[dramatic music] NARRATOR 1: A malevolent army,
led by a demon called Belial wages a war against humanity. This army will fight several
deadly battles, culminating in a decisive World War. Will God intervene? Or will the human race be
swallowed by eternal night? For thousands of years,
prophets around the world have predicted the end of days. More than one suggests the
apocalypse is fast approaching. We call this theoretical
convergence between doomsday prophecies and today's events
the Nostradamus Effect. [creepy whisper] 1947, the Judean desert. In a remote arid cave
high above the Dead Sea, a nomadic shepherd discovers
a cryptic scroll that describes a secret prophecy. It contains such
mysterious phrases as army of Belial
and King of Kittim. Do these phrases foreshadow
a moment when two forces-- one light, the other dark-- will confront each other in a
final cataclysm, resulting then in a nuclear World
War III, [explosion] and possibly the
end of everything? Among the many discovered
"Dead Sea Scrolls" is the so-called "War Scroll",
with its prophecy of doom. But who is this message for? Written two millennia
ago, the scroll was left behind
amidst a war that would ravage Judaism and
leave the rebuilt Solomon's temple in ruins. The "War Scroll" is the only
existing firsthand account from a mysterious
group of Jewish mystics who claim to know the events
of the last great war. BRAD SCOTT: Their purpose
of putting this together was to teach of a prophetic
event, a yet future event. AZZAN YADIN: It's not
surprising that groups today will go to the "War
Scroll" and say, maybe it can teach us something. Maybe if we are able to
line up the different stages of the battle with
contemporary events, we would have, kind of,
the key to unlocking these divine mysteries. NARRATOR 1: We will examine
whether those of us alive today are the intended audience
for the "War Scroll", as this 2,000-year-old document
spells out, in chilling detail, the end of the world. Does the prophecy contained
within the "War Scroll" converge with other texts in
the Old and New Testament? Is it similar to doomsday
prophecies in other cultures? And are current events
similar to those described in the scroll, suggesting that
this might be the past actually revealing the future? One more example of
the Nostradamus Effect. Understanding the "War
Scroll's" possible linked to today's
unrest means delving into the ancient origins
of the "Dead Sea Scrolls" and exploring their discovery
in the Judean desert. MICHAEL BAIGENT: The
"Dead Sea Scrolls" were a group of documents
found in 1947 near the Dead Sea, hence the name. They were found in a cave
by a young Bedouin goatherd, so the story goes. NARRATOR 1: The scrolls
are a collection of handwritten biblical texts
that took up to 200 years to write. Collectively, they contain
fragments of nearly the entire Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Archaeologists ultimately
discovered 10 more caves nearby, containing nearly
900 animals skin and papyrus documents in sealed jars. The scrolls are important
because they are a closer approximation of the original
source material of parts of the Hebrew Bible. MICHAEL BAIGENT: When we
look at the origins of, say, Christianity, we are
dealing with the gospel. They've been manipulated,
they've been translated. They don't give
us honest history. They give us an
interpretation of history. The "Dead Sea Scrolls"
issued directly from the group of people who
constructed them and wrote them. And to that extent, they
give us the direct link to their beliefs and, to a
certain amount, their history. NARRATOR 1: Written, perhaps,
between 170 BC and 68 AD, the scrolls are believed
to be all that remain of a small Jewish sect
that lived in a settlement at Qumran, a plateau in the
Judean Desert along the Dead Sea, 12 miles east of Jerusalem. The sect is known
as the Essenes. AZZAN YADIN: That means
that they lived in the time that both rabbinic
Judaism and the community surrounding Jesus
that eventually became the church were being formed. So in that respect, this is
just an extraordinary finding. You actually have
authentic handwritten texts from a community
living at this time. [music playing] NARRATOR 1: Some scholars
believe the Essenes authored the scrolls. But who were they? BRIAN SCHULTZ: Kind of an
extreme Jewish group that felt that they needed
to withdraw and not mix with the rest of society
in order to keep themselves religiously pure. They did that because they were
not pleased with what they were seeing in their society and
thinking that it had gone awry and did not want to participate
in that part of society that they felt was no
longer right with God. NARRATOR 1: According
to some scholars, the Essenes believed the
Jewish people had angered God by not living according
to Hebrew scriptures, that they were too
secular and humanistic, and that this was why
God had allowed invaders such as the Romans to
conquer the Jewish homeland. The Essenes were led by a
charismatic leader they called the Teacher of Righteousness. BRIAN SCHULTZ: He is
credited with having really brought the group together,
given it direction. He was a very
charismatic leader who was given the ability by God to
properly interpret scripture. And the faithful
of that movement then agreed with his
interpretation of scripture. NARRATOR 1: Some
historians believe that this teacher
of righteousness was a member of the Zatokites,
a set of Jewish priests who were ousted by the Romans. The Essenes believed
that the Zatokites were the rightful high priests
of the sacred Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Though some say these scenes
led a peaceful communal life, others consider them
an apocalyptic cult. ROBERT EISENMAN: People think
that the Essenes what they've heard of are peace-loving,
retiring, apolitical, meditative. That is not the group that
wrote the "Dead Sea Scrolls". You have to define them
by what the scrolls say. Well, the scrolls
are not peace-loving, the scrolls are not
meditative, the scrolls are apocalyptic,
militant, and aggressive. NARRATOR 1: Interpreters
of the scrolls suggest that a belief
in a coming apocalypse may have inspired the Essenes to
create the "War Scroll", which they believe to be an ancient
blueprint on the art of war. [explosion] But could it also be
interpreted as a prophecy of a future Armageddon? Evidence may lie in the
"War Scroll's" text, which lays out a framework
for a violent confrontation between two opposing forces. The opening lines
of the text read, NARRATOR 2: "The first
attack of the Sons of Light shall be undertaken
against the forces of the Sons of Darkness." NARRATOR 1: Some "War
Scroll" scholars believe the Essenes were referring to
themselves when they described the Sons of Light. RANDALL PRICE: They called
themselves the Community of the Renewed Covenant. The Sons of Light,
therefore, include those who are true in their
understanding of scripture and their application
of scripture. NARRATOR 1: But some also see
parallels between the Essenes and certain devout practitioners
of the Jewish faith today. KEN SPIRO: The Jewish
people have traditionally viewed themselves collectively
as the people that represent that mission, of
representing light in terms of spiritual light and values. NARRATOR 1: But the scroll also
emphasizes a mysterious group called the Sons of Darkness, who
will engage the Sons of Light in battle. Are these the forces of evil who
have turned their backs on God? Referring to the Sons of
Darkness, the text says-- NARRATOR 2: "Supporting
them are those who have violated the covenant." AZZAN YADIN: The
Sons of Darkness, as described in the
"War Scroll", also include the violators
of the covenant. And that terminology brings us
to a very interesting aspect of this, kind of, apocalyptic
worldview, which is that there are enemies from
without, but you also have to be careful of
the enemies within. STEVE WOHLBERG: In
order to understand who the Sons of
Darkness would be today, we have to look at the scenes
understanding of the violators of the covenant, who were people
who had fallen away from God who claim to be religious. NARRATOR 1: According
to some scholars, the Essenes identify
the Sons of Darkness as Jewish people who had spurned
strict Judaic practice, known as Levitical law, and
those who lacked morals. According to the initial
author of the "War Scroll these people are also part of
the children of darkness, kind of like traitors. NARRATOR 1: But does evidence
support relying on the "War Scroll" to identify Sons of
Darkness and Sons of Light in modern times? History may provide a clue. In 37 BC, after hundreds
of years of domination by the Persians and Greeks,
Jerusalem found itself under occupation once more. This time, by the Romans. RANDALL PRICE: There is
a new enemy to react to. And so Rome now
governs and places people of the Judean throne such
as Herod the Great, who was not Jewish. And as a result, offends
Jewish sentiment. Certainly offended the sentiment
of those who embrace the "War Scroll". MICHAEL BAIGENT:
The people who wrote these texts hated the Romans. They hated being dominated
by a foreign invading force. The Romans were pagan overlords
because they insisted that they have sacrifices to the Roman
Emperor in the Jewish temple. They also insisted on
taxes being paid to Rome. They also had a lot of
practices which the staunch Jews considered unclean and immoral. [dramatic music] NARRATOR 1: In 66 AD, militant
Jewish groups rose up in revolt against the Romans. But they were
ultimately slaughtered. And in 70 AD, their holy site,
the rebuilt temple of Solomon, was destroyed. Historians believe that in
the midst of Jerusalem's destruction, the Romans advanced
on the Dead Sea area as well. JOEL REMBAUM: Pliny was the
general who conquered that area because it had to be conquered. And there were some
extremist groups out there who had more
militaristic intentions. Caught up with
them was the group of the Dead Sea, the people
who wrote those scrolls. NARRATOR 1: Before meeting
their final destiny, the Essenes left a grim prophecy
about mankind's annihilation. Some have identified
similarities between the violence
exacted against the Essenes and modern calamity
in our own time. Clues point to this forgotten
location in the Middle East. [explosion] Is this ground
zero for a coming apocalypse? [soft music] The "Dead Sea Scrolls", one
of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. Among these ancient texts is a
prophecy of the ultimate battle between good and evil. The forces of life and
darkness, the "War Scroll". Some interpreters suggest
it foretells World War III in our time. RANDALL PRICE: In reality,
it's seen in the scroll is one that they expected to happen. And if we believe in the
reality of the biblical text when it speaks, then they must
be fulfilled in the future. NARRATOR 1: According to
some experts, these scrolls-- 900 strong-- depict
the violent time the Essenes endured and
survived under Roman rule. Historians point out that the
Roman legions were largely motivated by greed and the
enrichment of their rulers in Rome. And there are legions today who
are similarly greedy for money and power. BRAD SCOTT: The whole purpose
of power is to get money. The whole reason to have all
the money is to have the power. The power and the money,
and the money and the power, all synonymous terms. And so this is also revealed
in these Sons of Darkness. NARRATOR 1: The "War
Scroll" indicates that its authors, the Essenes,
hated those who demonstrated greed. And they portrayed the Sons
of Darkness with this trait. NARRATOR 2: "For they are
a wicked congregation. Their strength is as
smoke that vanishes. Every creature of greed
shall wither quickly away like a flower at harvest time." NARRATOR 1: According
to some scholars, the "War Scroll" suggests
that so-called "darkness", the evil enemy of
all good people, is without morals
and guided by greed. In the "War Scroll", the Sons
of Darkness' immoral and greedy leader has a name, Belial. NARRATOR 2: "Cursed is Belial
for his contentious purpose, and accursed for his
reprehensible rule. And cursed are all
the spirits of his lot for their wicked purpose." RANDALL PRICE: The
"War Scroll" talks about the Sons of Darkness. And they are those who follow a
celestial figure whose name is Belial. Simply the name of Satan. ROBERT EISENMAN: Belial is
their word for the devil. Different words are the same
in all Christianity, Judaism, and Islam for diablo,
Belial, and so on. BRAD SCOTT: When Belial is used,
it's a contraction, actually, of two Hebrew words-- [hebrew word] and [hebrew word]. [hebrew word] But we say in English, Belial. [hebrew word] is the Hebrew
word for to waste or consume something. And to take it, and absorb it,
and waste it, and consume it. And [hebrew word] is the
Hebrew word for prophet. NARRATOR 1: Is this
another direct link between ancient perceptions
and today's events? [shouting] STEVE WOHLBERG: Those that are
involved in manipulating money, those who are overtaxing
people, corrupt politicians, global financiers who are
taking advantage of the poor, trying to make themselves rich,
they could all be legitimately classified as Sons of Darkness
who are breaking God's law, who are attempting to
make themselves wealthy at the
expense of others. KEN SPIRO: Some people are
comparing the son of darkness with people who control
global finance and greed and put us in the
current situation. There's a connection. People can come in
many, many forms. And we know that
economic instability can trigger all kinds of very
difficult things in the world. It can trigger violence,
it can trigger wars. NARRATOR 1: Some question
whether the demonic Belial is upon us in the form of
today's fallen Wall Street executives. The economic collapse of 2008 is
one of America's pivotal events of the last decade. The repercussions
were felt worldwide, with severe financial
consequences that nearly led the world into a second
Great Depression. KEN SPIRO: Threats to the
world don't necessarily have to be physical threats
in terms of violence. Economics can lead to tremendous
problems and instability, to the notion of an arch
enemy of good that not only is physically powerful, but also
economically and politically powerful, could certainly be put
into the context of this idea of the Sons of Darkness and
could pose a tremendous threat, not just to the Jewish
people, but to the stability of the entire world. NARRATOR 1: If we accept
this theory as true, should we logically expect
a financial annihilation to occur in our lifetime? [explosion] DEACON BOB ELLIS: Annihilation,
when you say that word, a mushroom cloud comes to
people's minds and everything being blown up. But that's only one way
to annihilate a nation. If you decimate the economy of
a nation, you annihilate it. NARRATOR 1: For
believers, economic woes are perhaps only one sign that
the world may be spinning out of control. Some experts note the
similarities between the "War Scroll" and apocalyptic
texts of the Bible, such as the book of Revelation. MICHAEL BAIGENT: The
book of Revelation is a kind of Christian version
of these apocalyptic "Dead Sea Scrolls". You can't prise them apart. You have to see them as
being connected in some way. BRAD SCOTT: When you read
the book of Revelation, you see a lot of the same
characters, plagues and stuff going on. As a matter of fact, you have
trumpets, and seals, and bowls, and in the "War Scroll",
you had the same kind of things going on. STEVE WOHLBERG: You
have a cosmic conflict between good and evil, between
God and, ultimately, the Devil. It's the same in Revelation. In the battle of Armageddon,
God himself intervenes, he crushes evil. And then, there's a new
heaven and a new earth, and good and love
ultimately win. All of those themes are shared
between the "War Scroll" and the book of Revelation. NARRATOR 1: Some
scholars also see a convergence between
the earlier "War Scroll" and doomsday
prophecies of the more commonly accepted Hebrew
Bible, or Old Testament. RANDALL PRICE: There are
other influences from the Book of Daniel, the
book of Zachariah, which mentioned the battles
of particularly Daniel, which mentions that in the last
days, Michael, the archangel, will stand with Israel
and oppose those who come against Israel. And so that kind of pattern is
enlarged in the "War Scrolls", showing that angels will
fight a heavenly battle alongside the Sons of Light. NARRATOR 1: But others debate
whether there is any connection at all. BRIAN SCHULTZ: And there's
no direct relationship between Armageddon
and the "War Scrolls". It's just that both of
them lived in a time period of religious oppression. [music playing] NARRATOR 1: Still, if the
prophecies of the Hebrew Bible, book of Revelation, and
"War Scroll" converge, each predicting similar
fates for mankind, is it mere coincidence,
or something more? Perhaps a repeated warning. Is a storm brewing today? A storm of evil,
gathering its forces and echoing across
these ancient texts? The "War Scroll" points
to many forces making up the Sons of Darkness. And for some who
believe in the prophecy, the ancient text predicts the
exact spot where a third World War may erupt. [dramatic music] The "War Scroll", a violent
tale of powerful forces battling for control
of the world. Scroll" as Persia, has
been a center of conflict in the Persian Gulf for years,
with a deeply conservative Muslim government actively
hostile to the state of Israel. IMAM JIHAD TURK: Iran does play
a very significant role, now, in the Middle East. And with the prospect of Iran
developing nuclear weapons, this puts some of
the other Arab states in a precarious position. NARRATOR 1:
Believers in prophecy suggest it's more
than mere coincidence that the very lands mentioned
in the "War Scroll"-- Mesopotamia,
Assyria, and Persia-- are the same lands now
engulfed in conflict. Those who believe the "War
Scroll" prophecy may converge with current
events, also believe there are signs that Satan
haunts the tumultuous Middle East. STEVE WOHLBERG: Down
throughout history, there have been battles
between those who are trying to control, and to take
over, and to advance through conquest, and
those that are trying to defend their freedoms. And I think that we're seeing
similar conflicts, today, in our world. NARRATOR 1: But others suggest
that religious conflict, particularly in the
Holy Lands, is simply a discouraging but typical
aspect of the human condition. What other evidence exists? The "War Scroll" is a
true work of prophecy. According to the scroll,
seven great battles will take place, culminating
in the end of days. For some scholars,
six of those battles may have already occurred,
setting the stage for the ultimate conflict
of good versus evil. [music playing] The "Dead Sea Scrolls"
are the only texts that remain from
the ancient library of an apocalyptic Jewish
cult, the Essenes. One in particular,
the "War Scroll", is considered by experts to
be a blueprint for Armageddon. Some suggest the message
in this ancient scroll may be converging with
present-day events. KEN SPIRO: The "War
Scroll" is part of a bigger, apocalyptic,
end-of-days scenario, which certainly is part of the Jewish
world view of how history will unfold. And of course, the Christian
world has picked up on that. But I think the real issue
is the actual chronology. NARRATOR 1: Some believe
the Essenes were convinced they would live to
see the apocalypse. But commonly accepted Jewish
belief spoke of a 6,000-year span between Adam,
the first man, and the arrival of a Messiah
who triggers Armageddon. Most believers in
Judaism at the time, thought they were only 4,000
years along on this timeline toward Armageddon. Were the Essenes working on
a different timeline, perhaps worked out by a learned
teacher among them? SAM THOMAS: This really
refers to the Teacher of Righteousness, who knows
all the mysteries of the words of the prophets. So in other words, the
Teacher of Righteousness is one who is able to read
and understand Scripture, and understand exactly how
those ancient prophecies are now coming true, or being fulfilled
in their own time and place. NARRATOR 1: According
to the scroll, the Essenes believe that
the final war would include the return of all the Jewish
tribes to the Holy Land. NARRATOR 2: "The sons of
Levi, the sons of Judah, and the sons of Benjamin shall
fight against all their troops when the exiles of
the Sons of Light return from the
wilderness of the peoples to camp in the
wilderness of Jerusalem." NARRATOR 1: In this
aspect, the "War Scroll" and more widely accepted
biblical texts are in sync. BRAD SCOTT: The
Bible very clearly teaches that in the
end of days, there's going to be a gathering
of the tribes of Israel in the latter days,
and the enemy is going to gather against that. Of course, in the
first century BC, well, there's no 12
tribes of Israel. In the land of Judea,
there's basically the three that are listed as
part of the Sons of Light. And that is Levi,
Judah, and Benjamin. NARRATOR 1: If the "War
Scroll" is indeed accurate, its predictions surrounding
the return by the Jewish people to Israel aligns with
apocalyptic texts in the Bible. Believers point to two events in
the 20th century that indicate the prophecy of the Jewish
people returning to the Holy Land. Primarily in 1917, Britain
took control of Palestine. In the Balfour declaration,
they invited Jews from all over the
world back to Israel. NARRATOR 1: This
began, according to many fundamentalist
Christians, the last days or final judgment of mankind
as described in the Bible. [thunder rolling] ROBERT EISENMAN: There are some
elements in Israeli society that have the ethos of
this final apocalyptic days mentality, and a
lot of evangelicals and fundamentalists in our world
that we're familiar with, have a similar mindset, and they
see the foundation of the state of Israel as a stepping stone
to this final apocalyptic situation. [music playing] NARRATOR 1: On May 14,
1948, the state of Israel was established. But its Arab neighbors
would not recognize it. Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon, and Iraq all attacked the
next day, starting a bloody year-long war. The first of many. The Arabs had been
committed to the idea that the creation of a Jewish
state was unfair and unjust and that there shouldn't be
a Jewish state in the region. So they went to war
to try to prevent it, to strangle it
basically at birth, and try to prevent it
from being created. The Israelis end up
winning that war. [explosion] NARRATOR 1: For some,
this series of battles clearly mark the beginning
of the final fulfillment of the "War Scroll", which
speaks of six battles in which the Sons of Light and
the Sons of Darkness clash before the final showdown. Three times the
Sons of Light triumph. But not ultimately. They just are victorious at that
moment, but can't really win. Three times, the Sons
of Darkness triumph. But also, not enough to
vanquish the Sons of Light. NARRATOR 1: Could the
Arab-Israeli war of 1948 be the first of these battles? Believers in this theory suggest
four other Arab-Israeli wars were also predicted
in the "War Scroll". But what of the ancient Essenes? Some believers argue
that the ancient cult saw their own demise as the
first battle between lightness and darkness. BRAD SCOTT: These writers
of these scrolls clearly understood that these
things could possibly happen during their immediate lifetime,
because the Romans were persecuting them. NARRATOR 1: Skeptics of
the "War Scroll" prophecy suggest the Essenes simply
predicted their own downfall, and not one of
future generations. These apocalyptic
groups in Israel fermented strife during
the first century AD, and culminated in
this absolutely immense and disastrous
war against the Romans, which began in 66 AD. The apocalyptic groups,
the Essenes, if you like, were totally defeated. Those who weren't killed fled
into Egypt where they were captured, tortured to death. Others were captured
by the Romans and died in the various arenas
up the coast of Palestine, or even back in Rome. They were wiped out completely. NARRATOR 1: If we accept that
six of the seven battles noted in the "War Scroll" may
have already occurred, when might the final battle
take place, and against whom? [explosion] [music playing] Is the "War Scroll" simply
an ancient manual that outlines military strategy? Or is it, as some suggest, a
prophetic vision of a third World War? According to believers
in the "War Scroll", the apocalyptic prophecy written
by an ancient Jewish cult 2,000 years ago may be
converging with current events. [shouting] [guns firing] KEN SPIRO: In the end, it could
be a very painful and difficult process, and no one can be sure
who's going to be around to see the end of the story. The scenario is
a very scary one. [explosions] MICHAEL BAIGENT:
In a funny way, we can say that the motivation of
the people who wrote the "War Scroll" are very, very similar
to the motivation of people today who are expecting
a battle of Armageddon in the Middle East
at any moment. And that can only be considered
very, very dangerous. Because the belief systems
we hold affects our behavior. And if we believe
something to be true, and if we believe something
is going to happen, the chances are we might
actually cause it to do so. [dramatic music] NARRATOR 1: The authors of
the "War Scroll", the Essenes, believed a future war will be
led by a satanic figure known as Belial, who will be joined by
the immoral and those who have turned their backs on God. Some interpretations
of the "War Scrolls" suggest the Sons of Light
and the Sons of Darkness have been locked in battles
since the time of Jesus. But some experts wonder
whether the scroll's relevance in today's world can
even be determined. AZZAN YADIN: It's very open
in terms of the text itself. What you have are
the people who think they're on the side of right
and the people who they think are the enemies of right. What I'm trying to say here
is that when people employ the "War Scroll" for modern
day political discussions, it tells us more about
their own ideology than about what it says
in the "War Scroll". NARRATOR 1: For those
who see literal meaning in the document's text, they
consider modern Israelis as the direct descendants of
the original Sons of Light. They point to passages such as-- NARRATOR 2: "For
the God of Israel has called out a sword
against all the nations, and by the holy ones of his
people he will do mightily." KEN SPIRO: Jewish people
have always viewed themselves as having this very unique
mission of being a nation whose job it is to
elevate the entire world, to rid the world of evil,
and to bring the world back to the ideal spiritual state
it was before everything fell apart, back to the garden
of Eden, so to speak. NARRATOR 1: Similar to Essenes,
some devout practitioners of the Jewish faith today have
interpreted the Hebrew Bible and its laws as strictly
divine, or transmitted by God, especially regarding
prophecy related to the coming of the Messiah. They claim this Bible, and the
prophecy of the "War Scroll", both point to the establishment
of the state of Israel as a sign of the end times. They also point to another
prophecy that may very well lead to Armageddon. AZZAN YADIN: There is, today in
Israel, a small community that is driven by a messianic fervor
and wants to re-establish the third temple,
believing that that is a step in the messianic
process, that eventually, that is what will bring the
Messiah and the end of days. This is, of course, a
very problematic issue, because right now that is
a site of a Muslim mosque, and you can imagine it's
a very complicated issue. NARRATOR 1: That site,
where the Temple of Solomon, the most sacred
site in all Judaism, once stood over 2,500 years ago,
is on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The Temple Mount
is very significant for the Jewish
people because that's where, according
to their tradition, Abraham went to
sacrifice his son. That's also where David
built the first temple. And in the temple, you had
the Ark of the Covenant, which had the holy of holies. The only place on earth
where the spirit of God actually was on Earth, so
there could be no place holier for the Jewish people
than the Temple Mount. NARRATOR 1: The Islamic faith
also holds the Temple Mount as sacred. Referred to as the noble
sanctuary by Muslims, the Temple Mount is the
third holiest site in Islam. According to the Quran,
the prophet Muhammad traveled to Jerusalem in
the seventh century AD, and ascended to heaven
from the Temple Mount. On that spot today, stands
the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the Dome of the Rock. Completed in 691 AD,
the site is layered with overlapping beliefs and
long-standing grievances. AZZAN YADIN: Israel has, at
least physical, possession of the Temple Mount. Even though legally it's
a little more complicated, they've ceded that, they've
ceded legal authority to the Muslim
religious authorities. But at least the, kind
of, technical possibility, logistically, Israel
could say, well, we want to go ahead
and build a temple. So that has raised the level
of engagement, the level of involvement among these
groups trying to push for, actually,
something happening. NARRATOR 1: But there's more. Some fundamentalist
Christians believe that rebuilding Solomon's temple
will hasten Jesus's return. So they, too, are lobbying
for its construction. There are some members of
the evangelical community in the United States who are
supportive of this, believing of course, that that messianic
Jewish group has everything right except for the
identity of the Messiah. MICHAEL BAIGENT: Now, how they
actually expect this to occur is anybody's guess, because
I think the meaning of Jihad will be finally apparent if they
tried to destroy the buildings on the Temple Mount. IMAM JIHAD TURK: The Muslim
world would undoubtedly be up in arms if the
current Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa
mosque were destroyed and the Jewish temple
was built in its place. It would be Armageddon. NARRATOR 1: The Dome of
the Rock, Al-Aqsa mosque, and the site where
the Temple of Solomon once stood, each elicits
extraordinary passion in those who consider this place
sacred above all others. Some fear that fanatical
believers of the "War Scroll" may become emboldened
to take a critical step, rebuild the third temple, and
according to their belief, trigger the battle of the
Sons of Lightness and the Sons of Darkness. NARRATOR 2: "The
great hand of God shall overcome Belial and all
the angels of his dominion. That wickedness be
overcome without a remnant. There shall be no survivors
of all the Sons of Darkness." NARRATOR 1: Those who have
researched the "War Scrolls" say there is some
logic to the belief that it and other doomsday
prophecies may be converging. They theorize that the
Middle East remains a crossroads of civilization,
and the battlefield of Armageddon. [dramatic music] According to the "War Scroll"-- "The heavens open, the
sword of God comes down. Michael comes down,
the archangel, to lead the Sons of Light." BRIAN SCHULTZ: At some
point, God would intervene, defeat the enemy by a non-human
sword, whatever that meant. And so they leave it
very cryptic in there to allow God to intervene
in any way that he so chose. NARRATOR 1: What could
this non-human sword be? Some powerful weapon
that only God wields? Some unexplainable tool
of divine intervention? Nobody knows for sure. MICHAEL BAIGENT:
At the end of time, we have the return of the
Messiah in Islam, in Judaism, and Christianity. Now, whether these three
messiahs are the same person, or whether they are three
different messiahs who, then, have to fight it
out, no one knows. But the fact remains
that this huge battle, which is talked about in
texts, if it's believed in, and if these beliefs inform the
lives of those who believe it, then, who's to say
that it won't occur? [dramatic music] NARRATOR 1: The future
is, as yet, unwritten. But perhaps it is forecast on
parchment weathered by 2,000 years of desert and sea. Regardless, humankind pauses
once more to consider its fate. Just another day? Or perhaps, the very last? Our answers remain shrouded
within the Nostradamus Effect.
