cloth. But what stands before you now is the choice of whether Jesus Christ is real and authentic. Engage your heart and say this prayer after me and He will honor your sacrifice and come into your heart:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I am sorry for all my sins.

• I crave Your forgiveness.

• Please forgive all my doubting.

• Please forgive all my hesitancy.

• I have decided that I believe.

• Thank You for forgiving me my sins.

• I have decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

• Dear Lord Jesus, welcome to my heart.

• I give You the key to my heart because I want to be with You for all of my days.

• You have my permission to keep the key and never ever return it to me.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are so many of us here who are waiting to be gathered in the resurrection. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to let your pastor know that you've committed your life to the Lord and you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptized by immersion.

Begin reading the Word of God every day. Begin in the book of John. Then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself. and we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.