I listen to podcasts, mostly Bible prophecy. In time, memories of any particular one tend to fade. But occasionally, there’s a single one that stands out. So it was with a 2025 podcast on the subject of the Shroud of Turin. Host Brandon Holthaus interviewed author Russ Breault on the topic at Tip of the Spear. (Breault wrote Shroud Encounter: Explore the World’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery (2010) and more recently, Beneath the Surface: A Closer Look at the Shroud of Turin (2026)).
Breault’s insights packed a wallop. The story of the Shroud is Bible history made manifest right here in the present day, and with the strongest implications for those things that come next.
Like most, I knew of the Shroud, but thought its origin to be unprovable: perhaps it was the actual historical artifact, but perhaps not, perhaps just a Catholic relic, like saints’ bones. I just didn’t know. I didn’t think you could know.
Fortunately, Breault made it his business to investigate, studying the Shroud for some 40 years. Listen to him hold forth on it, and you will soon be convinced, as he is, that this is the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ. There is no other explanation for its singular characteristics.
Breault presents the evidence as a cumulative argument: a compelling convergence of physical, forensic, and historical features that resists conventional explanations and strikingly align with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Here’s a point-by-point summary of his main assertions:
Key Evidence for Authenticity
- The Shroud Bears a Realistic Crucifixion Image
- Breault emphasizes that the Shroud shows the image of a crucified manwith wounds that match what the Gospels describe for Jesus (scourge marks, nail wounds, spear wound, etc.).
- The Image Is a Photographic Negative
- One of the most frequently cited points by proponents of Breault is that the image behaves like a photographic negative— meaning the darker and lighter areas invert to give clearer detail in photographic print. This would be difficult or impossible to produce in medieval times without photography (which dates from 1826). On entering the tomb, John saw this image on the cloth, the likeness of the Master, an incredibly powerful witness to a resurrection, vis-à-vis a stolen body. “He saw and believed” (John 20:8, ESV).
- Unexplained Image Formation
- The way the image appears on the cloth (superficial discoloration only on the top fibers) cannot be fully explained by painting, pigment, or simple contact — so they claim it suggests a unique formation process, likely by an intense energy burst at the moment of Resurrectionas a mechanism.
- Blood and Physical Detail
- Breault cites bloodstains and details that look like human trauma— including patterns argued to match Roman crucifixion and the side wound described in John’s Gospel. Analysis shows the presence of a rare blood type (e.g., AB) consistent with this cloth having contact with a real crucified body.
- Pollen and Geographic Indicators
- Pollen found on the Shroud is from plants that grow in the Jerusalem area.
- The Shroud is an Unreproduced Artifact
- No one has successfully recreated a replica cloth with all the detailed properties of the Shroud(image characteristics, translucence, negative-like behavior, wound congruence), despite challenges and prizes offered to do so.
- Radiocarbon Dating Controversies
- It should be mentioned that there is a controversy regarding the dating of the Shroud: 1988 radiocarbon analysis by three labs dated the cloth from 1260–1390 AD. However, there is an even bigger controversy regarding the testing itself; critics like Breault argue the sample was likely taken from repaired areas or contaminated (with cotton versus original linen) — thus not reflective of the whole cloth. Test data was withheld, as well, for many years after 1988 and had to be pieced together by researchers, leading some to question if the dating effort was even a good-faith inquiry.
Those are the highlights; more detail follows:
At the foundation of the author’s assertion that the Shroud matches the expected characteristics for a burial shroud for Jesus Christ is the widely accepted conclusion that the Shroud image is not the result of paint, pigment, or dye. Microscopic and chemical analyses have consistently failed to detect any artistic medium responsible for the image. Even skeptics generally concede this point. Closely related is the finding that the image exists only on the outermost fibrils of the linen fibers, without penetrating the threads. This extreme superficiality is unlike known artistic, chemical, or contact-based methods and remains one of the Shroud’s most puzzling features.
The author emphasizes as well the forensic coherence of the image itself. The man depicted bears wounds consistent with Roman crucifixion: nail marks through the wrists rather than the palms, scourge marks consistent with a Roman flagrum (a short-handle whip with attached lead balls or bone fragments or metal or sharp pieces), anatomically plausible blood flows governed by gravity, and a post-mortem spear wound in the side.
These details are significant because they correct common medieval artistic errors about crucifixion anatomy. For example, the author argues that a medieval forger would almost certainly have depicted nails through the palms and would not have reproduced such precise trauma patterns without modern anatomical and archaeological knowledge.
A particularly strong claim concerns the blood evidence. According to the author, bloodstains appear to be present beneath the image rather than on top of it, suggesting that a wounded body contacted the cloth before the image was formed. He points to the presence of serum halos and blood flow patterns consistent with real wounds rather than painted simulations. While skeptics dispute whether all blood identification methods used in Shroud research meet modern standards, the stratigraphic relationship—blood first, image second—is regarded by many researchers as significant.
The author also draws attention to the Shroud’s photographic negative properties. When photographed, the image reverses light and dark values to reveal far greater clarity and detail. In addition, image analysis tools such as VP-8 reveal a form of three-dimensional encoding, where image intensity correlates with cloth-to-body distance. (The VP-8 Image Analyzer is a 1970s-era device developed by NASA/JPL. It converts brightness (light–dark values) in a 2-D image into vertical relief—in other words, it treats image intensity as height and produces a pseudo-3D rendering.)
Although critics argue that similar effects can appear under certain conditions in other images, the Shroud remains unique in how naturally and coherently this spatial information appears.
Another notable feature is the absence of decomposition signs. There is no evidence of bloating, decay staining, or putrefaction—features normally expected if a body remained wrapped for an extended period.
This fulfills prophecy: Psalm 16.10 states, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” In context, this is part of David’s psalm, but in the New Testament, it’s explicitly applied to Jesus: Acts 2:27 – Peter quotes Psalm 16:10: “Because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see decay.” Acts 13:35-37 – Paul also cites this verse, saying Jesus’ body did not see corruption, emphasizing the resurrection.
Central is the claim that the image formation process remains scientifically unexplained. Again, no proposed natural, chemical, or artistic mechanism has successfully reproduced all of the Shroud’s known properties simultaneously: its superficiality, resolution, negative behavior, anatomical accuracy, and apparent three-dimensional information. The author is careful here, stressing that unexplained does not mean miraculous, but also insisting that existing hypotheses fail to account for the totality of the evidence.
Carbon dating controversy
The most contentious issue addressed is the 1988 radiocarbon dating, which placed the Shroud in the medieval period. The author challenges this result by citing the sampling location—taken from a corner believed by some to have been repaired—as well as potential contamination from fire, handling, and environmental exposure. He also notes later statistical critiques suggesting heterogeneity in the sampled material. However, he acknowledges that the dating has not been definitively overturned and remains the strongest single data point for skeptics.
Throughout the interview, the author contrasts his cumulative case with skeptical objections. Skeptics emphasize the plausibility of unknown medieval techniques, limitations of older blood analysis methods, alternative explanations for 3D effects, and the authority of radiocarbon dating. The author’s response is not that any single piece of evidence is conclusive, but that the convergence of independent lines of evidence makes conventional explanations increasingly strained.
In the end, it should be noted that the author is careful not to overstep and make claims about the metaphysical (yet his enthusiasm is clear enough in his voice, and that of his interviewer!). Breault does not claim that the Shroud proves the Resurrection or compels belief. Instead, he argues that the Shroud is a real burial cloth of a crucified man, formed by an unknown mechanism, containing physical and anatomical information far beyond what is easily explained by medieval forgery, and remarkably consistent with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death. As he frames it, science has not explained how the image formed; it has largely ruled out what it is not.
Prophetic implications
So, since other possibilities have been reasonably ruled out, we can conclude with 99.9% certainty that the Shroud is, indeed, the remnant of an event that was prophesied many years in advance, the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Prophecies of the Crucifixion
Psalm 22 (King David, c. 1040–970 BCE)
Often called the crucifixion psalm.
- “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (v.1) — quoted by Jesus on the cross
- “They pierce my hands and my feet” (v.16)
- “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (v.18)
Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 (the Suffering Servant); c. 740–700 BCE
The most explicit prophetic passage.
- “He was despised and rejected by men.”
- “He was pierced for our transgressions.”
- “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter”
- “They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death.”
- “After the suffering of his soul, he shall see the light of life” (53:11).
Zechariah 12:10 (20 BCE)
- “They shall look on me whom they have pierced, and mourn for him.”
(Referenced in John 19:37)
Psalm 69 (King David, c. 1040–970 BCE)
- “They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Daniel 9:26
- “The Anointed One shall be cut off and shall have nothing.”
Prophecies of the Resurrection
Psalm 16:8–11 (King David, c. 1040–970 BCE)
- “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your Holy One see corruption.”
Explicitly quoted by Peter (Acts 2) and Paul (Acts 13) as referring to Jesus’ resurrection.
Isaiah 53 (again)
- “He shall prolong his days” after
- “He shall see his offspring.”
Resurrection is implied by post-death vindication.
Hosea 6:2 (c. 755–725 BCE)
- “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up.”
Early Christians saw this as a typological prophecy of the third-day resurrection.
Jonah 1:17 (c. 780–750 BCE)
- Three days and nights in the fish
Jesus explicitly calls this a sign of His death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40).
Prophecies Combining Death and Victory
Genesis 3:15 (regarded as “the first gospel”; thought to be written by Moses, c. 1391–1365 BCE to c. 1270–1220 BCE
- The seed of the woman will be wounded (“bruised”) yet will crush the serpent’s head.
Seen as the earliest Messianic prophecy: suffering followed by triumph.
Psalm 118:22 (Unknown author, likely 5th–4th century BCE)
- “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
Used repeatedly in the NT to describe rejection, death, and exaltation.
So, too, will the remaining tenets of Bible prophecy be realized and soon: e.g., take just the Rapture, apropos the title of these pages. Italian researcher Paolo Di Lazzaro and colleagues experimented with short-burst, 40 ms laser UV light, on linen, and to summarize (tests conducted 2005 to 2010), results mimicked the effects on the Shroud. “In the twinkling of an eye,” indeed, goes the verse, and one day all believers will be transformed by that same spiritual microburst energy, in a nanosecond, and be translated to glory, forever.
All remaining prophecies will be fulfilled as well: the Psalm 83 and Ez. 37/38 wars, the Seventieth Seven, the Tribulation, the Beast, the False Prophet, everything outlined in Genesis, Daniel, the prophets, Gospels, writings of Paul, Revelation. Every word, every jot and tittle. At whatever time and in whatever sequence.
And then, the greatest prophetic manifestation of all: the long-awaited establishment of the Kingdom of God on this earth. The coronation of the King. Peace, safety, prosperity for all humanity. God himself living among his people.
A part of God’s character revealed
The Shroud illustrates an aspect of God’s character that defies easy naming. It has facets of paradox, irony, puzzle-making, mystery, hiding in plain sight, remote while being close (does that make sense?). “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the honor of kings to search it out.” What is the word for that?
What is the word that depicts “we see through a glass darkly,” and we do, yet Ezekiel 40 to 48 is an architectural blueprint of the Millennial Temple? That “eye has not seen, nor ear heard the things that are prepared,” yet we are told David will be King of Israel (Ezekiel 34:23–24; Ezekiel 37:24–25; Jeremiah 30:8–9; Hosea 3:4–5; Isaiah 55:3–4, etc.), the 12 disciples will each rule one of Israel’s 12 tribes (Matt. 19.28, etc.).
Similarly, we learn that we will celebrate the feast of tabernacles (Zech. 14), that animal sacrifices will resume (Ezekiel 43:18–27; Ezekiel 44:15–29; Ezekiel 45:15–25; Ezekiel 46:1–15; Zechariah 14:16–21; Isaiah 56:6–7; Isaiah 66:20–23), as a memorial for the Great Sacrifice. More detail than is often cited.
The Lord God, in the end, does show himself, for those who look, sometimes through plain statements or sometimes via cryptic clues, but for those “with ears to hear, eyes to see.” He stands at the door and knocks; he does not kick it in.
The Shroud of Turin, similarly, is a quiet witness to God’s power to foretell what is to come. It is a quiet and peculiar communication that some Christians regard as a sign from God. The implication: past prophecy realized guarantees future prophecy to be realized:
“Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods:
yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together” (Isa. 41:23).
“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts;
I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me,
since I appointed the ancient people?
and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them” (Isa. 44:6-7).
“Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure” (Isa. 46:10).
Who else can announce the future? Answer: no one. Only the Lord God of Israel.
Strangely (to my mind), many Christians avoid, demote or dismiss prophecy, but the fact remains: “…the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19.10). Prophecy is part of his essential and infinitely generous nature. Prophecy is a gift to us.
Fact: Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection were foretold. And came to pass. And so it will be with all the remaining Bible prophecy, whether cryptic or plain, or even paradoxically hiding in plain sight, right there in his written word. End-time events have been foretold and will be realized. Soon. The Shroud gives evidence of the fulfilled prophecies, and there is no doubt remaining those to follow. Maranatha.
Meanwhile:
“…ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
and give him no rest,
till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa. 62:6-7).
***
The Shroud of Turin is currently kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. It is stored in a climate-controlled, bulletproof case in the cathedral’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud. Public exhibitions are rare and usually draw huge crowds.
John Hamilton wrote False Flags, State Secrets, Government Deceptions: A Short History of the Modern Era and THE COVID VACCINE: And the silencing of our doctors and scientists. He is a frequent contributor to Rapture Ready.