by Ian Paul, Psephizo
It has been reported that US troops have been told that the war in Iran is the beginning of the final Battle of Armageddon that will lead to the return of Jesus. It has come out through complaints made to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF):
One complainant, identified as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in a unit that could be deployed “at any moment to join” operations against Iran, told MRFF in a complaint viewed by the Guardian that their commander had “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 ultimate source of this is likely to be Pete Hesgeth, the US Defence Secretary, who is known member of the conservative Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.
So, could the current conflict be connected with Armageddon, the return of Jesus, and the end of the world? The short answer is: no.
But it is worth exploring a longer answer. To do this we need to know: what is Armageddon? Why do some people connect current events with this idea in the Book of Revelation? Why is the Book of Revelation susceptible to these kinds of readings? What does it actually teach about the return of Jesus?