Evangelist Franklin Graham told U.S. service members and Pentagon employees at a Christmas service this week that "God loves" but also "hates," and is a "God of war."
Graham's remarks came Wednesday during an afternoon Christmas service hosted by War Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth.
Graham was joined by Christian musical artists Matthew West and Anne Wilson.
Graham cited John 3:16, a verse about God's love and the promise of eternal life in a setup to his sermon.
"We know that God loves, but did you know that God also hates?" Graham asked.
"Do you know that God is also a God of war? And many people don't want to think about that, or forget that."
Graham then read from 1 Samuel 15, recounting how the prophet Samuel, speaking for God, instructed King Saul to attack Israel's enemies and "utterly destroy" them, sparing no one — including men, women, children, infants, and livestock.
"Now, people will say, 'Franklin, that is so hard. That's not the God I believe in.' Well, you'd better believe in him," Graham said.
Graham said God waited 400 years before punishing the Amalekites for attacking Israel, but that Saul failed to fully obey by sparing some of them.
"Remember this was a 400-year-old debt ,and God waited 400 years to collect to destroy the Amalekites for what they did. God remembers," Graham said.
"And I think of the sins of our country, and I pray that God will forgive the sins of our country," Graham added.
"When you think of all the things that we do and the mistakes that we make, pray that God will heal our land and that America will once again turn to the God of our fathers and serve him."
Graham is the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, who served as a spiritual adviser to multiple presidents.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.