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Home Front: Politix

Crusade and the Apocalypse: What the US and Israel Can't Agree on

2026-03-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Shamil Kerashev

[REGNUM] The escalation in the Middle East has already forced the entire world to discuss the state of the energy market and compare the military potential of the opposing sides.

But there are those who are concerned about more than just the trajectories of ballistic missiles.

According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, in the first days after the start of Operation Epic Fury, dozens, if not hundreds, of complaints were filed against the command staff by US Army soldiers.

Meh. As we concluded two days ago, this is clearly just shenanigans by an anti-religious fanatic trying to gin up a brouhaha, as the story has not been reported by anyone else except in reference to the MRFF complaint.

According to military personnel, he

Who? Another indication that this is a hoax is that no officer or unit was named as being involved in this thing...

tells his subordinates that supporting Israel in the war against Iran is "an Armageddon necessary for the speedy coming of the Son of God." And the war itself "irrefutably testifies to the approach of the End Times."

Entire lecture courses could be written on the intertwining of religious and military propaganda in a number of countries. And slogans about American exceptionalism in one form or another probably won't surprise anyone.

However, in this case, the wording is so straightforward that even seasoned specialists in the information-psychological field have to ask: has anyone in the 21st century really decided to seriously adopt the eschatology of the Crusades?

Aaaaand it looks like the answer remains no.

However, from the point of view of a significant part of the overseas conservative community, the answer is obvious: yes, they took it – and there is nothing wrong with that.

According to recent public opinion polls, about half of American evangelicals support the principles of Christian Zionism.

That is, many Americans, relying on the books of the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, sincerely believe that the creation of the State of Israel fulfilled one of the biblical prophecies, and the next critically important milestone was the recognition of the indivisibility of Jerusalem during Donald Trump's first term.

Or they just believe that being allied to Israel is just common sense. Christians also are capable of drawing conclusions about this world separate from their faith in the world to come.

BUT WHAT SHOULD BE THE NEXT STEPS?
According to proponents of this particular theory, everything is quite simple. Israel builds the Third Temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Antichrist appears in the world of man. In contrast, the Second Coming of Christ occurs.

And finally, there, in the Holy Land, the final battle between good and evil is raging – the very Armageddon that is now being used to motivate the soldiers of the US Armed Forces.

President Trump's personal attitude towards such motivation is unknown.

No it isn’t. He is a practical man, and his faith is likewise practical, oriented toward the present world and its needs, not creating conditions to force God’s hand — no mystic he.

It's no secret, however, that its ardent apologist is the current Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, author of the book with the telling title "American Crusade." He sports a tattoo of the Jerusalem Cross on his chest; the phrase "Deus vult" ("God wills it"), the motto of the very first Crusaders, is tattooed on his right bicep; and a verse from the Gospel of Matthew is quoted on his forearm: "I came not to bring peace, but a sword."

Lots of ways to interpret all that. But the book blurb is very definitely about cultural and political issues in America rather than anything to do with physically conquering any part of the world for Christ. See for yourself, dear Reader.

There has, of course, been and continues to be plenty of debate about the appropriateness of such tattoos on the body of a high-ranking official.

Some people have to stick their noses in everybody else’s business, grasping their pearls in delighted shock all the while.

But the main thing is that they reflect his worldview in a very concrete way, where the expectation of the end of the world moves from a symbolic plane to a purely practical one, akin to a direct guide to action.

That poor horse has been beaten to a pancake…

And Iran, in the eyes of its target audience, is becoming not so much an "enemy of democracy" and an "oppressor of freedom," as traditional propaganda proclaims, but rather the very embodiment of Gog and Magog—the forces of darkness that will rise to attack the Israelis but will be crushed by divine intervention. And, accordingly, will be unable to prevent the coming of the Messiah.

Really? Somehow I missed that memo.

In short, the concept is, in its own way, coherent. And if you look at it through the eyes of a religious fundamentalist (not to say fanatic), then any so-called "preemptive attack"—on Iran or anywhere else—is guaranteed to find justification.

However, here's the problem: in the United States itself, violent calls for "speeding up the Apocalypse" are harshly criticized by Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians.

Not to mention the Catholic Church, led by the current American Pope Leo XIV, whose voice has not yet been completely drowned out by charismatic Protestant preachers who are accustomed to reducing complex geopolitical conflicts to scenery for mystical revelations.

Moreover, it would be interesting to hear the opinion on this matter of the US's Israeli allies, who adhere to their own eschatological views that significantly contradict those of the Gospels, or even allow the latter to be viewed as the basis for a kind of "spiritual invasion."

As is well known, among those who profess Judaism, debates still rage regarding the restoration of the aforementioned Third Temple.

I missed those, too, though our synagogue’s last rabbi but one was lecturer at Hebrew Union College, the rabbinic seminary of Reform Judaism.

Some scholars believe that the people must build it in anticipation of the Messiah-king (Mashiach). According to another version, characteristic of ultra-Orthodox Jews, the Messiah himself will undertake the construction after his appearance—and in this context, American "hyperactivity" may even seem like a blasphemous violation of sacred order.

Thus, behind the façade of a strong political and military alliance lies a rather deep theological rift.

Whoops! My eyes rolled so hard they fell out and rolled under the bed.

An Orthodox Jew who humbly prays for the coming of the Messiah is unlikely to find common ground with an American militarist who wants to “start the process” with radical measures, including nuclear strikes.

And the American himself probably simply won't understand why someone in Israel is not at all happy when the Washington establishment promises salvation at the cost of an unprecedented round of violence.

I was waiting for the Dumb American Cowboy stereotype to show up.

But the most piquant thing is the presence of a third party, which has also long since had everything ready for the Apocalypse.

This refers to the Iranian Twelver Shiites, who patiently await the coming of the Hidden Imam Mahdi. He is said to eradicate injustice and restore peace on earth, defeating the false messiah Dajjal in a time of great chaos, tyranny, and bloodshed.

Need I clarify how well a major, disastrous war in the Middle East fits into such a scenario? It only remains to be seen what the consequences might be—and whether humanity is prepared for them.

*shrug* The fact of the great Twelver defeat at the hands of the Yanks and the Jooooooos without the emergence of the Hidden Imam Mahdi is proof positive that his time is not yet come.

Posted by:badanov

#1 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: NN2N1 2026-03-06 07:44

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