Hello! I am Jon Paulien and I’m glad you came to this page to check out my work. I am a New Testament scholar and Professor of Religion at Loma Linda University. On this website you will find a collection of my articles, commentary on Revelation, and links to my blog, videos, and other resources. Make sure you check the articles link above regularly to see the latest postings. In my hand above is an exact replica of p52, the earliest extant New Testament manuscript fragment, containing portions of John, chapter 18. Centered above my head is a replica of ancient Greek pottery. At either end above are two sets of books from, and about, my favorite spiritual author, Ellen G. White. I hope you enjoy the site.

Daily Devotional For June 26, 2026

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And the four angels (by the great River Euphrates), who were prepared for that very hour, day, month, and year, were released in order to kill a third of the human race. Rev 9:15.

           In the larger picture of the sixth trumpet, these four angels call up an “army from hell,” dressed in red, blue, and sulphurous yellow. These angels and their army have one purpose, and one purpose only, to kill human beings in massive numbers. You could say that these four angels are the ultimate “weapons of mass destruction.” The powerful weapons they direct, emanating from the mouths and tails of 200,000,000 cavalry horses, kill a full third of the human race. Lurking in the background of all this destruction is the “angel of the abyss” (Rev 9:11). The urge to kill and destroy ultimately arises from the proud and vengeful heart of Satan himself.
           A friend of mine, Gordon Retzer, tells the story of Frank Taitague, who knows this urge from personal experience.¹ A resident of Guam, Taitague was a teen-ager when the Japanese army took control of Guam during World War II. In an attempt to gain unhindered control of the island, the occupiers decided to kill all the residents. Taitague managed to escape to the hills, but not before he saw his eight-year old niece thrown to the ground and brutally kicked. When the war was over and his country was liberated, he remained a prisoner of hatred, determined to get revenge.
           Taitague carried a rifle with him wherever he went. Like the four angels of Revelation he had a set purpose, and that was to kill. One day he came upon some Japanese soldiers who had not been able to leave the island when the war ended. He immediately took aim, prepared to kill without remorse. But before he could pull the trigger someone grabbed his arm. It was perhaps the one person who could have stopped him at that moment, his father. His father, a dedicated Seventh-day Adventist Christian, reminded Frank that he had always dreamed of being a pastor. The set purpose of the pastor is to bring life, not to kill. They decided that Frank would leave the island and go to Pacific Union College and study to become a pastor.
           But God was not finished with Frank Taitague. When he arrived at the college, the men’s dormitory dean assigned him to a room and informed him that his roommate was already in. Frank reached his room and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a Japanese student! Instinctively Frank raised his fist, prepared to do serious damage. But God worked a miracle in Frank Taitague’s life. He and his roommate became best of friends. Satan’s purpose to hate and to kill was replaced with God’s purpose to love and give life.

           Lord, You are the giver of life. You are the one who can change the way I think about others and behave toward them. Help me to see others through Your eyes of love.

¹ Gordon Retzer, “Forgive No Matter What . . .?” Lake Union Herald, July 2002, 2