In the bible are historically correct. most of them. but we are still left with a huge, large question mark regarding the time of david and solomon. one day maybe you ll find out. this is also an answer. today jews pray at the only wall that remains of the second temple. the idea of the first temple was so powerful, that for thousands of years people of different faiths have considered that same spot sacred. even muslims decided to build their sacred building on the same spot on the same hill. even though evidence of the temple or the man himself hasn t been found, most scholars believe there was a solomon. but not the larger than life solomon. he did not rule a vast kingdom. he did not build a huge capital city in jerusalem. he was not nationally or internationally known figure.
Built the city of jerusalem. david is one of the most fascinating characters in world literature. he looks almost perfect. david is the bible s first real hero. david was a very talented man who could fight, who could lead. he s a poet. he s a musician. we re told that he s absolutely gorgeous to look at. and god loves him. and he s been portrayed by some of hollywood s biggest stars in movies such as king david . respect what is ours and we shall keep faith with you. david was ancient israel s greatest king. he is also one of islam s earliest prophets. and christians believe jesus is directly descended from david. and yet this hero was a deeply flawed man. david was kind of a bastard.
It ushered in a period of nearly constant war for the israelites and it was during this time that voices arose in the land starting to talk about the end times. what today is called armageddon. and now i m about to enter armageddon. believe it or not, the name refers to an actual place about a three-hour drive north of jerusalem. it s amazing to be here, because according to the bible, we re now living in the last days. armageddon is the greek name for this ancient city. in hebrew it s called megiddo. many christians believe this vast plateau will be the staging ground where the armies of the righteous and the wicked gather for the final showdown. soon the world as we know it will come to an end and that
Destruction. reporter: many believe these underground tunnels were used to secretly transport the ark out of jerusalem when the city was under siege. and when the babylonian invaders took detailed inventory of the treasures they plundered something was missing. the babylonians took all the treasures from jerusalem, it was not in the list anymore. the ark? yes. the ark was not in the list. there are all kinds of possibilities as to where it ended up. reporter: so we went in search of it. one famous story suggests the ark was taken from jerusalem to egypt, hundreds of years before the babylonian siege began. that s where indiana jones goes and looks for it. we re told that sheshaq of the bible, an egyptian pharaoh, that he may have attacked jerusalem just after the time of solomon. yes. around about 980 b.c.
Even today the flag of modern israel, founded 3,000 years after his reign, bears the symbol known as the star of david. and jerusalem is the place he chose as his capital, making it not only a holy city but a political one too. there s evidence that king david really lived. just 20 years ago in northern israel archaeologists discovered a kind of ancient royal archive called a stila. and it mentions a house, or dynasty of david. and the reading is clear. it also mentions an entity, a state-like entity called israel. reporter: it may seem like a small thing, but it s an important discovery. it makes david the earliest biblical figure whom we can confirm actually existed. but the stila doesn t confirm some of the more scandalous details of david s life.