Is it true that the shroud was folded to say that Jesus was coming back?

Answer 1

Not quite. From the Gospel of John 20:7 read--And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

This facial cloth was common enough for Jewish crucifixions. It was placed over the face of the executed person while still on the cross in order to hide the face from family members as it contorted in rigor mortis after death*. The cloth thought to be the one placed on Jesus' face is called the Sudarium Napkin or Cloth, found in Oviedo, Spain around the year 800 AD. When scientists lined up the napkin with the Shroud of Turin they matched exactly. The bloodtype on both cloths are AB and it has been concluded by scientists that both the Napkin and Shroud covered the same head.

The significance of this is obvious. Had Jesus' body been removed by grave robbers they would not have taken the time to fold linen and tidy up. There were Roman soldiers on guard outside the tomb. Jesus was responsible for folding the Napkin as a sign that He, despite His gruesome death that was witnessed by others, still lived just as He promised.

*It was the custom to leave the bodies of the crucified hanging on the cross for the carrion birds to feast on for three or four days. This was added warning of the consequences of those that oppose Roman rule. Joseph of Arirmethea, a rich Jew who loved God and followed Jesus used his influence and wealth for the immediate release of the body. It was Joseph who owned the tomb the body was layed in.