An organization that has been fighting against religious extremism in the United States military for two decades has reported more than 200 new complaints since Saturday’s initial strikes against Iran, with members across all services claiming that high-ranking officers are tying the mission overseas to fulfilling a Christian prophecy.
A combat-unit commander told non-commissioned officers at a briefing Monday that the Iran war is part of God’s plan and that President Donald Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth,” according to independent journalist Jonathan Larsen as published on Substack.
That complaint was made by a non-commissioned officer and provided to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), which from Saturday morning through Monday evening received and logged more than 110 complaints about commanders in every branch of the military.
That number as of Tuesday grew by double.
“It’s well in excess of 200 [complaints] and well in excess of 50 installations,” MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein told Military.com on Tuesday. “They are continuing to come in everywhere.”
A Pentagon spokesperson, when asked about the complaints and the ties to the ongoing mission in the Middle East, did not directly respond to the question. Instead, they referred Military.com to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks made Monday about the United States’ intentions.
The complaints remain anonymous due to fear of retribution by the Defense Department.
Jesus and His 'Return to Earth'
One complainant, according to Larsen, identified themselves as a non-commissioned officer (NCO) in a unit currently outside the Iran combat zone. However, they are in Ready-Support status where they could be deployed at any moment to join and augment combat operations.
That individual is a self-described Christian who emailed MRFF on behalf of 15 troops that included at least 11 Christians, one Muslim, and one Jew.
That NCO’s commander, described in an email from the NCO to MRFF and shared with Larsen, was described as a “Christian first” member of the military who urged troops not to be “afraid” of what is currently taking place in Iran.
“He 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 wrote in the email. “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 NCO added that the commander supposedly “had a big grin on his face when he said all of this, which made his message seem even more crazy.”
“What we've been saying forever, if you look back in history whenever you've merged any sort of religious fanaticism with the machinery of the state that conducts war, we do not end up with little babbling brooks, creeks, streams, ponds or lakes. We end up with one thing: oceans and oceans of blood,” Weinstein said.
Pentagon's Christian Connection
As previously reported by Military.com, complaints have been submitted to MRFF for months in response to Christian prayer services led by Hegseth being held monthly in the Pentagon and communicated via email correspondence not only to military personnel but also defense contractors.
“Why is anybody surprised? Hegseth makes it clear, 'Here's the template that we want,'” Weinstein said. “That fully encourages one of those Christian nationalists, commanders and members of the chain of command—whether they believe it or not. They know it's a way to get ahead, to try to rationalize [the mission].”
Weinstein, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said the mixed messaging coming from President Donald Trump, Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top administration officials on why the strikes against Iran happened in the first place is a reason to find new rationale.
“First, it was supposed to be to stop them with their nuclear program, which we apparently supposedly destroyed last summer,” he said. “Then, it was to make them regime change. And then we're going to punish them because they helped ISIS and al-Qaeda and many others to create IEDs that blew us up during our fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan with all their proxies."
So, why not come up with another [reason]? … It shows the end times are here under Christian eschatology. We're bringing back the Gen. Jerry Boykin [deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence during the President George W. Bush administration] version, Michael Flynn version of Jesus carrying an AR-15 on a white horse.
Weinstein, who for many years along with his spouse has received countless death threats and been harassed, said the latest received complaints led to him contacting his local police force should he be targeted for his remarks or sharing information from active-duty personnel that doesn’t align with views of Trump administration officials.
Upwards of 95% of MRFF members are Christians. The organization has some 1,200 workers and representatives on almost every military installation including nuclear submarines and nuclear aircraft carriers.
“The level of retribution, reprisal and revenge is disgusting,” Weinstein said. “What has happened here with this attempt to merge our actions preemptively in Iran with the Christian end times is a massive destruction of the good order, morale, discipline, unit cohesion, health and safety of the troops and mission accomplishment that we need to have a lethal military.
"It's drawing it at light speed.”
