He told me a few brief stories, and they were horrific. He had killed men, women and children. The children were the hardest on him. He saw one of his best friends blown up by a child who came running up to him - to give him a hug, they thought.
He told me that he hated those people with a burning passion. He spoke about them using language that was very uncharacteristic for him. He killed combatants and he killed non-combatants. And he said he would do it again in a heartbeat. No remorse. No compassion. No mercy.
One day not long after he came back to work, I was in a break room in the building where we worked together. The door was closed. My friend walked through the door to get a cup of coffee; I was standing at the sink, getting a cup of water. Without thinking anything about it, I thrust my hand into the air and said, “Hey, Ron! How …” I didn’t get any further than that. My friend turned into a monster. He was on me so fast that I didn’t have time to finish my greeting. Just as he was about to put his hands around my tnroat, he stopped. He was sweating profusely. He was breathing rapidly. He was terrified and terrifying.
I was shocked. He recovered pretty quickly, but it felt like forever to me. I didn’t know what to say or do. He apologized and told me never to do that again. He said that I didn’t realize just how close he had come to killing me. He added that he didn’t even see me initially; he saw a mujahideen. He said he sees them everywhere. In every shadow, in every loud noise, in every creaking floorboard or rustling curtain. His wife and son live in constant fear of what he might do. He knows he’s dangerous and is taking prescribed medication.
He told me that he was going to have to go back in the hospital for treatment. He was admitted (actually readmitted) to a psychiatric unit a day later and I‘ve never seen or spoken with him since. I don’t know where he is now or what he’s doing.
He told me some things that he said were important, so I’ll share a few of them with you: 1. Don’t ever join the military. 2. Don’t ever ask a combat veteran to tell stories about the war. 3. He would rather be dead than to have his son, or anyone else’s son or daughter, go through what he had gone through. 4. He was a changed man; not the same man I had known before, and never would be that man again. 5. He was a Christian went he left; he came back an agnostic (not atheist) killing machine. 6. Don’t do what he did. Learn from his tragedy.
When he said "He told me that he hated those people with a burning passion", that's how the devil got in and took control.
If we hate others and refuse to forgive others then we we shall in fact reap corruption which is sadly what happened to this guy
Before he went over there as a Christian he had very little if any sound biblical teaching concerning how the Kingdom of God functions and due to a lack of having the fear of God in him before going over there it was fairly easy for the devil to enter in to him and control him which is what hate for other people causes and is what refusing to forgive causes.
It's definitely a sad situation for sure.
If I were a betting man, I'd be willing to bet that before he went over there he was following reformed theology and may have embraced once saved always saved doctrine both of which results in no fear of the Lord
The fear of the LORD is...
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD IS the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD IS to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Psalm 19:9
The fear of the LORD IS clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Having the fear of the leads people to understand that if they sow to the flesh they shall reap corruption meaning they will become unrighteous before the Lord and will no longer be saved.
I can only speak for myself, but I refuse to harbor hatred or refuse to forgive any person regardless of what they have done to me or my loved ones because if I don't forgive and I walk in hate then I would be turning away from the Lord and bowing the knee to satan who would be my new master.
This is what happens when a believer starts walking after the flesh
Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live
