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 May 18, 2026

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And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” Rev 7:2-3.

           The words for sealing in the New Testament are multiple in meaning. First of all, you can seal a document to protect it from tampering. You can do the same with a tomb or a prison cell. When you seal a document or a place, you are concealing something or someone: examples in the Bible include the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 27:66); the heavenly scroll (Revelation 5); and Satan’s confinement in the Abyss (Revelation 20:3).
           Secondly, sealing can certify that something or someone is reliable: certified letters have a seal indicating that the information inside is reliable or has been delivered without tampering (cf. John 3:33; 6:27; Rom 15:28; 1 Cor 9:2).
           Thirdly, sealing can be used to indicate that a person has been accepted by God. God knows who belongs to Him and He gives them the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 2:19; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30). Sealing, therefore, became associated with circumcision in the first century (Rom 4:11) and baptism in the second.
           The sealing of Revelation 7 occurs just before the close of probation. From John’s point of view, sealing has to do with how people relate to God at the End. In the broader sense, sealing is the indication that people are acceptable to God. “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim 2:19). So the New Testament concept of sealing is not limited to the end-time. But in Revelation 7 sealing occurs in an end-time setting. The final proclamation of the gospel results in a great final sealing work.
           This kind of study doesn’t make for light reading. Sometimes Christians need to do heavy, detailed investigations of Scripture in order to understand the ways of God. We live in an age where relevance is prized more than learning and many people have no patience with Bible study that doesn’t have an obvious and immediate payoff.
           But I suggest that there is great joy in the investigation. If Christians want to understand the deep things of God, they must at times do detailed investigation, even though the usefulness of the study is not clear. But the long-term reward for such study is an understanding of the big picture that transforms everything you read in the Bible.

           Lord, thank You for the depth of the challenge in Your Word. Encourage me to take up that challenge and open my mind to comprehend the depth of Your wisdom.