Recent developments reported by The New York Times reveal a troubling and significant shift taking place within the United States—one that should not be ignored by those who understand Bible prophecy. In an article published on March 20, 2026, titled “Hegseth Invokes Divine Purpose to Justify Military Might,” it highlights how high-level leadership within the Pentagon—particularly under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth—has increasingly incorporated overt, medieval Catholic Crusade-era religious language into official military settings, especially in the context of an escalating war with Iran.
The New York Times published the following on March 20, 2026:
• “More than any top American military leader in recent history, Mr. Hegseth has framed U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America as bigger than politics or foreign policy. Often he has imbued these actions with a Christian moral underpinning that suggests they are divinely sanctioned.” [1]
• “Mr. Hegseth posted a video that mixed audio of himself reciting the Lord’s Prayer with video of missiles firing, warships steaming and paratroopers falling from the sky.” [1]
• “We face an essential test,” he told defense ministers from across the Western Hemisphere, “whether our nations will be and remain Western nations with distinct characteristics, Christian nations under God.” [1]
• “Mr. Hegseth’s calls to prayer in the Pentagon press room and the monthly, voluntary Christian worship services that he has organized in the Pentagon auditorium are a stark departure from the way military chaplains are taught to minister to their flock.” [1]
• “Mr. Hegseth, for his part, reaches back to an earlier era of the Catholic church to support his view.” [1]
• “Tattooed on Mr. Hegseth’s right biceps is the Latin phrase “Deus vult,” or “God wills it,” which he has described as a “battle cry” of the Crusades, the ruthless medieval wars where Christian warriors fought to take over Jerusalem from Muslim rule. Mr. Hegseth sees those battles as perhaps the most formative moment in the history of the free world.” [1]
• “In his book “American Crusade,” published in 2020, he describes the Crusades as “bloody” and “full of unspeakable tragedy,” but argues that they were justified because they saved a Christian Europe from the onslaught of Islam.” [1]
• “Do you enjoy Western civilization? Freedom? Equal justice? Thank a crusader,” he writes in the book. “If not for the Crusades, there would have been no Protestant Reformation or Renaissance. There would be no Europe and no America.” [1]
• “This is the view of God, Christianity and war that dominates Mr. Hegseth’s Pentagon prayer services.” [1]
When a high-ranking political leader in charge of our armed forces praises the Catholic Crusades as the means that saved Western civilization, including Protestantism and America, it demonstrates a lack of historical knowledge and serves as an indication of what is being planned for the days ahead. First and foremost, the Crusades were not merely defensive wars; they were also offensive religious conflicts, characterized by the use of force, bloodshed, and the union of Church and State. Praising them amounts to glorifying the idea that resorting to violence to promote religion is acceptable, rather than upholding freedom of conscience.
Secondly, it is not true that the Crusades helped preserve society or paved the way for the Protestant Reformation. It was God who preserved His truth and protected the reformers. In fact, there were several crusades launched by Rome to destroy the Albigensians, Waldensians, Hussites, Lutherans, Calvinists, Anabaptists, Huguenots, and many other groups that sought to follow the Bible. The truth is that Roman Catholics, under the so-called Holy Roman Inquisition, attempted to completely eradicate Protestantism.
Thirdly, this kind of thinking goes against the principle of separating church and state. The United States was founded to protect religious liberty—not to enforce religious ideas through government or military power. History shows that mixing religion with force leads to persecution and suffering, and praising the Crusades as a model for modern warfare sends the dangerous message that faith can be spread or defended by military powers—something that has always led to the loss of true religious freedom.
When Pete Hegseth uses the Catholic Crusades as inspiration for military warfare, it introduces the idea that wars carry divine approval. It unites faith with force, leading people to believe that military actions are aligned with God’s will. Such thinking makes it easier to justify war in the name of righteousness and reinterprets human conflict as a holy cause. Under this mindset of religious warfare, questioning modern military actions can be seen as opposing God Himself.
“Our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 451)
The “image of the beast” represents a system where apostate faith and political force unite. This is not biblical Christianity but apostate Protestantism that uses civil power to advance church dogmas. What we are witnessing is the formation of this very image: a government that increasingly imposes religious identity through military force. These are early steps toward a system that will eventually enforce false worship. America is not yet fully speaking like a dragon—but the tone is changing. Our nation, which professes freedom while moving toward increased religious influence in government, is fulfilling this very contradiction warned of by God:
“The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented … And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast’ indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy” (Great Controversy, p. 442).
“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness.” (The Great Controversy, p. 451)
The United States has long been recognized as a nation founded on the principles of civil and religious liberty—a land where church and state were intentionally separated to protect freedom of conscience. This gives prophetic meaning to the description in Revelation 13:11 of a beast with “two horns like a lamb,” representing republicanism—a constitutional form of government—and Protestantism, with its emphasis on liberty of conscience. However, Bible prophecy also reveals that a transformation will take place, and this lamb-like beast will eventually “speak like a dragon.”
Sources
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/us/politics/hegseth-christianity-military.html
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