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 September 3, 2026

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And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven. . . . saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water. Rev 14:6-7.

           The fascinating story of Revelation is that God created a universe in which it is possible for beings He created to deny that He created it. In other words, the fact that people are invited to worship the Creator indicates that God does not force anyone to acknowledge His role in creation. Human beings are like crickets who question whether a builder made the house they are living in, thinking perhaps that it somehow came into existence on its own. God is not only powerful, as nature can teach us (Rom 1:18-20), He is infinitely patient with the intellectual limitations of His creatures.
           Does it make sense in today’s world to worship the One who made heaven, earth, sea, and the fountains of waters? Clifford Goldstein found a number of compelling reasons to believe in The Book of the Cosmos, edited by Dennis Danielson.¹ The book contains the account of a scientist who specializes in probability theory. He estimated the chance that our universe could arise without a Designer at one in 10²²⁹. That’s one chance in 10 followed by 229 zeros, a number too large for me to imagine! What makes this number even more awesome is the fact that the number of all the protons and neutrons in the visible universe is only 10⁸⁰ (10 followed by 80 zeros)! If your head is spinning as you read this, mine is spinning as I write it! These numbers suggest that it is virtually impossible that the universe as we know it could have arisen apart from divine design.
           An astronomer, Owen Gingerich, adds his own testimony. “I cannot prove that God exists or that God’s claims on our lives is what makes life meaningful. But do the heavens declare the glory of God? I think so. The universe is so full of such wonderful things that I can hardly think otherwise.”
           Goldstein goes on to paraphrase Cicero, the ancient orator. If flutes playing a tune were sprouting on an olive tree, you would have no doubt that the olive tree had some knowledge of flute playing. Isn’t it obvious, then, that a world full of intelligent creatures points to an intelligent Person behind the design of our universe? But whether or not this should be obvious to us, God does not compel anyone’s worship. In the last days He invites all one last time to acknowledge that we live and move and have our being because of Him.

           Lord, thank You for making me one of Your incredible designs. Fill my heart today with a sense of Your greatness and a desire to worship and serve You with all my heart.

¹ Clifford Goldstein, “The Book of the Cosmos,” Adventist Review, March 28, 2002, 29.