Epilogue
At the Gate of Heaven
John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress introduces nearly a hundred characters,
yet only a few walk to the very end and reach the Celestial City.
Faithful, Hopeful, Christian, Little-faith—
they wavered, stumbled, and fell, yet they kept walking toward the Lord.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of My Father.” (Matthew 7:21)
“The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)
A pastor once shared a striking experience.
For eight days he was granted a vision of heaven,
yet to his shock, a face he assumed he would surely see was nowhere to be found.
We who read Pilgrim’s Progress understand this well:
it is not a fanciful tale,
but a reality that also unfolds within the church today.
Some hold the titles of elder or deacon,
yet, walking the path of “Ignorance,”
are ultimately dragged away by the evil one at the very gate of heaven.
Faith is not a matter of words,
but a journey of obedience that endures to the end.
Though I have been a researcher of science,
on the path of faith I have always sought the help of the Holy Spirit.
For the Word of God is a living word—
it raises the fallen,
and renews the community of believers.
Even in times that felt like the prison of despair,
God sent “faithful ones” to me,
and through them restored my faith again.
God is not easily pleased or taken lightly.
Yet He is also the One who never abandons the sinner.
Even today, He treasures the tears of repentance.
Now I understand:
all the hours spent writing these pages
were truly the traces of the Holy Spirit at work within me.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each of us may receive what is due for the things done in the body,
whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
But greater than fear is hope.
The Lord says,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
those who mourn,
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
the merciful,
the peacemakers—
for they shall be called blessed.” (Matthew 5:3–10)
I recall their faces:
Faithful smiling at the gate of heaven,
Little-faith bowing his head,
Hopeful praying with his eyes closed.
At the end of that road,
may all of us belong to that blessed company—
this is my quiet, deep, and earnest hope.
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The Battle With Evil — The Essence of the Pilgrim
If someone were to ask me,
“What is the pilgrim’s journey?”
I would answer without hesitation:
“It is the road of unceasing battle against the devil and the tests of Satan.”
Pilgrim’s Progress bears witness to this truth again and again.
Christian fought Apollyon,
did not bow before Giant Despair,
and overcame Satan’s temptations in Vanity Fair—
and thus entered the Celestial City.
Little-faith, too, endured.
Though shaken by weakness, unbelief, and the lure of sin,
he did not give up,
and he reached the gate at last.
The Lord still teaches us to pray:
“Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)
This prayer is not a mere sentence.
It is the very breath of a pilgrim
whose face is set toward heaven.
About the Paintings
The eighty-eight paintings in this book
were created mostly on traditional Korean hanji paper,
each measuring about 48.5 × 37 cm,
using watercolor.
Hanji absorbs water
and holds color deep within its fibers.
As the pigments spread and settled,
I added one line, one hue at a time—
much like the slow unfolding of a journey of faith.
For many years I studied the works
of the German Expressionist Emil Nolde (1867–1956),
poring over the three thousand watercolors
he painted on Japanese paper.
Nolde once said,
“When you paint watercolor on Japanese paper,
lines and colors arise
that the artist never intended.”
So it was with hanji.
It breathed freely,
creating new life beyond my control.
In those unexpected blooms of color,
I often sensed a providence—
a breath like that of God.
Among the eighty-nein pieces,
seven were born in a special way.
Whenever an unforeseen shape emerged in a painting,
I showed the image to AI and said,
“Please recreate this scene
with the dreamlike light of Chagall.”
Thus were born seven paintings—
a small miracle
woven from human feeling
and the imagination of artificial intelligence(AI).
Every painting is a record
of my faith, contemplation, and pilgrimage.
As each wash of color spread and dried,
I found myself asking again,
“From where does the light come,
and where does it go?”
Seoul, Yeouido
Spring 2026
Park Shi-Ryong
Books Referenced in Writing
The Holy Bible (2003). Revised Standard New Translation. Korean Bible Society
The NIV Korean-English Study Bible (2004). Word of Life Press, Seoul
The Message: the New Testament (2014). E. H. Peterson. Translated by Kim Soo-hyun, Yoon Jong-seok, Lee Jong-tae. Blessed People
The Message: the Old Testament (2013). Translated by Lee Jong-tae. Blessed People
Pilgrim's Progress (2022). Pilgrim's Progress (J. Bunyan). Translated by Choi Jong-hoon. Poiema
Pilgrim's Progress (2018). Pilgrim's Progress (J. Bunyan). Translated by Yoo Seong-deok. CH Books
The Pilgrim's Progress (2020). The Pilgrim’s Progress (J. Bunyan). Translated by Park Young-ho. CLC
Walking Together Through The Pilgrim's Progress (2016). Lee Dong-won. Duranno
The Bible Background Commentary (2010). The Bible Background Commentary. (J.H. Walton, V.H. Matthews, M.W. Chavalas & C.S. Keener). IVP
What I Saw in Hell and Heaven (2009). Shin, Sung-jong. Christian Books
Vision Bible Dictionary (2001). Ha Yong-jo. Duranno
For the Beginning Christian (2016). Lee Sang-hak. Duranno
Jesus, Our Gospel (2006). Jesus A Gospel (H.J.M. Nouwen). Translated by Yoon Jong-seok. Blessed People
Mere Christianity (2014). Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis). Translated by Jang Kyung-chul and Lee Jong-tae. Hongseongsa
Paul, The Apostle (2009). Paul, The Apostle (J. Pollock). Translated by Hong Jong-rak. Hongseongsa
Will Believing in Jesus Make You Happy? (2019). Lee Cheol-hwan. Word of Life Press
Tim Keller, Speaking of God (2023). The Reason for God (T. Keller). Translated by Choi Jong-hoon. Duranno
The Ants (2001). Les Fourmis (B. Werer). Translated by Lee Se-wook. Open Books
The Language of God (2007). The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief (Francis S. Colvin). Translated by Lee Chang-shin. Kimyoungsa.
The Birds Our Teachers (2001). The Birds Our Teachers (J. Stott). Translated by Lee Gi-ban. IVP.
Solomon's Ring (2000). He Talks with the Animals, the Birds, and the Fish (K. Lorenz).
Translated by Kim Cheon-hye. Science Books
Sociobiology (1992). Sociobiology (E.O. Wilson). Translated by Lee Byeong-hoon and Park Shi-Ryong. Minumsa
The Widowed Stork: Afterwards (2004). Korean Stork Restoration Research Center. Jisungsa
Animal Behavior Stories (2010). Park, Shi-Ryong. Jamo Publishing
The Stork, Flying in Nature (2014). Park, Shi-Ryong. Jisungsa
Landscapes with Storks (2019). Park, Shi-Ryong. Jisungsa
The Unfinished Story of Life (2021). Park, Shi-Ryong. Gomseemari