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 December 9, 2025
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One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls which are filled with the seven last plagues came to me and said, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, possessing the glory of God. It’s radiance was like a precious stone, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Rev 21:9-11.
The landscape along Interstate 57 in central Illinois is extremely flat, mostly farmers’ fields and grazing grass, with an occasional stand of trees. It was one of those grey days in mid-March. There was little variety to the scenery. So I was a bit startled to see what appeared to be a gigantic grey cross barely visible against the grey sky in the distance. My first impression was that it must be some sort of industrial contraption that was only shaped like a cross. But as we drew nearer, it became clear that it was truly a representation of the cross of Jesus Christ, the beams set in diamond-shaped metal, perhaps eighty feet high. There was no sign or other explanation as to why it was there by the road, it just was.
I wondered if that monument was someone’s response to a special intervention of God. Perhaps he or she was drowning in a lake and said, “Lord, if you’ll save my life right now, I’ll build you the biggest monument in the state!” Or perhaps it was supposed to be the bell tower to a church, but they ran out of money before they could build the church! Be that as it may, that cross is certainly the center piece of that portion of the Illinois landscape.
It is like that with the book of Revelation also. If we are not careful, we might get the impression that the beasts, the vultures, the darkness, the earthquakes and the hailstones are what the book of Revelation is all about. But they are more like the general landscape of the Illinois prairie. The true center piece of the book of Revelation is not war or catastrophe, it is not oil or the Middle East, it is Jesus Christ and him crucified.
One would expect that the arrival of the New Jerusalem would be an event in its own right. The enormous size, the radiance, the unusual shape could easily be the centerpiece of the story. But this Book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. So the New Jerusalem is no ordinary city. It is the bride, the wife of the Lamb. Even the New Jerusalem is not allowed to distract from the overwhelming focus on Jesus. To read this book without gaining a clearer picture of Jesus is to miss the key point.
Lord, in my excitement over the glories of the future world, never let me lose sight of the fact that You are the real reason anyone would want to live forever. I want to know You better every day for an eternity.