Why the Lord Promised to Send
Truth Out of the Earth
Prepared by
Elder Dwight Burford
April 20, 2025, Printing
[pdf copy]
Genesis 7:69 IV – And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven, and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men.
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Upon awakening early this morning to study the scriptures, I received a wonderful assurance of my hope in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. This assurance came from the 20th chapter of the gospel of John where we read of how Jesus showed the wounds in His hands and side of His resurrected body to His disciples the evening of His resurrection.
John 20:19-20 – Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Although Jesus Christ’s disciples were hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus yet appeared to them in that monumental moment, causing their fears to be replaced with a peace and gladness they evidenced for the remainder of their lives in witnessing of and for Him.
John also recorded how Jesus appeared to His disciples a second time soon after His resurrection. Thomas had not been present with the others of the twelve at the time of Jesus’ first appearance. However, this second time Thomas was present, and Jesus bid him to also examine His hands and side.
John 20:26,27 – And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them; then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
As I pondered these passages this morning, I thought about some videos I watched yesterday regarding recent scientific updates on the Shroud of Turin—a relic believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus. I found it quite interesting that none of the examinations of the Shroud over the years has proved it to be a forgery or a relic of unknown origin. Why? If authentic, the Shroud clearly shows the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side.
When attempting to discredit belief that the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, some people have cited a carbon dating result taken from it in the 1970’s, which placed its origin to a time long after Jesus ministered on the earth. However, it was later shown that these results were not from the original fabric but were from material used to repair the cloth after it had been damaged in a fire.
Many other tests of the Shroud have taken place since the early carbon dating of the repair, and they show the original cloth of the Shroud evidences many characteristics that are consistent with the place, time, and nature of Jesus Christ’s burial. These evidences include pollen, soil, burial methods, the three-dimensional nature of the image, the blood stain patterns, and others.
As I considered the significance of these evidences, along with John’s record of the two times Jesus showed His disciples His wounded hands and side soon after His resurrection, my thoughts went back many years to when I had first asked the Lord how He would fulfill the following promise recorded in restored scripture:
Genesis 7:69 IV. … and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men.
Just how exactly would God send truth out of the earth to bear testimony of the resurrection of His Only Begotten and the resurrection of all men, I wondered. Does the Shroud have anything to do with the Lord’s promise found in Genesis 7:69? I believe it does, primarily because the Shroud reveals the wounds in His hands and side, which He pointed out to His disciples.
As such, it appears to me at least that through the Shroud the Lord is saying to the world, whom He loves, “Come and see the wounds in my hands and side and believe.” For, as Jesus Christ admonished Thomas, I believe He is now admonishing us all to not be faithless but be believing.
Just like the Dead Sea Scrolls, I believe the Lord is bringing to light many signs and evidences of the truth of His life and ministry to the world as confirmation of the many infallible proofs the prophets and apostles bore witness of through their writings preserved in the Bible.
I also appreciate the sacred records of the Nephites preserved for us in the Book of Mormon. This special book was also sent forth out of the earth by God to bear witness of the resurrected Christ. There, too, we read of how Jesus called upon the people present with Him to examine the wounds in His hands and side—those wounds that remained after He was raised from the dead.
III Nephi 5:12-14 – And behold I am the light and the life of the world, and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things, from the beginning. And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, the whole multitude fell to the earth, for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should shew himself unto them after his ascension into heaven. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them, saying, Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands, and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
Note the purpose for Jesus’ invitation to examine His wounds: “…that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.” Thomas clearly got this message when seeing Jesus’ wounds for the first time, as evidenced by his response to seeing them. For he simply declared, “My Lord and my God.”
John 20:28,29 – And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Who will join Thomas in believing in the resurrected Jesus Christ upon seeing His wounds? Who will confess Him as their Lord and their God? I pray the whole world will and that everyone would believe in the truth of the resurrection of our Lord by receiving the same peace and gladness His disciples received upon seeing His risen body with the wounds in His hands and side.
As Jesus told Thomas, more blessed are they who believe on his words—because of their faith in the spoken word without having a sign compelling them to believe. Even so, the Lord has seen fit to send many infallible proofs through such things as the archaeological evidences found in the Shroud of Turin.
In the hope of encouraging faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection, here is a link to one of the more comprehensive websites I have found on the Shroud research: https://shroud.com/. The opening page includes this statement of invitation:
“Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages. This web site will keep you abreast of current research, provide you with accurate data from the previous research and let you interact with the researchers themselves. We believe that if you have access to the facts, you can make up your own mind about the Shroud. Make sure you visit the page where you can Examine the Shroud of Turin for yourself.”
Along with this invitation, I would encourage you to accept our Lord’s invitation to “Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands, and in my feet.” For each of us may examine for ourselves the many archaeological evidences found in the Shroud of Turin and the related historic articles.
May you also consider the remarkable evidence available in the truth our Lord has brought forth out of the earth through the Book of Mormon. For Jesus Christ truly has taken away the sins of the world through the death and resurrection of His own body, and now whosoever will may come and receive eternal life through faith in the power of His resurrection and in the power of His infinite and eternal atonement.
II Nephi 7:43,44 – Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise Him through grace divine. Amen.
Ether 5:41 – And now I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father and also the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.
Blessings of peace in Jesus Christ to you all,
Dwight
