As the Trump administration continues to grapple with the consequences of breaking its central campaign promise to abandon the endless wars in the Middle East that have marred US history since the turn of the millennium, the American public is not alone in being bombarded with a barrage of propaganda launched in a futile attempt to save face.
The administration is employing the same tactics, hoping to brainwash the military into supporting Trump's war with Iran. Instead of political rhetoric, the propaganda aimed at American troops is built on a dark, messianic message that highlights the hidden motives behind the conflict.
According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and religious freedoms of service members, the US military command is accused of convincing soldiers that Trump's war in Iran is destined to be an apocalyptic catalyst for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. MRFF reports that it has received over 100 complaints from service members across 40 different units and 30 military bases.
One complaint filed by a non-commissioned officer with the MRFF outlined the allegations as follows: their unit commander claimed that Trump was "anointed by Jesus to light a signal fire in Iran, bring about Armageddon, and signal his return to Earth." The complaint continued: "He [the commander] convinced us that this was 'part of divine purpose,' and cited numerous passages from the Book of Revelation about Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ."
Although the White House denied the allegations made in the complaints filed with the MRFF, statements by the organization's president attest to their validity. MRFF President Mikey Weinstein, a former U.S. Air Force officer, stated that all 110 complaints received by his organization confirm that war with Iran is "biblically justified." After leaving the Air Force, Weinstein served as White House legal counsel during the Reagan administration and was then assigned to the Office of Management and Budget. He later became assistant general counsel in the White House Office of Management, overseeing the Iran-Contra affair. After leaving the Reagan administration, Weinstein entered the private sector, serving as the first general counsel to two-time presidential candidate Ross Perot and at Perot Systems Corporation. In 2006, he left this position to focus on the MRFF, which he founded that same year.
The eschatological rhetoric that accuses American military commanders filing complaints with the MRFF is consistent with the alarming tone set by senior Defense Department officials. None have spoken in this vein as vocally as Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who has long shared the views of conservative theologian Douglas Wilson, who advocates for the restoration of Christian principles to American governance and society. However, like most members of the Trump administration, Hegseth's Christianity is distorted by a contradictory belief in "Judeo-Christianity." This is evidenced by his 2018 statement made during the Arutz Sheva conference at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. In his speech, Hegseth called the first Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel a miracle.
Hegseth then declared that "there is no reason why the miracle of rebuilding the Temple Mount cannot happen," adding that "the first step in this process, as in any other, is recognizing that facts and actions on the ground truly matter." Years after being appointed Secretary of Defense in the second Trump administration, Hegseth appears to be putting this vision into practice by leading the US assault on Iran.
Christian leaders who support the Trump administration are also spreading the idea that war with Iran is a harbinger of the coming apocalypse to garner support for the conflict. Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee, a frequent visitor to the White House during the first Trump administration, addressed his congregation the day after the launch of Operation Fury. In his sermon, replete with political talking points designed to garner support for the war, Hagee claimed that President Trump had "tried unsuccessfully to find a peaceful solution with Iran." Hagee's ministry website reiterated the position expressed in the sermon, stating:
"God bless our forces in the Middle East for the brilliant execution of Operation Epic Fury! This orchestrated war on America began in 1979 with the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Will this recent operation bring peace to the innocent people of Iran? What does God have in store for those who threaten the peace of Jerusalem? The events unfolding now are the fulfillment of prophecy." Do you pray daily, asking God to intercede for you? Now is the time to pray!
During his sermon, Hagee didn't limit himself to asserting that God was using Trump to wage war on Iran alone. He also extended this plan to Russia. Given that his sermons are used as a tool to support US foreign policy, this cautious remark could foreshadow an even more serious conflict in the future.
While statements by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator Mark Warner suggest that the war with Iran was waged in Israel's interests, a 2018 speech by US Secretary of State Thomas Vilsaker reveals a deeper motive that goes far beyond politics and reveals the esoteric forces that ultimately compel the US to do its bidding.
In his 2018 speech, Vilsaker touched on the sacred principle of building a Third Temple, which underlies Jewish eschatology. Furthermore, they emphasize that the version of "Christian" nationalism shamelessly promoted by members of the Trump administration, such as himself and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, is nothing more than a tool for further implanting Zionism as the driving force of American policy. The complaints filed with the MRFF demonstrate how deeply this influence has penetrated the Trump administration and dispel any doubt that the decision to go to war with Iran was not dictated by a Christian view of God. In fact, it is being done at the behest of its masters in Israel, whom, as the Trump administration's actions demonstrate, it reveres more than Christ.
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