Yes, people really believe this

Tom Sullivan at Digby's blog excerpts and discusses an interview by Chauncy DeVega with Robert Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute. If you want to read the entire interview, Sullivan gives a link, or you may be satisfied just with his discussion.

What you don't get a strong sense of from the post, however, is some of the specific content of white Christian nationalism. As we've been reading the Bible, we know that it's riddled with contradictions, manifest nonsense, and theology that is inconsistent with what fundamentalist Christians claim to believe. You may have heard that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson claims that the Bible is his sole guide to policy and morality, but obviously if you want to use the Bible as a guide to anything you have to pick and chose the parts you want to pay attention to. One simple example is that the Bible says you aren't supposed to lie, but it's a lie to say that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. But I digress.

The part I want to focus on here, however, is the Revelation of John. This is the last book of the New Testament, and it is most unfortunate that it made it into the canon. If you aren't familiar with it, the Revelation records an extensive hallucinatory vision. Many people believe that the author (not John the purported author of the Gospel, but a person about whom we otherwise know nothing) did in fact consume a psychedelic mushroom or was otherwise intoxicated. It's a series of bizarre images, such as fantastic beasts, strange rituals, and mysterious events. People have interpreted it in many different ways, but one way or another, it's an eschatological prediction -- it claims that the universe as we know it will come to an end and an entirely different reality will emerge. 

For some reason, the New York Times and CNN won't tell you this, but Mike Johnson and the rest of the core of Trump cultists believe, literally and sincerely, that this is imminent. They, as the elect, will be transported to the heavenly kingdom with Jesus and God, and the rest of us will be condemned to eternal torture. Certain events must precede, including the conquest by Israel of all of the territory promised to it in the Torah, the rebuilding of the Temple, and a world war between the forces of Jesus and a figure called the Antichrist. (This won't actually be so great for the Jews, however, because 2/3 of them are going to hell, and the other third will convert.) 

This is why they are so interested in Israel, why they supported moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and why they want to see Israel annihilate the Palestinians, seize their remaining land and yes, rebuild the Temple, which would indeed trigger a terrible war, probably amounting to World War III and unimaginable destruction. They want this to happen. It is the core of their world view. It is literally what Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House, wants to achieve. This is not a metaphor. Just keep that in mind. But you won't read it in the New York Times.