Facial Image on The Shroud of Turin
God, the Creator, has graciously preserved and given humanity an astounding, miraculous, 2,000-year-old gift —a precious holy relic. It is the Shroud of Turin, the recently authenticated burial cloth of Jesus Christ, determined by extensive research and scientific examination to be the genuine article. For sure, the implications of this finding are far-reaching.
The 14.5 x 3.7 foot Shroud contains a face-up image of a man with blood stains on his forehead, wrists, side, and feet; exactly the areas of the body where the Christian Bible describes how Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified by Roman soldiers.
Recent research indicates that the fabric of the Shroud is characteristic of fabrics woven in Israel during the first century and that the fabric contains microscopic residue of plants known to exist around Jerusalem.
A recent Newsmax post states: “Dr. Robert Harrington, a renowned skeptic and scientist, recently shocked his colleagues and peers when he announced his conversion to Christianity after a groundbreaking investigation into the Shroud of Turin.”
“Dr. Harrington embarked on his study of the Shroud intending to debunk its authenticity. However, as he delved deeper into the analysis, employing cutting-edge technology and methodologies, he encountered findings that challenged his scientific and personal beliefs.”
“‘I approached this study with a critical mind, ready to expose what I believed was a long-standing historical fabrication,’ Dr. Harrington explained. ‘But the evidence we uncovered was so compelling that it left no room for doubt. This is the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth.’”
Extensive examination of the Shroud indicates, among other things, that the blood and other bodily fluids/stains on the fabric were “burned” into the fabric by a tremendous burst of energy unexplainable by scientific examination. In fact, the study group of the Shroud of Turin Research Project, which included 35 physicists, chemists, NASA image specialists, electrical engineers, a forensic pathologist, and others, determined that:
- The Shroud’s image appears to be created by an oscillating strobe of high-intensity light coming from inside the body;
- The burning event happened in 1/40 of a billion of a second, like a laser beam, moving 2.5 billion watts of electricity; to create a similar light, one would need all the electric power generated on Earth!
- Given all the above, the question arises: what should the information and findings about the Shroud of Turin mean to people? The following comments and conclusions are offered:
- The latest scientific findings – using devices that scan deep space and probe the smallest nanoparticles of the human cell – have verified claims many Christians have long held about the Shroud; that it is, in fact, the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth.
- The Shroud establishes the fact that Jesus was a real person who was crucified and died. His body was wrapped in a burial cloth, which underwent a tremendous burst of energy so powerful that modern science cannot explain such a tremendously powerful event.
- The Bible says that God raised Jesus from his dead body and that he, in his resurrected body, interacted with hundreds of people for another 40 days, proving that he had overcome death so that people would have faith in him and assurance of an afterlife with their Heavenly Father. At the end of the 40 days, the Bible says that Jesus returned to Heaven to “sit at God’s right hand”.
- The Bible says that God provides a pathway to a joyous, eternal life with him in Heaven, but only through faith and trust in his Son, Jesus of Nazareth, who died as atonement for people’s unrighteous behavior (sins). Absent faith and trust in Jesus and because of their sinful lives, people are subject to God’s wrath, leading to an eternity in the “lake of fire”, i.e., Hell.
- Christians believe that God sent Jesus to live among people to demonstrate how to live a life pleasing to God. The fruits of such a righteous life include attributes and outward demonstrations of joy, love, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The Bible records many of Jesus’ activities, miracles, and teachings in the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- The Bible says that when a person admits that he/she is a sinner and accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, God provides a counselor, the Holy Spirit, to live in the heart of that person to help him/her navigate through earthly life, using God’s word (the Bible) as a guide.
The Shroud of Turin is a message of hope and assurance to anyone searching for meaning in life or unsure about what will happen to them (their souls) upon their earthly death. Jesus is recorded saying in John’s gospel, chapter 3, verse 16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.
God has graciously given us a special gift, a holy relic that is truly precious and miraculous. The Shroud is under protective covering in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. It is a reminder to people to focus their lives much more on Jesus, to have faith and trust in him as God’s Son, and focus much less on earthly problems and endeavors.
Paul Gardiner is a retired U.S. Army officer, Vietnam veteran, and graduate of the University of Alabama, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the U.S. Army War College. As a Christian, he is a firm believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
