ARCHAEOLOGY NEWSFLASH NO. 285 A DISCOVERY - STARTLING, BUT TRUE
Last September I hinted at a remarkable discovery made on
the far side of our planet, in New Zealand.
This may be the most unusual story I will ever get a chance
to share with you. The connecting links may seem bizarre – but they are true…every
one of them.
Even if you're not the slightest bit religious, you should
find the following twist of events fascinating.
Living as a skeptic for many years, I never expected to be breaking
this kind of news to you.
THE DOCUMENT ON MY DESK
I just wish you were with me here today. Because at this
moment, on my desk - yes, right before my eyes - sits a 1,981 year old
document.
Until 7 months ago, we never knew it existed. But it has a
clearly trackable history.
Everything that follows is true history – supported now by
solid archaeological exhibits. Did you get that? Please read it again.
You can't get closer to an event than this report. On April
27, 31 AD, in Jerusalem, the eyewitness author of the document found himself forced
into a key role following the execution of Jesus Christ.
Also fitting strangely into this bizarre chain of events is
a well-known archaeological treasure, the Ark of the Covenant.
For 1,500 years, the Ark (and ceremonies associated with it)
enshrined a prophecy concerning a coming world Messiah and what he was
predicted to accomplish.
First, why don’t I lay out for you the fast facts, then
after that explain events in more detail? Here is the sequence of events, all
of which we have been able to carefully verify... Guaranteed...
AMAZING EVENT SEQUENCE
1. 1446 BC: In
the saudi Arabian desert there is constructed a priceless golden chest, which
will ultimately bedeck Solomon's Temple in Israel.
It is called
Ark of the Covenant. Why?-Because it enshrines the written Ten Commandments
(the Covenant) --the universal standard for human behavior.
Sacred records
affirm the reason why the Ark was made. Explained thus:
(a) Every
person on earth has violated the Universal Law, and lives only by the Creator’s
mercy.
(b) So, in a
ceremony once a year the blood of a sacrificed animal is sprinkled on the Ark’s
lid (called the Mercy Seat).
(c) This
symbolic act functions as a "passion play" forecast of a promised
future event. The essence of the prophecy is this:
That the
Creator has appointed a particular time in history when he will express his
love by becoming man to suffer the penalty for every one’s wrongs. Hence the
Mercy Seat, foretelling his act of mercy.
(d) As such, he
will be known as the Messiah, the sacrificial "Lamb".
By this
once-for-all act of mercy,
(i) the sovereignty of the Law will remain
unshaken, and
(ii) every
person who chooses to accept the Messiah’s death on his behalf will be pardoned
and restored into harmony with the Creator.
2. 586 BC: During the siege of Jerusalem by Babylonian
invaders, the seer Jeremiah and Temple priests transfer the Ark of the Covenant
to an underground cave near Skull Hill, about 270 feet outside the city walls. It
will remain there for more than 2,500 years.
3. On April 27,
31 AD, Roman soldiers drill a hole into a rock ledge fronting Skull Hill about
270 feet outside Jerusalem for the placement of a wooden cross on which to
execute Jesus Christ – unaware that immediately below is the cave containing
the Ark of the Covenant.
4. During the
crucifixion, a Roman spear pierces the side of Jesus. His blood sprinkles down
through a vertical crack in the rock onto the Mercy Seat of the Ark in the cave
below.
5. Jewish Council
member, Joseph of Arimathea, a great uncle of Jesus, (according to Jewish
Talmud records), sabotages the authorities' plan to toss Jesus' body into a
criminal pit. Instead, he donates his own new tomb adjacent to Skull Hill for
an honourable burial. As a result, he
becomes a "marked man".
6. Several days
later Jerusalem is astir with the news that hundreds of citizens have seen
Jesus walking, talking, eating - alive again! The authorities rush to stifle
the reports.
ANCIENT DOCUMENT: FROM ISRAEL TO SPOT X
7. The close
family of Jesus write their own detailed memoirs of these events.
8. Early AD
35: Joseph and eleven close companions
are arrested and exiled to perish at sea. Their precious documents go with
them.
9. AD 37: They
survive, and finally reach south west Britain, settling in Glastonbury. Here,
with their records, they live in peace for about 6 centuries.
10. In 664, after
Rome's Saxon mercenaries invade and conquer most of Britain, the Roman Catholic
Synod of Whitby orders the guardians of the Glasstonbury records to surrender
those “pagan non-Latin” documents for burning, and, giving up some, they continue
to carefully guard the most precious of them.
11. They stay
“underground” during centuries of persecution – until ultimately some documents
are “smuggled” out of Britain, and into New Zealand, to Spot X. We do not know
the precise date this occurred.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS: FROM ISRAEL TO SPOT X
12. In the 1980s
and 90s, our associated teams in Jerusalem excavate in front of Skull Hill and
survey the crucifixion and burial sites.
13. After this,
two of the team, Jonathan and Josephine Gray, follow an impression to relocate
our working base to New Zealand – and specifically to the same Spot X - not
knowing its significance. We are not aware that the Guardians are there, nor
that they or their papers exist.
POLITICAL REFUGEE:
FROM AUASTRALIA TO SPOT X
14. In 1998, P, a
Perth university lecturer discovers 11 months before the event that certain
Australian government figures are involved in plotting the Bali massacre of
Australians. After presenting a 5,000 report to a Canberra official whom he
trusted, P is forced to flee for his life from Australia to New Zealand – and
ends up specifically (coincidentally?) in Spot X.
LINKS WOVEN AT SPOT X
15. In Spot X, P
is thrown unexpectedly into close proximity to the Guardians, who allow him
access to their precious 2,000 year old history records.
16. In Spot X,
totally unaware of what P has just seen, we “stumble” into contact with P, and
share with him our Jerusalem expedition pictures.
17. As P goes
into retreat and reflects, firstly on the Guardians’ papers, then on our
expedition findings, there leaps out at him an absolutely startling connection.
Our expedition findings are amazingly related to what the documents speak
about!
18. June,
2011: P excitedly contacts us to
announce that his marriage of the Guardians’ documents with our expedition
photos, not only clearly cross-confirms the New Testament books, but vindicates
the discovery claims of our teams.
19. P informs us:
“My contact with the Glastonbury group was through a third party, D, who had
bought a house previously owned by a family in the group. But he has now left
New Zealand.
"Because of that, and because of the politically
awkward nature of my attempted assassination [in Spot X], the door of opportunity
into the group has probably been closed.
"Group members are secretive, ‘guarded’. They have
survived for nearly 2,000 years by being careful – someone like me, with bullet
holes through his windows, doesn’t fit in with a group wanting to keep a low
profile.”
That should be the end of the story.
20. But now there
occurs an amazing twist of events: Although D has left the area, by some
wonderful providence his house has not sold, so he finds himself returning to
Spot X.
Is this merely a coincidence – or something more? – because now, through a series of events, we
“bump into” D! We find him to be friendly and hospitable.
But more importantly, through his graciousness we are
granted access to the Guardians!
21. To our
astonishment, the spokesperson for the group is already expecting me to phone
her.
And, by an absolutely amazing coincidence she already
possesses my Ark of the Covenant book! While we have been dying to meet her, she
has been trying to find out more about us!
On our first visit, she hands over to us our own personal
copy of the document she believes was written by Joseph of Arimathea himself!
Why is this such a valuable document?
1. Because it
verifies in stunning detail the identity of the tomb we have been examining
adjacent to the Jerusalem crucifixion site.
2. It also hits us
with an independent eyewitness account regarding Jesus by one who was
intimately acquainted with Jesus, preserved for 2,000 years quite separately
from the Bible record.
THE ANTIQUITY OF THIS DOCUMENT
A careful investigation of all available evidence uncovers
this early history of the document:
• During the
period 27 to 31 AD, one of Jesus’ close acquaintances was placing on record, as
they occurred, many of the things which he saw and heard.
• Late April
onward, 31 AD: These eyewitness records were brought together and, in the
Jerusalem house of the disciple John, the first words were written of a
connected report.
• In the year
34, Joseph of Arimathea and his party were cast adrift by Saul of Tarsus to die
at sea. The treasures they took with them included this scroll. The group
survived, landing in France.
• In AD 37 this
precious document, along with others, accompanied Joseph to Glastonbury in
Britain.
• In AD 58,
Joseph’s friend and colleague Aristobulus, going to labor in Wales, took with
him a copy of this book.
SET ADRIFT
Let's flash back now to that fateful day in AD 34 when
Joseph's party was cast adrift.
"Get in!" shrieks the uniformed officer.
"There’s room for one more. "
He nudges the woman off the quay. She stumbles, almost
crashing, into the boat. Stabs of pain shoot up her leg as she strikes
something.
Marcella sighs... and looks around her. There is Joseph...
Lazarus... and twelve others crammed in with her. She knows every one. All dear
friends.
One of them smiles at her.
Another boat comes in close, to tow them out to sea. Four
strong men give their craft a push.
From now on, they are castaways. Without oars or sails. At
the mercy of the Mediterranean.
Yet... not afraid. That is the wonderful part. Each is very
calm and at peace.
Adjusting to a more comfortable position, Joseph reflects on
the events that have led to this moment...
IN A RICH MAN’S TOMB
Just 3½ years earlier, on April 27, AD 31, that alleged
renegade Yeshua (Jesus) had been publicly executed.
Governor Pilate’s official report of the event was deposited
in the imperial archives of Rome.
The Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) intended that Jesus’ body
be tossed into the pit reserved for criminals and that his memory be erased.
But their plan was thwarted by one of their own members -
Joseph of Arimathea.
Of some reputation in Jerusalem, Joseph had become rich
transporting tin and other metals from the Cornish mines of Britain to ports
around the Mediterranean. He was one who could go privately to the Governor and
make bold requests.
Pontius Pilate knew and respected him… and granted him leave
to remove Jesus’ body from the cross and bury it in his own newly-cut tomb
chamber.
This was in accordance with existing Roman law that a near
relative could attend to the burial of a crucified man. The historical Jewish
Talmud records that Joseph was a great uncle of Jesus (younger brother of
Mary's father).
He was also a secret follower of Jesus. And after that
rushed Thursday night trial of Jesus, Joseph was in shock. Then, when Jesus
died the next afternoon, Joseph could remain silent no longer. He "came
out into the open".
JOSEPH - A MARKED MAN
After Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in his own tomb, he
was a marked man. The enraged religious leaders wanted revenge.
But due to his wealth and influence they had to move
cautiously.
Meanwhile, those who claimed they had seen Jesus alive again
were causing a stir. Since the reported resurrection, they had become courageous.
Strengthened with a courage they had not known before, they hurried into the
streets and began speaking publicly about what they had seen.
In the days that followed, thousands of local people,
convinced by the evidence, made commitments to Jesus. They claimed the
authorities had made an awful mistake.
This brought opposition from the Establishment. They
arrested the speakers, threatened them, whipped and even imprisoned some of
them.
But the response was, “We cannot possibly give up speaking
of things we have seen and heard."
Why were these followers of Jesus so astonishingly
successful? Because they were not discussing philosophical ideas which might,
or might not, have some merit.
Not at all, they were reporting that they had actually seen
Jesus alive again, talked with him, eaten with him and walked dusty roads with
him. They swore that what they were saying was true.
THE SKULL HILL BUILDING
Apparently, there was sufficient public outrage against
Jesus' execution, for the site to never be used as an execution site again.
Eventually, the land was sold off – to the growing community
of believers.
It is likely that Joseph of Arimathea had a hand in the
purchase of the site, and donated it to them. They constructed a building
around the site, with the rock wall behind where Jesus’ cross was, as one of
the walls. Into that back wall they fixed what appears to have been an altar.
Excavations at the Skull Hill site in the late 1970s and
early’80s uncovered the stones in the walls of that early building.
Pilate, the Roman governor, believed Jesus had been handed
over to him because of the jealousy of the religious leaders.
One has the impression that after Jesus’ death, public
opinion aligned with Pilate’s assessment – so much so, that selling off the
execution site to Joseph of Arimathea was seen as a necessary act of public
penitence and compensation.
While some of the religious leadership was still convinced
that their murder of Jesus was necessary, the general populace were outraged at
what had happened.
Even among the religious leaders, many came to believe that
their leaders had murdered “the messiah”.
Rather than have everyone trek back and forth over to the
tomb, to see the resurrection stone, the giant circular stone that had covered
Jesus’ tomb entrance was moved to the new building at Skull Hill and placed in front
of the cross holes.
(Jesus' cross was at the back, and there were three more
cross-holes lower down, and closer to the road – two of which were used for
crosses on the day Jesus died – i.e. for the two thieves).
The lower parts of the surrounding walls still exist.
The stone was laid flat, either as part of the floor, or as
a raised platform or “table”. It is hard to tell now just how high the stone
was positioned relative to the surrounding floor.
The stone is still there – as noted in my colleague Ron
Wyatt’s first-hand archaeological report.
The excavation team were obliged by the official who
approved the excavations, to restore the site to the condition it was in prior
to the excavations.
So the stone, and remains of the walls from that first
Christian meeting place, now sit buried below several feet of dirt.
The Skull Hill site was used until, 3½ years later, one of
the young deacons was dragged out of the city and publicly stoned to death for speaking
about Jesus. In this, Saul of Tarsus (a
member of the Sanhedrin) took a leading part.
A great rash of persecution now broke out in Jerusalem and
followers of The Way were scattered everywhere.
Saul now targeted Joseph of Arimathea.
Rather than bring down public anger on his own head for
arresting such an influential figure, Saul decided to get rid of him quietly.
Then he would not be seen as responsible for his fate.
So Joseph and eleven others close to him were cast adrift on
a boat, from which oars and sails had been removed.
Naturally, these exiles took their treasures with them,
including what written records they and the family / relatives of Jesus had.
Contrary to Saul's intentions, the castaways managed to
survive this ordeal, landing eventually at Marseilles on the coast of Gaul
(France).
Joseph of Arimathea continued with some of his party across
the channel to Britain. sailing around to the Glastonbury area of Cornwall,
they were welcomed by residents who knew Joseph from his mining operations.
EVIDENCE IN ROYAL BRITISH ARHIVES
Twelve hydes of land were granted to them by Joseph's friend
Arviragus.
Today, officially recorded in the British royal archives. we
find these charters of land that were granted to them in AD 37 by Prince
Arviragus of the Silures.
You can examine a record which contains remarkable details
of the original charter. It is embodied in the Domesday Book of William I.
Their arrival in Britain seemed to relax them from their
concerns. The mood changed – and they obviously looked on Glastonbury as their
new permanent home. Their ancient scriptures were unpacked, and taught, buildings
built, trees and crops planted.
Joseph died on July 27, 82 AD, at the grand age of 98.
SAFETY AND PROSPERITY
The Romans were unable to occupy the area which included
Glastonbury. There was an established trading and shipping route operating
between the Mediterranean and the British Isles – including both the Roman and non-Roman
parts of the Isles.
The Roman administration used Gaul (France) as its route to
and from Britain. Roman documents, soldiers and administrators travelled from Rome
into Gaul, thence across what we today call the English Channel.
Joseph of Arimathea’s documents were in the original Hebrew
and Aramaic (and possibly Greek) at first, but were very likely translated into
the local languages and later rendered into what became English over the intervening
centuries.
There does not appear any history of harassment or
persecution in Britain. The Glastonbury group seemed accepted and popular with
both government administrators, and the common British communities, as the
message of The Way spread throughout Britain and Ireland.
In these early days, the people tended to see their faith as
flowing direct from Jerusalem, and from the mother faith, Judaism. Such a perceived
spiritual heritage did not sit well with the church power brokers in Rome.
ROME BACKS THE SAXON INVASION
After the power of the Roman Empire collapsed in Britain,
the Saxons cast their eye toward the British Isles.
Their invasions into Britain were supported, and often
backed financially, from Rome. Basically, the Vatican (successor to the empire)
was lending the money to build and fit out the ships for the Saxons. The deal
was that once the Saxons had conquered Britain, the loans would be repaid, with
interest, by the victorious Saxons.
Effectively the Vatican was using the Saxons as mercenaries
to re-assert Roman control over Britain – because direct military control from
Rome had been weakened, or effectively destroyed.
Once the mercenaries (Saxons) had conquered much of Britain,
spiritual control (from Rome) was to be imposed on the British Isles. Religion
was to be conducted according to the language and rites of Rome, and not Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the descendants of Joseph enjoyed freedom outside
Rome’s reach.
SYNOD OF WHITBY: JOSEPH’S PAPERS BANNED
It all came to a crashing halt with the Synod of Whitby.
Rome had finally conquered Britain. The Synod of Whitby in
664 voted to standardise “Christianity” in Britain under Roman control – which
would involve the use of Latin in the liturgy, acceptance of the papal authority
of Rome, and of the Roman Catholic calendar.
That Synod pretty well determined the shape of mainstream
religion practiced in Britain until the Reformation.
Steps were taken to enforce acceptance of the decision. All
non-Latin writings were to be destroyed. Book burnings took place, and groups holding
documents from an earlier period, in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, were ruthlessly
persecuted.
Thanks to Joseph of Arimathea, various documents from the
early days were stored at Glastonbury. In line with the post-Synod of Whitby
orders, most of these were burned.
Book burning is something that appals scholars – and many of
the scholars and devout believers in Glastonbury were appalled at the orders to
burn their books and records.
They went through the motions of obeying orders, handing
over some of their papers to be destroyed.
But they tried to hide and preserve some of their most
valued treasures, including the scrolls Joseph of Arimathea had brought with
him to Britain after Stephen’s murder in Jerusalem, over 600 years earlier.
Church and civil authorities would continue hunting for the
remaining documents for much of the following 1200 years or so. The Glastonbury
community was raided repeatedly.
Meanwhile, some of the faithful descendants of Joseph’s
group (and their successors) blended into the community unrecognized, and hid
the surviving scrolls.
TO LOCATION X
They stayed “underground” until some documents were
“smuggled” out of Britain, and into New Zealand, to Spot X. This occurred in
the 1800s, but we are unable to pinpoint the date.
Jesus’ apostle John wrote the book of Revelation on Patmos,
at latitude 37 degrees north. The descendants and heirs of Joseph of
Arimathea's Glastonbury group, settled in Spot X at latitude 37 degrees south. (We
are protecting the privacy of the actual location.)
They stored Joseph's papers here, at that latitude. There
may be more than a co-incidence in those two latitudes.
The Guardians have largely lost touch with the original
faith, so, in the special document they protected, they did not really know
what they had.
Here, now, is the punch line:
* Just one
archaeological team on earth was exclusively working at the Jerusalem
crucifixion site.
* Two key
team members then relocated to the ends of the earth, to discover that a
2,000-year-old eyewitness report of that very same event was waiting for them
in that same spot.
Please re-read those last two sentences, Henry Kroll, and
ask yourself, is that just a coincidence ...or is something bigger playing out here?
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUTH ABOUT THIS OLD DOCUMENT
Have you ever heard either of these claims?:
1. that the New
Testament books about Jesus Christ are mythical, written centuries after the
alleged events? Or that
2. they were
edited / altered by some political or religious guys to suit an agenda?
This newly discovered document knocks those claims stone
dead.
What we have here is an original eyewitness account by a
close associate of Jesus himself, preserved for almost 2,000 years - and
preserved far away and independently from the biblical New Testament.
Careful examination shows it to be penned by someone of
integrity, who was intimately acquainted with the events and places, as only an
on-the-spot eyewitness could be.
His reporting is oriented to Galilee, rather than Jerusalem.
The incidental details, tone and style of the document indicate it to have been
written by one who personally knew Jesus and his message.
His descriptions of Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home village,
and Joseph’s tomb in which Jesus was laid, match to the minutest detail what
our archaeological teams were to physically uncover 2,000 years later.
What is the value of this document?
1. It proves the
New Testament account of Jesus, including his rising from the dead, to be an honest
and contemporary account of events.
2. It verifies
our various teams' archaeological findings made in Israel during the 1980s and
1990s
But the greatest wonder of all is that
(a) Joseph of
Arimathrea’s ancient written memoirs, and
(b) the refugee who
became our go-between to the Guardians, and
(c) our specific
team that worked at the crucifixion-site - should all independently converge at
Spot X on the opposite side of the world, so that this unlikely discovery could
now “happen”.
It makes you wonder, was Someone arranging that?
If you'd like more information about our Jerusalem
archaeological finds, it's in my special report, "The Forbidden
Secret".
But this report reveals much more - it uncovers just how
certain past events now impacting on present day events will affect you and
those whom you love.
If you are skeptical and would like to claim $100,000 by
proving the investigations are flawed, then here is where to start: http://www.beforeus.com/secret.html
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