It is perhaps the greatest question in the history of mankind that people go back and forth debating.
Did Jesus Christ actually exist? Or did Christians make him up and pass him as real?
Historical records and artifacts from 2,000 years ago are incredibly rare. Those who believe in Jesus point to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as primary source information that He did, in fact, exist and perform miracles.
Some also rely on the historian Flavius Josephus’s writings from around 93 A.D. These explained that there was a man named Jesus who performed great works and drew many followers. But still, doubters can’t wrap their heads around this.
Enter American archaeologist Ron Wyatt. For years, he searched up and down the Middle East for religious sites and relics to confirm some of the Bible’s stories. According to Wyatt, his expeditions led him to find 92 relics from Biblical sites.
In 1982, Wyatt revealed he had discovered the Ark of the Covenant in an underground chamber where Jesus was crucified. He also claimed that there was dried blood on the Ark from when the earth split open at his death.
He collected the blood, had it tested, and concluded that the blood was in fact, Jesus’. To this day, many believers point to this as a huge breakthrough in the search for the truth that Jesus Christ truly existed. However, many doubters are still asking for proof.
Who is Ron Wyatt?
Wyatt is an American nurse anesthetist from Tennessee who always had an obsession with archaeology. Raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist, he believed the Bible was factually correct.
His archaeological calling came when he was reading Life and saw an image of what appeared to be a boat-shaped figure near Mount Ararat. He immediately thought this could be Noah’s Ark, and set out on an adventure to explore the site.
This began a new amateur career for him. Over 22 years, he would make more than 100 trips to the Middle East, searching for biblical artifacts and data.
Over time, Wyatt has been called the Church’s “Indiana Jones.” He toured landmarks and made discoveries at Mount Sinai, the Red Sea crossing site, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah’s Ark’s resting place. His ultimate goal was to one day prove that Jesus Christ was real.
Wyatt is considered a polarizing figure by some. While Christians applaud and believe his work and discoveries, doubters claim he made things up. They believe that he provided false data and evidence to try and prove the Bible is the Truth.
They say many of the pictures of the artifacts he has posted are fakes. Non-believers also claim he is pretending to pass himself off as an archaeologist. He has been called a fraudulent figure by several opponents.
Wyatt passed away in August 1999. It is said he gave his discoveries, including Jesus’ blood, to his wife in Tennessee who kept them in their home.
The Evidence for Jesus
According to Wyatt, the Ark of the Covenant was moved around 600 B.C. when the Babylonians invaded the Holy Land. The Israelites built many tunnels and caves hiding many important treasures, such as the Ark.
While exploring the area, Wyatt found a crack in the ground where Jesus was said to be crucified in Golgotha. The crack, he concluded, was from the earthquake that erupted at the time of Jesus’ death. He could see the crack went all the way down to the bottom of the Earth.
Wyatt began digging through the ground and navigated through tunnels. Eventually, he came across an underground chamber. Below that, a bunch of large rocks and stones were protecting something significant.
Once he got to the very bottom, he found a large rectangular box that had a cracked lid. Inside the rectangular box, according to Wyatt, was the Ark of the Covenant, which was solid gold and shaped like an altar.
According to Wyatt, the Ark of the Covenant was moved around 600 B.C. when the Babylonians invaded the Holy Land. The Israelites built many tunnels and caves hiding many important treasures, such as the Ark.
While exploring the area, Wyatt found a crack in the ground where Jesus was said to be crucified in Golgotha. The crack, he concluded, was from the earthquake that erupted at the time of Jesus’ death. He could see the crack went all the way down to the bottom of the Earth.
Wyatt began digging through the ground and navigated through tunnels. Eventually, he came across an underground chamber. Below that, a bunch of large rocks and stones were protecting something significant.
Once he got to the very bottom, he found a large rectangular box that had a cracked lid. Inside the rectangular box, according to Wyatt, was the Ark of the Covenant, which was solid gold and shaped like an altar.
Wyatt claims at that time four men, who he described as angels and were sitting at the mercy seat of the Covenant, instructed him not to remove it and leave it be. They also told him where to take pictures and videos.
Wyatt saw that leading down to the covenant, there was a black substance that he concluded was dried blood, possibly from the crucifixion when the Romans put a spear through Jesus’ side to confirm he was dead. Wyatt immediately collected the blood and sent it to a Jerusalem lab.
According to Wyatt, scientists examined the blood and studied the white blood cells. When they came back with their findings, they explained to Wyatt that the blood was determined to be “still living” and had just 24 chromosomes.
A normal chromosome count is 46, with 23 coming from the mother and the other 23 from the father. The scientists said that the 24th chromosome was said to come from a non-human source.
They were puzzled whose blood this could be. Wyatt knew instantly, and told them, “This is the blood of your Messiah.”
Questions Surrounding Wyatt’s Discovery
Of course, any significant discovery like this wouldn’t come without skepticism. Those who don’t believe Wyatt’s assertions claim he never produced evidence to back his claims.
He’s only written and spoken about his findings and not provided any real proof. For example, no one has been able to locate the lab or the scientists who tested the blood, helping corroborate Wyatt’s stories.
The pictures that Wyatt took were too blurry to make out anything. Many claim the video footage was corrupted and hidden from the public. Additionally, without a license in archaeology, Wyatt had no authorization to dig and find the Ark. There’s also no evidence of Wyatt’s underground exploration.
In the end, it’s all a question of faith. Much of the assertion that Christ existed is believing writings and stories, such as Ron Wyatt’s. Those who believe in Jesus will take his word as fact, but those on the scientific side of things will want actual DNA proof and concrete evidence.
References
“Scientists Discover Jesus’ Blood and It’s Alive! Ron Wyatt.” YouTube. 2023. Video.
Jackson, Wayne. “Ron Wyatt, The ‘Indiana Jones’ of the SDA Church.” Christian Courier. Nd. https://christiancourier.com/articles/ron-wyatt-the-indiana-jones-of-the-sda-church
Sullivan, Kerry. “The Adventist Adventurer Who Claimed He Found the Ark of the Covenant.” Ancient-Origins.net. Nd. https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/ark-of-the-covenant-007412
Tapalaga, Andrei. “Ron Wyatt: The Man Who Found Evidence of Jesus’ Existence.” HistoryofYesterday.com. 29 Jun 2023. https://historyofyesterday.com/ron-wyatt-the-man-who-found-evidence-of-jesus-existence/
