Jon Rappoport on "Christian End Times Groups Rooting for Armageddon"

In my previous CryptoPost, I included a link to Harlan Ellison's May 1987 radio interview with investigative journalist Jon Rappoport, who recently passed away at the age of 88. Ellison's interview focused on Rappoport's April 1987 LA WEEKLY article about the efforts of extreme right-wing evangelicals to program Armageddon in the Middle East. Though I heard this interview when it first aired, I had never seen Rappoport's original article until yesterday when Tom Kudla (Rappoport's Editorial Steward) published the entire text on Rappoport's Substack page. Entitled "The Christian End Times Groups in the US Who Were Rooting for Armageddon" (Part 2), the post includes Rappoport's article as well as multiple images from the LA WEEKLY. Though the specific names of the politicians have changed, far too many aspects of Rappoport's piece (entitled "TV Evangelism’s Bottom Line") are disturbingly relevant in 2026. 

Here's a brief excerpt from Rappoport's article:

"Because these people believe in the literality of the Old Testament—that the Jews are, in fact, God’s chosen people—support of Israel is of unquestionable importance. A familiar saying goes, 'To support God’s chosen is to gain God’s favor; turn away from the Chosen and God will turn away from you.' But more important, the timetable of Bible prophecy places the formation of the Jewish state of Israel as the major event, signifying the world’s readiness for Armageddon. When the scattered tribes of Hebrews are brought back together, then the scene will be set for the greatest confrontation of all time—God vs. Satan, nuclear style. And the longed-for prophecy of Armageddon (read, the return of Jesus) will have been realized.

"'You have to understand that the mindset of religious fundamentalists in this country is that peace is impossible to attain,' says Will Whittle, author of the book How To Stop Believing in War [...]. The heightening of tensions in the Middle East is an intentional strategy of the American religious right. Several fundamentalist leaders close to the White House are currently raising funds to destroy Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock (the world’s most sacred Moslem shrine) and replace it with the Third Jewish Temple—an act sure to incite a holy war. When asked if he would feel remorse if such a war broke out, James De Loach (pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, who recently raised $50,000 to defend a group of Israelis who tried to blow up the Dome) replied, 'No, [it would be] God’s will.'

"Indeed, America’s religious right sees religion as a military campaign waged by the greatest general of all time, Jesus Christ. It’s no wonder that the military mind is fascinated by the evangelical position, no wonder that the Pentagon and the intelligence services are replete with born-agains."

If you want to check out Rappoport's 1987 article, then click HERE.