On January 30, pastor and far-right media figure Jack Hibbs gave the House of Representatives’ opening prayer as guest chaplain at the invitation of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Hibbs used the opportunity to pray for God to bring “holy fear” to the representatives in preparation for a “coming day of judgment” in which “all who have been and are now in authority will answer to” God.

Per the office of the House chaplain’s official website, guest chaplains are “recommended by the Members of Congress,” and hosting guest chaplains is “a wonderful opportunity to affirm pastoral leaders from many different backgrounds.” The chaplain’s website lists Johnson as the “sponsor” of Hibbs’ prayer (Hibbs was also a guest chaplain in 2013, sponsored by former California GOP Rep. Gary Miller). In addition to inviting Hibbs, Johnson’s extensive ties to the Christian nationalist movement and its leading figures have been well-documented since he became speaker.

Hibbs is a pro-Trump Christian nationalist pastor who has built a right-wing media profile through interviews on Fox News, Newsmax, and Charlie Kirk’s Salem Media program, and his weekly commentaries have aired on Fox Business. Hibbs has openly supported right-wing candidates and campaigned against LGBTQ inclusion in public schools, and he frequently warns followers of a coming “Antichrist.” Hibbs made headlines after the January 6 insurrection for defending the violence at the Capitol as “what you get when you eject God from the courts and from the schools,” and he later said that President Joe Biden “needs to be facing court-martial.” 

Hibbs has also used bigoted rhetoric against trans people, Muslims, and Jewish people — often connecting the groups to the supposedly imminent End Times. Hibbs has suggested that the growing public acceptance of LGBTQ people is evidence that humanity is living in the “last days,” labeling trans people “satanic.” He described the war between Israel and Hamas as another sign of the End Times and an opportunity to convert Jews to Christianity, telling Kirk’s radio listeners that they must “look past the sins of Israel and the sins of the Jew and give them the hope of Jesus.” Hibbs also used anti-Muslim rhetoric while discussing the war, likening Islam to a “death cult."

Additionally, Hibbs recently speculated that the U.S. could be on the brink of a violent civil war, citing the ongoing dispute between the state of Texas and the federal government over the southern border. 

“The powers that are pulling the strings to this country are literally bringing us to a civil war,” Hibbs told his congregation on January 24. “It’s the first time since 1861 where we’re looking at soldiers, possibly shooting at other soldiers on the same team—States.”

On January 30, Hibbs used the position of guest chaplain of the House of Representatives to demand “repentance for our national sins” and suggest that the End Times and “day of judgment” for political leaders is near. Hibbs prayed: “Please, come upon those here who are the stewards of the business of our nation with your wisdom, which comes from above, and with your holy fear, knowing your coming day of judgment draws near when all who have been and are now in authority will answer to you, the great judge of heaven and Earth.”

Hibbs also called the Constitution God’s “great gift to all freedom-loving people,” a popular belief among Christian nationalists.