U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for "Armageddon," Return of Jesus

[Fozzledick]

A combat-unit commander told non-commissioned officers at a briefing Monday that the Iran war is part of God’s plan and that Pres. Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth,” according to a complaint by a non-commissioned officer.

From Saturday morning through Monday night, more than 110 similar complaints about commanders in every branch of the military had been logged by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).

The complaints came from more than 40 different units spread across at least 30 military installations, the MRFF told me Monday night.
***
The NCO wrote to the MRFF that 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.”

https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for

This is it! They're trying to Immanentize the Eschaton!!

[chicoescuela]

1. Not surprised if this is true

[Ol Janx Spirit]

76. I'll be shocked if it's not true....

This has been gospel in evangelical circles for a while. It is entirely how they justify their support for such a loathsome human being.....

[bdamomma]

121. It's rather

sick thinking. let them all go and leave those of us who want to practice religion our own way. And to think this POS thug DJT is their what Prophet????

[Ol Janx Spirit]

132. I don't get the impression they see him as a prophet--more of a conduit maybe; or a tool.

He is definitely a tool.

And from selling them bibles and hats and everything else makes them his profit....

They are also tools.

[BattleRow]

135. DJT is their profit.

[Trust_Reality]

86. The two biggest problems on the planet are...

Greed and religion.

Incidentally, years ago, religious folks, especially evangelicals, began migrating to Colorado Springs, home of the US Air Force Academy.
Interesting?

[Justice matters.]

160. Not to forget Climate Change.

No, we will not "adapt" because billions will die. Armageddon will come but not the way they think it will.

[Towlie]

88. Nobody knows what Jesus looked like.

Maybe he's already here and doing children's parties with his magic act.

[chouchou]

2. I seem to have heard that "Jesus is coming back" somewhere around 471 times.

I wish him luck.

[NCDem47]

79. Jesus:

Save me from your followers.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

80. That's why the religious fanatics are getting desperate enough to try to start an actual...

...war and not just keep predicting it will happen.

They've been perpetually wrong, and they aim to change that "by god."



Funny though that they want to attack the middle east so that they can end up being led by a guy from the middle east.

[lastlib]

82. and he's mad as hell...... n/t

[chouchou]

85. You got me laughing!

[cstanleytech]

112. I've heard the end times are happening now for decades....so far though it's still not happened.

[wcmagumba]

3. Country Joe & The Fish had it right years ago...

[ABC123Easy]

6. I LOVE THESE GUYS!

Thank you!

[wcmagumba]

14. Just looked it up and Country Joe McDonald is still living and kicking it around at 84...Cool...

[bluestarone]

87. Perfect song for TODAY and back then.

A second song would be super great!! TY for this.

[YoshidaYui]

163. I met him once

Niice guy!

[NBachers]

42. I saw Barry Melton at a Gathering of the Tribe feast & concert up in Northern California in December

Barry and his band were absolutely phenomenal! He’s still on the circuit and playing frequently.

[Henry203]

53. I was there

And it was a blast.

[Towlie]

77. The song only needs a minor alteration.

And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, next stop is in Iran
And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates
Ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee we're all gonna die

[calimary]

95. Well done.

You got the rhyme and the tempo, both!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

116. Brings back some good memories. Glad I got a chance to live through that.

What happened to all those kids??? Did half of them vote for Trump.

[cornball 24]

118. Thank you so very much for sharing. I would love to get together a bunch of

OTHER old ladies, gear up in hippie style and sing it loud and proud!

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Any sourced reports other than some guy's blog?

I mean, I would think the MRFF could either confirm or refute these reports pretty easily.

[Horseshoeluck]

39. I think it is true

There is a report or comment from Mikey Weinstein President of MRFF

[markodochartaigh]

99. Here is Mikey Weinstein's link to the story

MRFF Inundated with Complaints of Gleeful Commanders Telling Troops Iran War is “Part of God’s Divine Plan” to Usher in Return of Jesus https://share.google/mGzjznclAkbBJLb5c

[Bettie]

5. What makes me angry is that I am not

even a little bit surprised by this.

[Johonny]

7. Jesus sees his shadow, so there will be

6 more weeks of war.

[Dave Bowman]

16. But I thought that it was the Tooth Fairy?

[mjvpi]

29. It's different this time around. The rash on his neck was the tell

[newdeal2]

8. Great, militaries for all three belligerents are led by religious fanatics

Which god will win?!

[mjvpi]

30. Let's ask AI which religion is more righteous.

[Deuxcents]

9. So...TSF has been anointed by Jesus and the Iran leaders have Allah on their side so this is a holy war?

Is this Hegseth’s wet dream? How long are we gonna put up with this madness?

[yellow dahlia]

10. This is Little Mikey Johnson's wet dream fantasy.

He is dangerous in his position - I have been saying so ever since he was elected Speaker.

[Traildogbob]

110. Does Moses Mike

Have to report to his son he is getting a Boner about Jesus coming? 🤔

[yellow dahlia]

117. Very good question.

Inquiring minds want to know.

[markodochartaigh]

11. I suppose to some people this sounds a bit odd.

I would bet that about 20% of the US believes or could be easily persuaded that Trump was sent by God to bring on armageddon. Muslim prophecy about the 12th Imam, Imam Mahdi, is also an end times prophecy.

[Attilatheblond]

26. Trump is losing supporters, even some magas, so he thinks this will shore up the fundie zealot end timers nuts

All too likely and there are some of these fanatics in our military leadership, always has been.

[Roc2020]

12. The Arrogance of religion.

The gall to think somehow God is on mankind's timeline and not the other way around They could drop every nuke on the planet that won't speed up God's timing one ioda.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

113. Indeed.

That mindset is rather blasphemous when you think about it.

[Jack Valentino]

13. TRUMP looks as much like 'the Antichrist' as much as any previous dictator---

so I guess that means that our military will be destroyed by Christ in the Middle East ??

(THAT was the actual prediction in the Bible for the anti-christ's army which would invade the middle east
just prior to 'the return of Christ'---
seems like these people have never actually read the Bible they claim to follow---
or they are out-right LYING about what it says, if they DO have any idea...)




(I was raised on this stuff, and studied it in adult-hood---
not saying that I believe it now, but these people are completely confused
about what it said!)

[wcmagumba]

17. Trump is not smart enough to be the anti-christ...maybe a low level demon of some sort...

[Jack Valentino]

21. Nowhere in the Bible did it say that the supposed anti-christ was "smart"......

but it did imply that he had some sort of 'charisma',
which in Trump's case I have never been able to recognize,
but then I'm not a MAGAt....





(Also the Anti-christ was supposed to be a human being---
so even a 'low-level demon' would have ranked above him!!)

[wcmagumba]

23. I never read that book, it's bad for my angina...

[Jack Valentino]

24. I haven't read it in a long time either---- but I have 'very sinfully' asked A.I. to

recollect some key verses for me!

[B.See]

46. I still don't understand how MAGAS figure

that following their antiChrist into Armageddon is somehow going to get them thru the gates of Heaven.

I'd think they'd be in for one rude awakening.

[Lars39]

78. They're listening to modern day prophets that have their own TV shows.

[ancianita]

141. They don't figure because they don't read what Jesus said about the last days. These ain't the last days.

Trump and Hegseth are all in for this BS.

[B.See]

143. in it for the power i.e. MONAAAY

[wnylib]

161. I have a neighbor who hates Trump because she believes that he is the anti Christ.

Makes no sense, as you point out, since fundies like her believe that the actions of the anti Christ will bring on the return of Jesus.

I made the mistake of trying to speak rationally to her about it. I pointed out all the predictions about end times that have never come true, but she thinks they all got it wrong and she has it right.

I tried telling her that even the church I grew up in (Lutheran) taught us not to try to interpret the book of Revelation as a prediction for modern times because it was written for people who lived 2000 years ago and referred to the Roman Empire.

She accused me of blasphemy for disregarding a sacred book.

I gave up. She's a hopeless case.

[dalton99a]

15. How will Jesus communicate with the millions of followers? By Instagram, WhatsApp, email, text?

When will they know to look up?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

51. He will send

Birds to poop on thier shirts so they will look up. People tend to look up when something wet from the sky lands on them. Be it a few drops of rain or birdshit on thier sweater.

[eppur_se_muova]

59. "A figure which looks like Jesus Christ" ??? I thought it looked like a big check mark ! nt

[dalton99a]

60. O ye of little faith

https://www.blueridgenow.com/story/news/2009/04/22/woman-sees-image-of-jesus-on-cheese-toast/28109749007/

[3catwoman3]

120. Why not eat it? Aren't the wine and wafers passed out at communion...

...supposed to become the actual blood and body of Christ via transubstantiation?

[ancianita]

142. lol That's not how transubstantiation works.

[3catwoman3]

144. I was just being an irreverent...

…smartass.

[ancianita]

147. ahh cool... cuz the beating of heads on walls didn't seem to imply smartass

[3catwoman3]

154. The head banging is because this kind of mystical claptrap...

...makes me crazy.

[The Blue Flower]

136. It looks like a giant hand giving the world the finger

not like a deity

[usonian]

18. Donald the Lion Farted will lead the crusade.

Real quote:


God has a hard-on for marines because we kill everything we see!
He plays His games, we play ours!
To show our appreciation for so much power, we keep heaven packed with fresh souls!

[hatrack]

75. On his way to the Horns of Hattin, I hope . . .

[milestogo]

19. It takes absolutely monstrous arrogance to believe that your military actions influence God.

(Unless you're trying to convince God to send you straight to the hottest place in all of hell.)

[Blues Heron]

20. When they say return of Jesus they mean nukes

[Mister Ed]

22. Because the Almighty, though almighty, is still not mighty enough to start a Mideast clusterfuck by Himself.

Nope, can't manage to swing it. He needs mortals to do it for Him.

No proponent of this "End Times" stuff has ever been able to explain that to me.

[BurnDoubt]

25. They should all be removed from command and tried for Traitorous Seditious Conspiracy.

In reality, if they can turn us into a (small “c”) "christian Dominion", they’ll be happy enough.
A slow-roll coup is still a coup. And they are guilty.

[mjvpi]

33. When we take control of the government again, Jasmin Crocket forAG.

[BurnDoubt]

48. Yes, Please!

[ancianita]

153. Me, I'm all in for Jack Smith as AG. Best and most experienced, and knows everything

[SunSeeker]

27. Holy shit.

[John1956PA]

28. I see what you did there.

[Another Jackalope]

31. Judaism, Islam and Christianity - a three cornered Abrahamic death match...

Which will be the Last Religion Standing, which leader will return?
Jesus? Moses? Mohammed?

The Rapture just got a lot more complicated.

The setup is horrifying - each side believes "Gott mit uns," and none will back down until they are proven correct.

[mjvpi]

35. Capitalsm

[Another Jackalope]

37. Supplies the weapons to all sides.

Capitalism is agnostic. The house always wins.

[calimary]

97. Good one!

[leftstreet]

122. +1

[OldBaldy1701E]

134. I agree, but when you have people who literally worship the concept...

That kind of makes it a religion, even if it does not pertain to a divine power other than the 'power' of the green paper.

Which is hysterical to me as that power exits solely because we say it exists.

We are held hostage by our own delusion.

Very funny.

[BattleRow]

137. When Fascism comes to America,it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

50. What if Sekhmet returns

Nobody would expect her.

I would be there for the magas getting eaten like cheese puffs. Dragging every narcissist and psychopath and eating them all, then she’d have a hellova reckoning twords the Republican Party. Sekhmet supposedly returns in zep tepi. To bring back Ma’at the balance of all and of all things good. Sekhmet will excise the criminals like cancerous boils infesting our government and throw them into the sun.

[ancianita]

146. The word "rapture" is nowhere in the Bible.

It's a misunderstanding of scripture, mostly by Protestant denominations, claiming these passages refer to the single, public event of the Second Coming of Jesus to rule on Earth.

The only thing Bible readers need know is what Jesus (who calls himself the Son of Man) says about end times in Matthew 24:3–36


" ... 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not be alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ... 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after othe tribulation of those days pthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but fmy words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only...."

[Cha]

32. Gaslighting Shite... They do NOT follow the

Teachings of Christ.

[B.See]

47. bunch of heretics.

[Cha]

49. Worshippers of The Anti Christ..

That also happens to be a PEDO, Rapist, Racist, Felon, and a Homicidal Maniac. Very Dark Ugly Evil Shit.

[czarjak]

34. Being raised Evangelical Pentacostal, this would be laughable, IF...

IT wasn't real. You knew one of those Biblethumpers told him he could hasten The Second Coming. Just like Pence and Pompeo believed they were called for. We. Are. Doomed. Folks.

[ancianita]

149. IT isn't real. No one can "hasten" anything, because no one knows when the Second Coming will come, not the angels,

of heaven, not even the Son the Father first sent -- no one but God the Father knows. Humanity can't do one single thing to speed up the actions of the God of the Eternal Now.

[czarjak]

158. It isn't real for a reason!

[Dr. T]

36. I guess that means this rapture thingy will be happening soon.

I've been meaning to do some serious grifting by starting a rapture insurance company. I'm surprised Don the Con hasn't thought of it.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

52. I really don't look forward

Flying around in the air with a bunch of strangers naked. I will cling to my clothes like crazy if I ran into a rapture.

[Puppyjive]

38. Michael Flynn

He is the soldier who got all of this started. His religious beliefs were forced down their throats. He demanded respect and corerced each and every one of them into submission. They penetrated FOX noise and spread their propaganda. Most of my military friends are maga and I truly don't know why. Some of them were so bad, I ended the friendships.

[Blue Owl]

40. The Four Pantloads of the Apocalypse

[ShazamIam]

41. Fozzledick, I remember reding the Illuminati books, and loved that phrase, "immanentize the Eschaton!

Our current government is made up of ignorant, delusional fools Putin and Xi are celebrating as we self-destruct.

[LogDog75]

43. I have no doubt this is true

Last edited Tue Mar 3, 2026, 09:13 PM - Edit history (2)

The Christian Nationalists in the military were always pushing their religion wherever they could. When I was at the AF NCO Leadership Academy, one of the 20 students was very religious and wanted to start the day by having a class prayer. Our instructor put it to a vote of the class and said if one person voted no then we wouldn't do it. We, including me, overwhelmingly reject the suggestion. Small victory but it felt good.

One thing I've always objected to while in the AF was during ceremonies either a Chaplin or someone would lead those attending in a prayer. They'd say "Please Bow your heads" and 80% of the time would end it with "In Jesus' name, Amen." One could interrupt "Bow your heads" as an order and not doing so could, theoretically, get you in trouble. Also, there are people who are Jewish, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, atheists, etc., who don't identify with Jesus and the person leading the prayer is forcing their religious belief on others. As an atheist, I never bowed my head but I sat quietly while the prayer was said.

IMO, any commander, officer, NCO, civilian, etc.who tries to invoke their religious belief on military members should never be in a position to lead or influence others.

[3catwoman3]

123. Based on your post, I think you left out a word...

...and mean "should NOT be in a position to lead or influence others."

And I agree, completely.

[LogDog75]

145. Thanks for catching that.

Instead of using the word "no" I edited my post and used the word "never."

[RetiredParatrooper]

44. The only difference between these people and the Taliban/Al Qaeda...

...is the word they use for god.

[electric_blue68]

45. Oh... Just "wonderful"....

I'm sure there's a bunch out there believing that. 😑😑😑

[malaise]

54. Led by Fuckabee

and the rest of them in the clown car with no parts working

[johnnyfins]

91. I'm sure Fuckabee has a tent all set up

Near Tel Megiddo, just waiting for the battle. :/

NOT! He doesn'tt believe any of it. He's just hangin out for the grift...

[malaise]

111. THIS

Rec

[Alephy]

55. Well, then... that settles it!

[Aussie105]

56. Had to Google "Immanentize the Eschaton" for meaning.

So the message is that this is God's divine will, Armageddon, the imminent return of JC?

My understanding of US style military religion must be way off.

Seriously, do some people really wish for the End of Days, the rapture, the 'JC comes down to Earth' thing?

Evil in the name of religion is still evil, even more so.

[Irish_Dem]

57. US troops being led by mentally ill, psychotic leaders.

This is extremely dangerous.

[Joinfortmill]

58. I'm reading this. Dangerous beyond words. Creating Zealots.

[Kaleva]

69. Could be a made up story. Just as dangerous.

Would show that people are easily deceived by articles they want to believe to be true even if not.

[muriel_volestrangler]

71. MRFF is a well known and respected organization, and Larsen writes articles for their website

https://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/?s=larsen&post_type%5B%5D=any&search_limit_to_post_titles=0&add_woo_product_skus=0&fs=1

[mountain grammy]

98. Look up the MRFF

Excellent organization. Always truthful!

[Kaleva]

104. Do you have a link to where they confirm this?

Edit: Another never provided a link in their reply to my post.

[markodochartaigh]

100. Here is the link to Mikey Weinstein's story

MRFF Inundated with Complaints of Gleeful Commanders Telling Troops Iran War is “Part of God’s Divine Plan” to Usher in Return of Jesus https://share.google/mGzjznclAkbBJLb5c

[Kaleva]

105. Thanks!

[Ruby the Liberal]

61. Distration from the Trump-Epstein files is now biblical?

[twodogsbarking]

62. What should I wear when Jesus returns? Should I cook something? How long is he staying?

[dalton99a]

65. Unknown, but Bible says keep your bathroom clean and well-stocked

[twodogsbarking]

67. Does he have a gluten allergy?

[dalton99a]

68. Unlikely, according to Bible scholars in Tennessee. But he is probably partial to tobacco

[twodogsbarking]

70. He booked a room in Salt Lake City. That don't look so good.

[twodogsbarking]

138. When he returns he will have to die again just to cover Trump's sins.

[maxrandb]

126. And for God's sake, wear clean underwear!

That's what my mom always said. Whether a car wreck, or the second coming, you don't want to be caught with dirty underwear.

What would the neighbors think?

[LogDog75]

148. With Charmin Ultra Soft, Scott Comfort Plus, or Angel Soft for the Bible humper-thrumpers?

[Ilsa]

130. A few loaves & fishes will last however long he stays, but get your

own wine. There's no guarantee he can turn processed city water into booze. No bacon or ham, no dairy mixed with meat (he's Jewish).

[ancianita]

152. lol

[travelingthrulife]

63. This moron needs to be thrown out of the military yesterday.

[ZDU]

64. FFRF.org

Freedom From Religion Foundation

So many believers are evil people... sick and evil

[Ray Bruns]

66. I predict that when Jesus doesn't show up, a lot of people are going to be sorely disappointed.

But, in true cult fashion, they will grab onto the next date.

[LogDog75]

150. Doesn't matter, they're eaisly fooled into something else

Mel Brook's History of the World Part 1 is an example of how gullible they are.

[ancianita]

151. Yep. They've been grabbing on to "next dates" for over 200 years.

[bluestarone]

72. Doesn't surpise me at all

Our enemies finally discovered the weakness of our country. RELIGION!! We are in big trouble folks. If i remember, the civil war was pretty much fought for this very reason. Remember John Brown? He was a religious IDIOT!

[hatrack]

73. What a crock of SHIT!

Wooba-gooba!!! Jeezus gonna turn on the Holy Hoover!!!

Give. Me. A. Fucking. Break.

[bluestarone]

74. Nothing like telling a soldier he's (she's) dead before he (she) even leaves our country.

WOW!! just WOW!!

[Clouds Passing]

81. Armageddon wouldn't happen unless there were people intentionally causing it.

IDIOTS. MORONS. BRAINWASHING THE TROOPS! What could go wrong

[flashman13]

83. OK Now I'm worried.

[lastlib]

84. Do ya doubt it?

[Hope22]

89. It wouldn't be the first time they used that line!

Did it come with a pocket full of pills? This is all so infuriating! Over and over again. Follow the rat trail and the likes of Bill Barr traced back to Epstein’s beginnings, was also in the cellar post Nixon with all of his crooked buddies. They have never stopped plotting against this country. So many years destroying the lives of Americans. It feels like a nightmare or living hell. The two are coming closer and closer together!

[NNadir]

90. Ah...its like the days of my youth. A much loved aunt...

...was a Jehovah's Witness and every political event was a prelude to the end of the world and the return of Jesus and a Kingdom of "God."

I loved my Aunt a great deal, but the most interesting effect on my life was to lead me to atheism. When my father and she got into big religious arguments I realized they were working with different translations of the Bible, and thus the Bible had no meaning. One could make it say whatever one wished.

The world will end someday, oh course, but it's nit going to involve Jesus and the confusion between an orange pedophile and Jesus.

[tazcat]

92. Why doesn't anybody talk about consequences for following ILLEGAL orders???

I am ashamed of the Army I served in. During the first stolen term I prayed that the military wouldn't fall otherwise we'd be fcked.

[OMGWTF]

93. FUCK RELIGION -- ALL OF THEM!

If you have a working conscience, you don't need any of this crap.

[GreenWave]

94. They try to force the Apocalypse to placate the Christo-fascists who will themselves be destroyed.

[HeartsCanHope]

96. My parents were evangelical. They did not believe in the Rapture or Armageddon.

Their church taught that Revelations is an allegory, not what is to come. In fact my parent's church taught

that what was in Revelations had already happened in Roman times. They did not elaborate much on

that theory, but that's what they said. All they taught about the end of the world was that we would meet

Jesus in the sky and go to Heaven. No big war or anything other than that.

So not all evangelical groups believe in Armageddon or the Rapture.

My husband, son, and I lived in Israel for a year and went to Tel Meggido, a ancient fortification in the northern

part of the Jezreel Valley. That was the first time anyone told me that Armageddon, (Tel Meggido,) was an actual place!

The tour guide told us that this was where the world was supposed to come to an end in a huge battle.

Being an Israeli Jew, he didn't seem too worried about Armageddon! He was much more interested in talking about

the archaeological history than the Bible. Being a fortification, Tel Meggido had an impressive water system so

that the people there could withstand a siege. It was a beautiful site, and I really enjoyed my tour.

Here's a link to Trip Advisor with photos:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297758-d320072-Reviews-Megiddo_National_Park-Nazareth_Galilee_Region_Northern_District.html

I am more concerned about our troops not having their personal religious beliefs trampled on than some weird MAGA

Armaggedon conspiracy theory. Thanks for the article. Going to look up the MRFF and their findings.

[greatauntoftriplets]

101. That's creepy as hell to this non-believer.

Presumably I'll escape the Rapture, but I hope that they don't bomb the bejesus out of this country for those of us who are left.

[ancianita]

156. Every human will escape the "rapture" because it ain't happenin'

[greatauntoftriplets]

162. Probably, though I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of the MAGAts go poof somewhere.

[flvegan]

102. But Jesus knows who did what in the Epstein files. n/t

[JohnnyRingo]

103. Though it's not surprising, I'm shocked! If that's possible

How many in the upper echelons of power will buy into this "Onward Christian soldiers" nonsense?
God help us, so to speak.

[valleyrogue]

106. Complete insanity.

It is a complete misreading of what is often called by theologians apocalyptic fiction, the Book of Revelation. This goes back to at least the 1800s with that Darby crap if not before.

It is a complete misinterpretation of a book that has been debated over whether to be included in the Bible for literally centuries.

[liberalla]

107. I really despise mixing religion with military... same with with government!

It is honestly UNamerican to do so! Despite all their protests and reasoning!

[sakabatou]

108. If the report is true, then IMO, the officer must be removed from post

[Martin68]

109. That is some scary shit. Religious maniacs in charge of our military? What could go wrong?

[BBbats]

114. I Know The US Air Force Is A Hotbed Of This Thinking.

I was never in but I have Inlaws & people I know who were Air Force lifers.
They all went full bore Christian Nationalist after being in for awhile.

[LogDog75]

155. I served 28 years in the AF

When these Christian Nationalists are pushing their beliefs in every aspect of your military work and personnel life the thing they hate is when you push back by either questioning the behavior or calling them out for what they're doing. They know most people are civil when religion comes into the workplace and won't say anything negatively against the Christian Nationalists. The rely on others silence to make it appear the people they're pushing their beliefs on accept it. The key is not to be afraid to stand up and challenge them. The thing I learned early in my career is knowing how far to take it. For me, that was questioning and challenging what they said and making them defend it. I've done that and at first, they'll try to defend themselves and when they fail they start calling themselves "victims" of anti-Christian bias.

I'd rather explain myself to my commander than to let them go unchallenged. Commanders aren't stupid and they can see through the Christian Nationalists fairly easy. Most people are fearful of retaliation if they challenge or don't agree with the Christian Nationalist commander but that fear is a two-way street. That commander has to be aware their commander(s) above them may not approve of what the commander is doing and they could be relieved of their command.

[Americanme]

119. So, we have people in high positions who think they are fighting for their invisible friend?

Shouldn't they be fighting for the American people? All of the American people, even those who believe differently? I think those people should be removed from their positions, they are not sane enough for an important job like that.

[3catwoman3]

124. This bullshit reinforces my thinking that rather than...

...this statement, "...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States," we should have a religious test - no one but agnostics and atheists should be allowed to run for office.

Or some sort of provision to keep out the religious fanatics.

[hermetic]

125. This is spelled out

word for word, in chapter 25 of The Last Odyssey by James Rollins, written before 2020. I was just listening to it and was gob-smacked by the whole thing. WTAF??

[LetMyPeopleVote]

127. It's all about the Apocalypse: Another disturbing reason behind the right wing's pro-Israel obsession

As a Jew, it is common knowledge the support from the American religious right is due in some part due to a belief that the existence of Israel is essential for their belief in a second coming.

Link to tweet

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/02/apocalypse-another-disturbing-reason-behind-right-wings-pro-israel-obsession

Politics professor Elizabeth Oldmixon explained in an interview with Vox the strange thread of Christianity that fosters an apocalyptic vision the inspires much of the right-wing support for Israel.

�These are the folks who believe that there will be a millennium in the future, a golden age, where Christ reigns on Earth, [and] they believe that before Christ will return, there will be a tribulation where Christ defeats evil,� she said. �There will be natural disasters and wars, and perhaps an Antichrist, as the book of Revelations notes. Then at the end of that period, the people of the Mosaic covenant, including the Jews, will convert. Then after their conversion, the great millennium starts.�

She continued: �You have this group of people looking around for signs of the end time, and in the 20th century when Israel was founded, this was seen as a major sign. This was electrifying for that community because the gathering of all the Jews in exile to the Holy Land is a prerequisite for all of these events unfolding. So for the subset of evangelicals in the 20th century, support for Israel became a really, really important political position.�

And as evangelical Christianity grew into a central part of the GOP�s coalition, pro-Israel policies became cemented in the party�s ideology.

The alliance between the evangelicals and pro-Israeli Jews, though, is a peculiar partnership. The Christians enter into the bargain with the assumption that, when they reach their goal of the apocalypse, any Jews will either become Christians or go to hell. But their pro-Israel allies don�t seem to mind this much, perhaps because they don�t believe this version of the apocalypse will ever actually come to be � and as long as it is just a fantasy, their interests and those of evangelicals remain aligned.

For example, the US embassy in Israel by trump to appease these nut cases. This story may be crazy but the nut cases who want an apocalypse worry me

[Ilsa]

128. Maybe aliens will cosplay "angels" and take these idiots

away from Earth so the rest of us can try to manage the planet properly.

[wcmagumba]

131. That sounds like the "Heaven's Gate" cult from the 70s...I'd be happy to see them leave...

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-26/heavens-gate-cult-members-found-dead

[ancianita]

157. Maybe.

[Ilsa]

164. That is so good! Thanks! nt

[liberal N proud]

133. Unbelievable

Every day it gets more unbelievable

[Martin Eden]

139. If Jesus returns to earth, will he smile favorably upon

Those who bombed a girl's school into rubble and corpses?

[Evolve Dammit]

140. Disgusting proselytizing to your troops

[Beartracks]

159. So these mortal fools think THEY can initiate Armageddon?

Jesus will come back on His own terms, at a time of His choosing. Hey, Christian extremists: you know not the day nor the hour, even if you think you just have to stage all the props and set dressing for it. You are not Jesus' stage manager. You may as well be trying to mix magic ingredients in a bubbling cauldron in the right order and chanting spells to produce the results you desire -- a decidedly non-Christian way to do anything.

=============