If you thought the rhetoric around the Iran war couldn’t get any more extreme, buckle up.
According to reporting from multiple news outlets, U.S. military commanders have been telling troops that the war with Iran is literally part of God’s plan to bring about Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The reports cite complaints filed with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), stating it has received more than 200 complaints from service members across every branch of the armed forces — including the Marines, Air Force and Space Force — alleging that extremist Christian “end times” theology is being used to frame U.S. military action.
One complaint, reported by The Guardian and first shared with journalist Jonathan Larsen, came from a noncommissioned officer in a unit that could be deployed “at any moment to join” operations against Iran.
According to the NCO, their commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ”.
The NCO added: “He said that ‘President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth’”.
The complaint was filed on behalf of 15 troops — 11 Christians, one Muslim service member and one Jewish service member among them.
Let that sink in. Active-duty troops are allegedly being told the war they may soon fight is a divinely scripted prelude to the end of the world.
Mikey Weinstein, the president of MRFF and an Air Force veteran, didn’t mince words. “Anytime Israel or the US is involved in the Middle East, we get this stuff about Christian nationalists who’ve taken over our government, and certainly our US military,” he told The Guardian.
He added: “Military members are not really able to stand up for themselves, because your military superior is not your shift manager at Starbucks.”
In a formal statement, Weinstein said complainants described “the unrestricted euphoria of their commanders” who see a “‘biblically-sanctioned’ war that is clearly the undeniable sign of the expeditious approach of the fundamentalist Christian ‘End Times’.” He argued the situation represents a blatant breach of the separation of church and state.
The controversy also casts a spotlight on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has openly embraced Christian nationalist ideas. Hegseth has previously endorsed “sphere sovereignty,” a doctrine rooted in Christian reconstructionism — a movement that advocates capital punishment for homosexuality and rigidly patriarchal structures in family and church life.
In August 2025, Hegseth reposted a CNN segment featuring pastor Doug Wilson, co-founder of the Idaho-based Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. In that segment, Wilson said he does not believe women should hold military leadership roles or serve in high-profile combat positions.
“I would like to see this nation being a Christian nation, and I would like this world to be a Christian world,” Wilson said.
When asked for comment about the complaints, the Pentagon did not respond directly. Instead, it circulated public clips of Hegseth discussing the Iran operation.
