Christian journalist Kenji Goto, one of the two Japanese hostages who was recently beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to inspire multitudes with his faith in God, as his previous tweets (@kenjigotoip) have gone viral.
Goto's earlier tweets were eerily indicative of his future torture at the hands of ISIS. "Closing my eyes and holding still. It's the end if I get mad or scream. It's close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That's what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters," he tweeted on September 7, 2010.
His selfless tweet reflects the Savior's appeal to God on the cross to forgive those who are killing him. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do," Jesus said in Luke 23:34.
Goto's Twitter page is mainly filled with Japanese characters, but there were some tweets back in 2010 in which he thanked God that miners were rescued in Chile, and also expressed his desire to "make a new world."
Goto became a Christian in 1997 and was a member of the Denenchofu Church of the United Church of Christ in Japan.
He was kidnapped by ISIS in October 2014 after entering the nation of Syria by way of Turkey. He went back to Syria hoping to rescue his friend Haruna Yukawa, who was kidnapped by ISIS last August 2014. He was the first Japanese man publicly beheaded by the radical Islamic group.
In a leaked photo, it was shown that they forced Goto to hold a picture of Yukawa's severed head on January 24.
"I have seen horrible places and have risked my life, but I know that somehow God will always save me," said Goto.