Elder Lee Bong-won



“Scaffolding” refers to a safety measure used during constructionn or renovation of a building. As you remember, that is what was installed in Moriah sanctuary throughout the renovation project. It looked strange at first. The wooden boards and metal pipes familiar in construction sites seemed overly conspicuous in such consecrated and holy sanctuary. Although they have already been removed, the scaffolding still remains in my mind. The scaffolding in the sanctuary struck me as an urgent cry for the remodeling of the souls in the end time.
The ungodly aspects in life ? whether big or small ? had been covered up with seemingly inevitable self-justifications such as cause for living. Its accumulation gradually corrodes the soul and creates crevices in faith. These crevices let in the raindrops of idleness and doubts, which permeate into our conscience to the point that the conscience’s alarm begins to malfunction.

Through these crevices, breeze of temptation also seeps in and activates the detonator of greed, destroying the values of uprightness and faithfulness. Even the milestone on the path of faith is swayed by the breeze of temptation, and this is our painful reality today. Hence, the scaffolding struck my soul as the final warning sign that reads: this reality is no longer tolerated.
Standing right before the warning sign my soul felt a desperate need for the scaffolding in my own soul. As scaffoldings in the sanctuary were removed one by one, the sanctuary’s beautifully embellished walls and ceilings were revealed. I was stunned at the fine-looking Moriah sanctuary, but at the same time I had to let out groans of frustration for the lack of scaffolding in my soul.
So as I recalled the time when I touched the scaffolding pipes for the texture, I prayed fervently, “God! May my soul be remodeled just as Your sanctuary has been renewed. Please God, may my soul become completely covered with pitch of faith so that it can cherish even a single comma in the word of the redemptive history!”
Now ringing in my ears are the whipping sounds of the scourge held in Jesus’ hand when He cleaned the temple. Awakened by the sounds, a sentinel’s eye sight is positioned on the scaffolds ? the watchtower of the sanctuary ? and searches the souls. That is the scaffolding of the soul. Hence, the scaffoldings in Moriah sanctuary were such an excellent symbol which all believers of the end time must witness.
The symbol was put in my mind as a scene of redemptive history. The removed scaffolding is to be kept as an everlasting testament and to be regarded as a path of watch in my life. I will never stop this pilgrimage. On this very path of sojourning, I shall welcome the Second Coming Lord.