Trampling Of The Holy People

Jerusalem’s People Trampled – Luke 21:23–24 in Context

Luke 21:23–24 records Yahusha’s warning that in the coming calamity the people of Jerusalem themselves would be the victims of Gentile aggression. He foretold “great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people” (Luke 21 KJV). In 70 CE, when Rome besieged Jerusalem, this prophecy saw an initial fulfillment: “they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations” (Luke 21 KJV). This clearly focuses on people – the inhabitants of Jerusalem – being killed or enslaved, not merely the stones of the city. After describing slaughter and captivity, Yahusha adds, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21 KJV). This “trodding down” or trampling refers to Gentile nations oppressing the people of Jerusalem (the Israelites), from the Roman conquest in the first century to the present day. The “times of the Gentiles” represents a long period during which foreign powers dominate Israel. Throughout this era, the true Israelites (foremost among them the scattered Black African descendants of Jacob) have been underfoot – politically, militarily, and economically – of Gentile rulers. Luke 21:24 is thus understood as a prophecy of continuous oppression of the Israelites by Gentile world powers, until those Gentile times come to an end.

This interpretation is reinforced by the immediate context. Yahusha’s phrase “wrath upon this people” (Luke 21 KJV) shows the focus is the people, and indeed history records massive loss of life and enslavement of Jews during the Roman onslaught. After Jerusalem’s fall, many Israelites were sold into slavery across the Roman Empire. According to prophecy, this was to continue far beyond Rome’s era. Indeed, the sons and daughters of Jerusalem would remain subjugated under Gentile domination for ages, suffering exile and abuse in foreign lands. This long nightmare of oppression – from Roman legions to transatlantic slave ships – is the extended trampling Yahusha spoke of. Jerusalem, in a spiritual and collective sense, is its people; and those people (the true Jews/Israelites) have been trampled by Gentiles right up to modern times. The prophecy says this will last “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21 KJV) – implying a turning point when Gentile domination ends and Israel is restored. Until that divine reversal, however, the fate of the Israelites is to remain under Gentile feet, scattered and oppressed. As we will see, other prophetic scriptures confirm this theme and even give more detail about the oppressors and the oppressed.

The Fourth Beast Devouring the Holy People – Daniel 7:23–25

Centuries before, the prophet Daniel was shown a vision of four great beasts representing four empires (Daniel 7). The fourth and final beast is described in strikingly similar terms to Luke 21:24’s “Jerusalem… trodden down”. Daniel 7:23 says this beast (the fourth kingdom) “shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23 This is what he said: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.). In other words, this final empire would crush and trample everything underfoot – a global power trampling the earth and its peoples. The fourth beast corresponds historically to the Roman Empire and its later outgrowth (the Euro-American world powers). It is a Gentile world power that ultimately spans the whole earth, just as Daniel foresaw. The Roman Empire did devour many nations, including Israel, and in its aftermath the European colonial powers (heirs of Rome’s power) extended Gentile domination globally – culminating in the modern Western empire led by the United States. This is the beast system that “devoured the whole earth.” Crucially, Daniel’s prophecy emphasizes that this beast would target the holy people of God. Daniel 7:25 states the fourth beast’s ruler “shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High”. In biblical language, “saints” refers to God’s set-apart people – the Israelites. Psalm 148:14, for example, identifies Israel as the saints: “He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him”. Thus, Daniel’s vision shows the final Gentile empire persecuting the holy people (the Israelites).

The phrase “wear out the saints” indicates a prolonged oppression – an attempt to crush, exhaust, and destroy the holy people. This matches the fate of Israel hinted at in Luke 21:24. The trampling of Jerusalem by Gentiles is the trampling of Israelite saints by a ruthless Gentile power, embodied by this fourth beast. Revelation later echoes this same period, linking it to the persecution of God’s people in the last days. The  “wearing out” of the saints began with Rome’s oppression of Judea (when the Second Temple was destroyed and Jews were exiled) and has continued under later Gentile kingdoms. The saints of the Most High – the true Israelites scattered abroad – have indeed been trodden down, worn out, and persecuted by Gentile empires from Rome to the present Euro-American power structure. Daniel’s prophecy and Yahusha’s words are two sides of the same coin: one describes the oppressor (the beast power) and his actions, the other describes the experience of the oppressed (Jerusalem’s people). Together they foretell a long night of suffering for Israel under Gentile rule.

The Dragon’s War on the Woman and Her Seed – Revelation 12

The Book of Revelation uses symbolic imagery to describe this conflict between the holy people and the worldly powers energized by Satan. Chapter 12 introduces a “woman clothed with the sun” who gives birth to a male child (12:1–5). This woman represents Israel – God’s chosen nation, crowned with twelve stars (symbolizing the twelve tribes). Opposing her is a great red dragon, identified later as Satan (12:9), who seeks to devour her child and persecute the woman. After the child (Messiah) is caught up to God, the dragon turns his fury on the woman. Revelation 12:13 says, “when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” This persecution of the woman is a symbolic way of describing Satan’s assault on Israel – the same assault carried out historically by the beastly empires under his influence. The chapter goes on to describe the woman being given eagle’s wings to fly into the wilderness to a place of refuge for a time (12:14). Though expressed in symbols, we can see a parallel to the scattering and hiding of Israel among the nations for a long duration. Despite divine help, the dragon does not relent. Revelation 12:17 declares, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” . The “remnant of her seed” are the faithful Israelites – the saints – particularly those who follow Messiah (Christ).

This vividly shows that the ultimate spiritual source of the oppression is the dragon (Satan), but he operates through earthly powers. The dragon in Revelation symbolizes the same end-times Gentile power structure foreshadowed by Daniel’s fourth beast. It is Satan’s worldly kingdom, manifest in the institutions of human empire. In the first century, that dragon worked through pagan Rome to try to destroy the Messiah and scatter the Jews. In later ages, the dragon shifted tactics but continued the war on the woman’s offspring – oppressing the dispersed children of Israel, especially those who awaken to their identity and faith. Revelation 12 thus runs parallel to Luke 21 and Daniel 7: the woman/Israel is harassed and pursued in the wilderness (captivity and dispersion) for a prophetic time, but a faithful remnant endures. The dragon’s war against this remnant is exactly the trampling of the saints we’ve been discussing. Importantly, Revelation’s dragon has seven heads and ten horns, linking it to the beast of Revelation 13 and to Daniel’s beasts – it represents a succession of empires culminating in a final global power. This is the modern U.S.-led Western empire as the inheritor of this dragon-like mantle – essentially a revived form of Rome that continues to dominate Israel (the true Israel). Just as the dragon has global reach, the Western powers have exerted control over “the whole earth” (to use Daniel’s words (Daniel 7:23 This is what he said: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.)), and just as the dragon hates the woman, the ruling powers have continually targeted Israelites for oppression. Revelation 12 assures us that this is not merely human politics, but a spiritual war with prophetic significance.

A Last-Days Empire and the Ongoing Oppression of True Israel

When we examine the characteristics of the final Gentile power in prophecy, it becomes evident that it corresponds to the hegemonic power of our time – broadly, the Euro-American empire dominated by the United States. Daniel’s fourth beast was said to be “diverse from all kingdoms” and to devour the whole earth (Daniel 7:23 This is what he said: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.), indicating an unprecedented, globe-spanning empire. The reach of Western civilization (through colonialism, globalization, and military might) has indeed been worldwide, fulfilling this vision. After ancient Rome fell, its power shifted into the European colonial empires (Spain, Portugal, France, Britain, etc.), and ultimately into the hands of America and its allies. These powers have controlled the Promise Land in sub-Saharan Africa, the world economy, and the destinies of colonized peoples (including Israelites) for centuries – truly devouring and treading down nations across the globe. Luke 21:24’s “times of the Gentiles” can be seen as this entire period of Euro-Gentile domination, from 70 CE up to the present. During this era, the true Israelites (many of them scattered in Africa and the African diaspora) remain largely downtrodden. The United States, as the leading Gentile superpower, sits atop this global system (The Whore That Rides The Beast) – a modern Babylon or revived Rome in prophetic terms – and continues policies and structures that oppress the descendants of Israel.

One striking clue linking the modern empire to the dragon/beast of prophecy is the scope of its persecution of the saints. Revelation 13 (which continues the narrative of Revelation 12) says the end-times beast will “make war with the saints, and to overcome them” and have authority over “all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev 13:7). Who are these saints? As established, they are the holy people of the Most High – the Israelites. History reveals that the European powers and America made war on Black African peoples around the world, which includes war on the hidden Israelites among them. Consider that after chattel slavery ended, oppression did not cease: there were Black Codes, Jim Crow segregation, lynchings, redlining, mass incarceration – systemic evils disproportionately impacting the children of the slave trade, who are the children of Israel. This too is part of the trampling under Gentile feet. The dragon gives its authority to beastly governments, and those governments have consistently kept Israelites at the bottom of society. The prophet Daniel heard that this oppression would last “until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25 He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.) – a figurative period ending with divine intervention. We are nearing the end of the Gentile age, but until it ends, the Western empire stands in the role of the dragon’s servant, maintaining a power structure that marginalizes God’s true people. In sum, the modern global power – with the U.S. at the helm – fits the profile of the prophesied oppressor: diverse from all before it (a democratic, capitalist empire), ruling the whole earth, and waging a crafty war against the holy people (through racial oppression, economic exploitation, and deception of identity). This is the ongoing trampling of Jerusalem’s people in our time.

Historical Persecution of Black African Jews Fulfilling Biblical Prophecy

The broad sweep of history since the 15th century provides concrete examples of how Gentile nations have trampled the holy people of Israel – particularly those Israelites of African descent, often called Black Jews or Hebrews. The pattern of mass persecution, captivity, and exile of these people aligns precisely with the prophetic warnings of Scripture. Below are key historical events demonstrating this fulfillment:

• The Spanish Inquisition and Expulsion (15th Century): In 1492, Spain’s rulers issued the Alhambra Decree, expelling all Jews who refused conversion. This followed years of Inquisition terror against conversos (secret Jews). As a result, hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to flee. Many sought refuge in Portugal, only to face a similar fate. By 1497, the entire Israelite community of Portugal was forcibly converted to Catholicism (Expulsion of Jews from Spain - Wikipedia). These forced conversions and expulsions mark a trampling of Israel – the people of the Book were uprooted, their wealth seized, their faith outlawed. The wrath of the Gentiles fell on them, echoing Luke 21:23’s “wrath upon this people.” Those who fled often went to North Africa or the Ottoman Empire; some even ventured further into West Africa. This great uprooting fulfilled prophecy: “And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other…” (Deuteronomy 28:64). Indeed, the expulsion from Iberia scattered these Jews (many of whom we identify as Israelites by blood) into far-flung lands, where Gentile dominion continued over them.

• The Portuguese “Sao Tomé” Exile (1493–1497): An especially cruel chapter of the Inquisition era was the fate of Black Jews in Portugal under King João II and King Manuel I. In 1493, as punishment for Israelite parents who could not pay an extortionate tax, the Portuguese crown kidnapped nearly 2,000 Israelite children (ages 2 to 10) and deported them to the island of São Tomé off the west coast of Africa (History of the Jews in São Tomé and Príncipe - Wikipedia). These children were taken from their families, enslaved and forced to become Christians, and made to work on sugar plantations among crocodile-infested rivers (History of the Jews in São Tomé and Príncipe - Wikipedia). The conditions were so horrific that after one year, only 600 of the 2,000 children were still alive (History of the Jews in São Tomé and Príncipe - Wikipedia). This episode fulfills the curses prophesied in Scripture, such as “Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people” (Deut 28:32). It was literally a leading away captive of the Israelites’ children into other nations, just as Luke 21:24 said. A generation later, some of the surviving São Tomé Jews were reportedly sent on to colonize Brazil (History of the Jews in São Tomé and Príncipe - Wikipedia), meaning these Israelite children became some of the first Black Jews in the Americas – early fulfillments of the prophecy that Israel would be scattered worldwide. The São Tomé atrocity also planted a seed of Israelite presence in West Africa; descendants of those children eventually settled in kingdoms on the African mainland (History of the Jews in São Tomé and Príncipe - Wikipedia). Thus, by the early 1500s, we see Israelite people exiled into Africa and across the ocean – a direct parallel to “Jerusalem… trodden down of the Gentiles” with captives in every nation.

• Enslavement and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (16th–19th Centuries): The exile of Israelites into Africa set the stage for the next phase of trampling: the transatlantic slave trade. European powers (beginning with Portugal and Spain, followed by Britain, France, the Netherlands, and others) orchestrated the mass deportation of millions of Africans to the Americas in chains. Many of those enslaved were Israelites by heritage – either Jews who had lived in West Africa since ancient times, or descendants of the Sephardi exiles and local Israelites who merged into African communities. The scale of the slave trade was enormous. Historians estimate about 12 to 12.8 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic over 400 years (Atlantic slave trade - Wikipedia), with millions perishing in transit or in bondage. This tragic magnitude fulfills the curse in Deuteronomy 28:68: “And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships… and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen…. “Egypt” here is symbolic of bondage, and indeed European slave ships carried Israelites back into captivity. The fact that transport was “with ships” is chillingly accurate – slave ships carried captives across the “Middle Passage” to the New World, precisely as prophesied. Once in the Americas, these enslaved Israelites were sold in marketplaces like chattel, fulfilling “there ye shall be sold unto your enemies”.

• The slave trade represents the Gentile nations literally trampling Jerusalem’s children underfoot – seizing them, shackling them, and working them to death on foreign soil. Notably, even historical maps acknowledge a connection between the slave coast of West Africa and Israel: European traders knew of a kingdom in West Africa called “Whidah” or “Ouidah,” which the French maps labeled “Juda” (Judah). Whydah was a major slave port in Benin – over a million slaves were sent from there (Kingdom of Whydah - Wikipedia) – and the very name “Juda” hints that those taken from that region were considered the people of Judah (Yahudah). Thus, the diaspora of slavery is seen as a direct continuation of Luke 21:24’s “led away captive into all nations.” From the Caribbean sugar plantations to the American cotton fields, the sons and daughters of Israel (many now in the guise of oppressed Africans) were trodden down by Gentiles without mercy.

• Continued Oppression and Destruction (16th–20th Centuries): Even after slavery was formally abolished in the 19th century, the trampling of the holy people did not cease. Colonial powers partitioned and exploited Africa (the Scramble for Africa in the 1880s), often massacring or repressing those populations among whom Israelite descendants lived. In the Americas, the freed descendants of slaves – whom we understand as Israelites – faced Jim Crow laws, racial terror, and disenfranchisement. They were “worn out” by one form of oppression after another, just as the prophecy in Daniel said the beast would try to wear out the saints. From lynchings and pogroms to economic oppression and police brutality, Gentile society has attempted to break the spirit of these people. The trampling has been social and psychological as well: stripping away the true identity of the Israelites. During slavery, many were forbidden to read and had their heritage erased; in captivity, they were given new names and religions. This corresponds to the beast “thinking to change times and laws” (Dan. 7:25) and attacking the saints’ identity. Yet, through it all, a remnant kept faith and preserved the truth in oral histories that they are the children of Israel. The persecutions of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Spain/Portugal (Expulsion of Jews from Spain - Wikipedia), the cruel Atlantic slave trade, and the oppression of Blacks in the diaspora all form a connected fulfillment of prophecy. “Jerusalem” (the people of Israel) has been trampled by Gentiles through Catholic monarchies, colonial empires, and racist regimes, exactly as the Scriptures foretold. Each historical episode adds another layer to the “times of the Gentiles” – a period marked by Gentile dominance and Israelite suffering.

  
  

Conclusion: Prophecy Realized and the Hope Ahead

History is not a random series of events but the outworking of biblical prophecy. Luke 21:24, Daniel 7:23–25, and Revelation 12 each illuminate a facet of the long tribulation of Israel. Luke speaks of captivity and trampling; Daniel describes beastly empires wearing out the saints; Revelation portrays a dragon making war on Israel’s remnant. When blended together, these scriptures present a sobering picture that perfectly matches the experience of Black Jews and Israelites over the past 500+ years. The people of Jerusalem – scattered to Africa, the Americas, and the four corners – have indeed been under Gentile domination, fulfilling Yahusha’s words. The fourth beast has devoured and trampled, from Roman legions to European colonizers, fulfilling Daniel’s vision to the letter. The dragon has raged against the woman’s seed – from church-sponsored inquisitions to modern systemic racism – just as John saw on Patmos. In all these trials, the identity of the true Israel has been the central issue. The saints of the Most High, though cast down, are not forsaken. The very fact that these persecutions were foretold in Scripture validates who the true children of Israel are: they are the ones who have endured this exact journey of suffering. As it is written, “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons” (Hebrews 12:7). The trampling by Gentiles, however painful, is also a sign of who God’s elect are – for whom else matches these prophecies so precisely?

Yet, the prophecy also carries hope: the trampling has an expiration date. Jerusalem is trodden “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21 KJV). Daniel saw that after the terror of the fourth beast, “the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom” (Dan. 7:18, 27). Revelation 12 shows the dragon ultimately failing to destroy the woman, and in Revelation 13–14 the Lamb and the 144,000 (redeemed from Israel’s tribes) stand on Mount Zion in victory. In other words, the oppression will end and the roles will reverse. The modern Western empire – the final manifestation of Gentile power – will collapse under divine judgment, just as Babylon fell in a day. Then the true Israelites, those who were trampled and led captive, shall be restored to Jerusalem and elevated. “Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down.” The prophetic argument presented here – that Luke 21:24 refers to the people of Jerusalem being trampled – underscores the identity and destiny of the sons of Israel. It connects their past (persecution in Europe and enslavement in the New World) to their future (redemption and regathering when Gentile domination ends). It also vindicates the faith of those who have kept the commandments of God and testimony of Yahusha (Jesus) despite centuries of affliction. They are none other than the saints, the holy people of the Most High – a people holy unto Yah, though the world counted them as outcasts.

In closing, the trampling of Jerusalem’s people by Gentiles has been tragically real, saturating the pages of history with fulfillment of biblical prophecy. From 1492 to the present, the sufferings of Black Jews and Israelites testify that the Word of God is true. The Gentile powers had their time to dominate, and they used it to the fullest, scattering Israel, enslaving them, and attempting to erase them. But even in this dark panorama, the prophets give us a beam of light: the times of the Gentiles have an appointed limit. Soon, the trampling will cease, the Gentile feet will be removed from Israel’s neck, and the Kingdom of the Most High will be established. At that time, “all Israel shall be saved” and the saints will receive the dominion under the whole heaven. Until then, we bear witness through Scripture and history that Luke 21:24 was not just about a city’s fall – it was about a people’s long night of suffering, a night that is nearly over. “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:10). The holy people endure, knowing that every tear and every trial has been noted by God and foretold – and that soon the trampling will turn to triumph for the true Israel of God.