ISRAEL - Oldest Picture of Jerusalem?

In the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, Assyria was the superpower in the Near East, ruling an empire that stretched from Egypt in the southwest to parts of modern-day Turkey in the north and all the way eastward to parts of modern-day Iran.

At the time, the Jewish people were split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. As Assyria and Egypt faced off, the two kingdoms were forced to choose: would they side with Egypt to the south or Assyria to the north?

King Sennacherib, Shalmaneser’s nephew, moved on to Judah, taking over a series of towns. The king of Judah, Hezekiah, gave a massive tribute payment to hold Sennacherib off. But that wasn’t enough.

Shortly afterward, according to both the Tanakh and Assyrian records, Sennacherib retreated from Jerusalem without entering the city. The Tanakh says that God sent an angel to kill the Assyrian soldiers, forcing him to flee. The Assyrian records say that Sennacherib “confined him (Hezekiah) inside the city Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage.” Sennacherib proceeded to boast that Hezekiah sent him a large tribute afterwards.

The Book of Nehemiah (12:37) also describes the Judean king’s palace as being at the north end of the eastern wall of the city. From the north, that palace would be visible on the front left of the southern hill.

All of this aligns with the relief, which shows Hezekiah on a building in the background on the front left side of a hill.

-unpacked.media, 30 December 2025

Commentary: The skyline of Jerusalem today most prominently and recognizably features the golden Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque. Photography was not invented until Louis Daguerre presented the first practical photograph in 1837.

From a historical perspective, that can be considered very recent. Thus, the oldest and most iconic feature of Jerusalem can also be considered quite recent; it was built between 688-691 AD. There are many structures and ruins throughout the Middle East and Europe dating long before that time. Most of today’s recognized monuments date back to the Roman Empire.

Interesting is the fact and fulfillment of Matthew 24, where the word “shall” is repeated 59 times. Verse 2 reads: “And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

When it comes to Jerusalem, archaeologists from all over the world have done their research, and indeed did not find “one stone upon another, that [was] not … thrown down.” Such is not the case with other ancient structures as previously mentioned. Take for instance, the iconic Colosseum in Rome, built in 70–80 AD (Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of our Lord”). Much older structures, tunnels, and rooms are dispersed throughout Europe and the Middle East dating from an earlier time.

Here we come to the preciseness and uniqueness of Jerusalem, and the prophetic utterance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read: “And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts” (21:5). Believers do not primarily look for things seen but the unseen, the prophetic Word: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). Verses 9-10 then add: “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”