This is a controversial topic. The Shroud of Turin is the most studied, most scientifically tested artifact in history. It has been subjected to literally hundreds of thousands of hours of intensive study by people of multiple disciplines.

What do we know for certain…. The Foundation:

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

Paul is calling us to anchor our faith in the Biblical foundation:

Heed the Prophetic Scripture - God will send the Messiah, and here's how to recognize Him, and then the Messiah comes as Jesus
Eyewitness Testimony - from the early believers who saw Jesus post-resurrection and who were willing to share that news at the risk of their lives
Holy Spirit's Witness - Jesus said the Holy Spirit leads us to understand who He is.
Historical Confirmation - from ancient authors who were not believers in Jesus, who were not christian, but who freely confessed the fundamentals of the christian faith: that there was Jesus, that He did remarkable things, that He was crucified by Pontius Pilate, that His tomb was empty on the third day, that His followers spread rapidly, that many were brought to faith in a short time, and that the christians were willing to die for what they believed in.

50 years later:

We still can not duplicate the image - it has stumped scientists.

The physics contradicts the chemistry and the chemistry contradicts the physics.

The Contradictions:

Depth - why is this just a microscopic image - why didn't it seep through the cloth
Contact - chemical reactions on the Shroud happened outside the area that was touching the body.
Heat - If this image was produced by a burst of energy - it should have burned through the cloth and it did not..

Is it the real thing? Pastor says he doesn't know. He's read from both sides, he's not certain…. But he says there are two possibilities:

1 Inexplicable Art

2 Incomparable Artifact

Is this possibly the burial shroud of Jesus? - Pastor says, "Yes, it could well be, and also there's evidence that maybe may not be." Pastor goes on to say that he wouldn't be surprised if it is The burial Shroud of Jesus. He goes on to explain why it would not surprise him.

We are living in amazing day and an amazing age that has seen gigantic discoveries:

Scriptural - Dead Sea Scrolls - confirmed the present day scriptures
Archaeological - discoveries over the last 70 years confirm biblical locations, items, etc
Scientific - evidence is overwhelming in support of a brilliant Creator
Prophetic - fulfilled in the last 70 years - 1948 the nation of Israel was born. 1967 the Jewish people reoccupied the city of Jerusalem.

These are things that ought to call all people into examining what the Bible says and what the gospel of Jesus says because the evidence for the Bible's truth is incredibly powerful.

If the Shroud is genuine - then God took the first selfie!!

And we are looking into the face of the Lord Jesus!

The Shroud of Turin's image reminds us of the Scripture's truth:

Christ died for our sins
He was buried
He rose on the third day
He appeared to His disciples

Whether the Shroud of Turin is real or not we know that God has broken into our world in the person of Jesus and because He is risen, our lives are not the same.

He is real and He is coming back. He calls us to receive Him now - to turn from our old ways and turn to the Gospel message of His love for us in Christ.

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Questions - Week 25: What if the Shroud is Genuine?