Prophecy Watchers Podcast Summary

Episode: Is Bible Prophecy Now “Dangerous”?
Date: April 3, 2026
Host: Joe Hawkins (with Gary Stearman & Mondo Gonzales)
Theme: Exploring the perception and treatment of Bible prophecy believers in current affairs, especially regarding allegations in politics and the military.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on recent accusations that belief in End Times Bible prophecy is being linked to extremism, particularly in the context of military actions involving Iran. Joe Hawkins reviews congressional efforts to investigate such claims, examines academic critiques, addresses common misconceptions, and urges discernment among Christians navigating increasing suspicion and hostility toward literal biblical prophecy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congressional Investigation into Prophetic Beliefs in the Military

• [00:45] Reports have surfaced that some U.S. military commanders allegedly invoked Bible prophecy when discussing military actions against Iran.
  • Letter led by Representatives Jared Huffman, Jamie Raskin, and Chrissy Houlahan asks Department of Defense (DoD) to investigate claims that officers framed attacks as part of “God’s divine plan.”
  • Aim: Ensure military actions aren’t justified by “extreme religious beliefs” or apocalyptic theology.
• Quote:
  • “We must ensure that military operations are guided by the facts and law and not End Times prophecy and extreme religious beliefs.” (A, [01:34])

2. Academia Weighs In: Cornell Professors' Perspectives

• Cornell University’s media office distributed “tip sheets” amplifying the danger of prophetic beliefs:
  • Landon Schnabel (sociology): Notes the large number of evangelical Americans who believe Middle East conflict may trigger Christ’s return.
  • Kim Haynes-Etson (ancient Mediterranean religions): Cautions that vivid symbolism in Revelation could be misinterpreted, leading to dangerous outcomes, including political violence.
  • She highlights that the idea of hastening Christ’s return through military action is relatively new and not rooted in early Christian tradition.
• Quote:
  • “Early Christians were deeply suspicious of Revelation’s vivid symbolism and sensational visions precisely because they could be misinterpreted and lead to dangerous outcomes, including political violence.” (A, [03:53])

3. Critical Distinctions: Belief in Prophecy vs. Forcing Prophecy

• Joe emphasizes two separate questions:
  1. Should military use its authority to impose religious ideology? (No.)
  2. Does the Bible speak about modern nations and End Times? (Yes.)
• Warning against conflating watching for prophecy with trying to manufacture fulfillment.
  • “Watching the stage being set is not the same as trying to build the stage yourself.” (A, [06:07])
  • Cautions against “Dominionist” or “Kingdom Now” theologies that try to force prophetic timelines.
• Christians are reminded that prophecy is God’s domain: “We don’t need to force God’s hand … God will accomplish His own word in His own time.” (A, [05:38])

4. Discernment in Prophecy

• Importance of spiritual discernment: Daily scripture reading and prayer.
  • “Without that, we’re not going to have proper discernment to be able to understand exactly what’s going on.” (A, [07:29])
• Critique of pop-culture misunderstandings of “apocalypse”:
  • “They’re even using the terms wrong, right? Apocalypse … means the revealing.” (A, [08:08])

5. Societal Reaction: Pathologizing Prophetic Belief

• [09:56] The emergence of prophecy talk in public life triggers alarm because it disrupts secular assumptions of human autonomy and historical self-direction.
  • “Bible prophecy says that history is going somewhere. ... It tells them that man is not in charge of history, that God is.” (A, [10:09])
• Irony highlighted: Society tolerates everything from “energies” to “alien disclosure,” but treats literal biblical prophecy as threatening or dangerous.
• Host predicts that literal Bible believers will be increasingly portrayed as divisive, dangerous, or mentally unfit.
  • “Those who believe the Bible literally will be painted as dangerous, divisive, or even psychologically unfit.” (A, [12:47])

6. Historical Context: Project Megiddo

• [13:54] Reference to the FBI’s 1999 “Project Megiddo” report:
  • FBI linked literal belief in Revelation to religious extremism and potential domestic terrorism.
  • “For right-wing groups who believe that they are being persecuted by the satanic government of the United States … this worldview, in combination with a literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation, is reflected in extremist ideology, violent acts and literature.” (A, [15:30])
• Hawkins emphasizes that Christians have faced persecution (soft and hard) and that further opposition is to be expected according to prophecy.

7. Concluding Encouragement

• Christians encouraged to stand firm, exercise discernment, and not to be intimidated by cultural elites or academic institutions wary of prophecy.
• Final assignment: Listeners are urged to look up and study Project Megiddo themselves.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the confusion between watching for prophecy and making it happen:

  • “Watching the stage being set is not the same as trying to build the stage yourself. That distinction is very essential.” (A, [06:07])

• On why elites react so strongly to prophecy:

  • “Secular systems … become deeply unsettled when Christians begin to open their Bible and speak plainly about the last days.” (A, [10:45])

• On cultural irony:

  • “Our culture will tolerate pretty much anything except true biblical Christianity … but when you start talking about revelation, ... suddenly you’re treated like a threat.” (A, [11:25])

• On increasing public suspicion:

  • “The issue is being framed in a way to encourage the public to see End Times Bible prophecy ... as a destabilizing force, as something crazy.” (A, [12:40])

• On prophetic worldview resisting the ‘spirit of the age’:

  • “It refuses to bow to utopian promises. It exposes false peace. It warns of deception. And it proclaims that Jesus Christ, not the state, not AI and not a global order, Jesus Christ is King.” (A, [13:21])

• On the historical pattern of persecution:

  • “We’ve certainly experienced some soft persecution here in America … and we know that it’s only going to get worse as time progresses because that’s what Scripture tells us.” (A, [16:16])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45 — Congressional investigation into military invocation of prophecy
• 02:25 — Cornell University professors’ commentary
• 05:38 — Distinction between observing prophecy and attempting to fulfill it
• 09:56 — Why Bible prophecy unnerves secular culture
• 12:47 — Predictions of increasing pathologizing of prophecy believers
• 13:54 — Introduction and explanation of Project Megiddo
• 15:30 — FBI’s language equating literal belief to extremism
• 16:16 — Persecution of prophecy believers today and in the future

Summary

Joe Hawkins delivers a compelling analysis of why biblical prophecy is increasingly viewed with suspicion—and, at times, outright hostility—in today’s public and institutional discourse. He argues for a clear-eyed distinction between responsible recognition of prophecy and attempts to force its fulfillment, challenges common academic and governmental criticisms, and encourages Christians to remain discerning, faithful, and unashamed in their biblical worldview, even as societal opposition intensifies.

Assignment to listeners: Look up “Project Megiddo” for historical context on how authorities have scrutinized prophetic beliefs in the past.

Episode Tone:
Serious, watchful, unapologetically Christian, and sharply critical of efforts—whether governmental, academic, or cultural—to conflate sincere biblical belief with extremism.