Resurrection Sunday: The Shroud and the Kaddish*

      This year, Resurrection Sunday falls at the end of Passover week. Jesus at the Last Supper before He suffered and was crucified told His disciples "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." (Lk. 22:15-16). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central truth of the Christian faith, and it is the hope of all mankind. Isaiah wrote the prophetic Word of the LORD about the suffering and death of the Messiah/Christ, and also of its earth-shaking effect upon all people: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle (naza - to spurt, spatter, sprinkle, startle, besprinkle especially in expiation [blood]) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isa. 52:13-15, Isa. 53:1).

     The Hebrew word naza used above to mean "sprinkle" is the title of Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's book, "NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling".

     As we see the various signs that we are in the last days and Christ's return draws near, we expect to see the time when the two sticks in the hand of the prophet Ezekiel become one, the two sticks representing the Gentiles of Joseph and his brethren, and the tribe of Judah the Jews (see Ezekiel 37). As the fulness of the Gentiles comes in, Paul wrote that all Israel shall be saved. (see Rom. 11:25-27). What is the Church supposed to be doing at this time but spreading the Gospel, especially to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles as Paul wrote in Rom. 1:16-17? This is also the founding scripture of our church.

    Although the scoffers and sceptics, some even in the church, question Christ's crucifixion, resurrection and soon return, much evidence exists to confirm it. All of the prophecies of the suffering and death of Christ (incl. Isa. 53 and Ps. 22) give detailed descriptions that are confirmed in the Gospel accounts and are also clearly depicted on the Shroud of Turin. In fact, many scholars believe that Jesus was reciting Psalm 22 as He hung on the cross because of His spoken words: "My. God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

     The likelihood is astronomically against finding that all of the details prophesied before Jesus' death and resurrection, were confirmed with the same details appearing in the Gospel accounts and also depicted accurately on the Shroud of Turin, and yet this is exactly so. The existence of the burial shroud of Christ also is in agreement with the burial custom of the Jewish people at the time of Jesus, as mentioned in the Gospels (Jn. 19:40), which was to bury their kinsmen in a white linen whole cloth, and not, as is sometimes assumed, after the custom of the Egyptians. The Shroud gives us the image of a Jewish man (the presence of phylacteries is seen in the image), confirmed medically to have been the victim of crucifixion, with the exact wounds as prophesied and described in scripture, and as existed at the time of Christ (stripes inflicted by a recognizable Roman-style scourge).

     Having mentioned above that this calendar year, Resurrection Day falls at the end of Passover. On the eighth or last day of Passover, a prayer called the Kaddish is said in Jewish synagogues. This prayer is very appropriate for this time. This is the translation of the Kaddish prayer from the Aramaic, and all are invited to say this prayer:

"May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he – above and beyond any blessings and hymns, praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen. He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen."

(To learn more about this prayer and its relationship to the Passover and to Jesus Christ you can visit the recent blog entry titled "Kaddish": https://thecalled333.blogspot.com/)

     The Lord is returning soon. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 4/20/25 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at Kenneth Stevenson. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.