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 January 19, 2026
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And I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I had turned I saw seven golden lampstands. . . . Rev 1:12.
On Easter in 1969 I had the privilege of being in Rome. After attending the Pope’s Easter remarks in St. Peter’s Square my three friends and I went to see the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum. It was quite a thrill to walk on ground that Peter and Paul must have walked, looking at the remains of buildings that were once grand, but still made of the same stones that the apostles would have seen and touched.
Most tourists visiting the Forum start opposite the Mamertine Prison (where Paul may have been confined). You then move past the temple of the Vestal Virgins, up and down Palatine Hill, and past the Basilica of Constantine to the other end of the Forum. There we came across the Arch of Titus, the Roman general who conquered the city of Jerusalem in the year AD 70. Imagine our excitement when we saw in sharp relief an illustration of soldiers parading around Rome with the seven-branched lampstand that had been removed from the temple in Jerusalem! We felt truly close to the world of the Bible.
Throughout the ancient Roman world, the seven-branched menorah (lampstand) was the most common symbol for Judaism,1 just as the fish and the cross later became symbols for Christian faith. In a striking way, the Book of Revelation adopts this symbol of Judaism to represent the churches of Asia Minor. By this means John clearly understood that true Christian faith was heir to Israel’s heritage, even if Christians were at times excluded from the synagogue (Rev 2:9; 3:9). It was those who did the excluding that had lost touch with their Jewish heritage, not the faithful followers of Yeshua the Messiah.
Were the Nazis right then? Has the church replaced Israel? Was the Holocaust a judgment from God rather than the wickedness of man? It is hard to imagine first-century Christians taking such a position. They proclaimed a Jewish Messiah, who fulfilled the ancient promises made to Israel. They converted pagans to Israel’s one true God. While not requiring Gentiles to be circumcised, Jewish Christians like Paul embraced them as new participants in their Jewish faith in Jesus. Gentile believers were the spiritual children of Abraham (Gal 3:28), inwardly circumcised (Rom 2:28-29) and grafted into Israel’s tree while unbelieving branches were broken off (Rom 11:17).2
In the Book of Revelation, the lampstand image stresses the Jewishness of Christian faith and the intimate connection between that faith and the ancient heritage of Israel.
Lord, help me to learn more about my Jewish roots and appreciate them the way Paul and John did.
1 See footnotes 22 and 23 in Craig S. Keener, Revelation, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 85.
2 Ibid., 89.