U.S. Military Commanders Cite Biblical Prophecy in Iran War, Service Members Allege
For some U.S. military commanders, the emerging war in Iran is viewed as part of a biblical plan to bring about the end of the world, according to complaints filed by over 100 service members. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has received a litany of complaints about religious ideology seeping into military orders since the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran, as first reported by independent journalist Jon Larsen.
Complaints Detail Commanders' Jubilant Messaging
Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of MRFF, a nonprofit established 21 years ago to ensure constitutional protections for service members, spoke with HuffPost by phone Tuesday morning. He illuminated details of the complaints, which have come from more than three dozen military units across at least 30 different installations.
"We started getting calls in the wee hours of Saturday morning from people saying their commanders were just jubilant about this and trying to tell people, 'Don't worry, it's all part of God's plan,'" Weinstein said. He added that the "metric promised" in the Bible's Book of Revelation is horrifying and should concern everyone.
"They are promised a 200-mile-long river that is four-and-a-half feet deep filled with nothing but the blood that their weaponized version of Jesus will spill at the Battle of Armageddon," Weinstein explained. "That's a lot of blood."
Service Members Face Limited Recourse
Part of what makes these accounts so disturbing, Weinstein noted, is that service members cannot push back when given orders that blur the line regarding separation of church and state. "This is all about time, place and manner," he emphasized. "If you're being proselytized to by your superior, you can't say, 'Get out of my face.' Under the military's criminal code of justice, insubordination is considered a felony."
One complaint received over the weekend came from a non-commissioned officer currently stationed outside Iran but awaiting imminent deployment. That officer filed on behalf of himself and 15 other troops of diverse religious backgrounds. MRFF is keeping their identities anonymous for protection.
Specific Allegations of Religious Messaging
The non-commissioned officer, who is Christian, reported that a commander instructed them to tell fellow troops the war in Iran was "all part of God's divine plan." The commander allegedly cited the Book of Revelation, specifically referencing Armageddon and the "imminent" return of Jesus Christ.
According to the complaint, the commander said President Donald Trump "has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth." The officer noted the commander "had a big grin on his face when he said all of this which made his message seem even more crazy."
The officer wrote that this messaging is "destroying morale and unit cohesion" and that commanders are flagrantly violating their oaths to uphold the Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom.
Bible Studies and Commanders' Urgency
Weinstein said some service members called on Sunday to report being invited to Bible studies at commanders' personal homes to "discuss how this was all part of the plan and it's all being lived out in the Book of Revelation and Christian eschatology." Commanders were "in a hurry" to get subordinates on board, per MRFF complaints.
Challenges in Addressing Complaints
Once a service member complains to MRFF, finding a solution is difficult. Troops have options like filing inspector general or ethics complaints if told they lack courage due to religious tradition, but "then you completely out yourself," Weinstein warned. "And when you do that in the military, you become what we call a 'tarantula on a wedding cake.' How long do you think that cake lasts at that wedding?"
Complaining to military judge advocates, lawyers, or chaplains is possible, but the latter can be tricky since most U.S. military chaplains are Christian, many evangelical. "By itself, that's fine," Weinstein said. "But if you are a Christian Nationalist, you don't pay any attention to the time, place or manner ... with any sort of religious extremism, we end up not with little streams, or creeks or brooks, but with oceans and oceans of blood."
Broader Context of Evangelical Influence
Weinstein said this should not be shocking given the evangelical leanings of the Trump administration and Department of Defense. At a prayer breakfast last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the U.S. was a "Christian nation," and monthly prayer meetings occur at the Pentagon. However, Weinstein argued that injecting religion into politics inflicts "generational damage" on the U.S. and its military.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on these allegations.
