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 12, 2026

View in the Daily Devotional Index

And each of them was given a white robe and was told that they should rest yet a little while, until their fellow servants and brothers, who are about to be killed as they were, should be made complete. Rev 6:11.

           The above translation reflects a couple of puzzling aspects to this text. First, what are the “souls under the altar” (Rev 6:9-10) supposed to be doing? They are to “rest, wait, relax for a while.” They are not to act but are to wait until something else happens. In most Bibles that something else is waiting for a certain number of martyrs to be reached (“until the number. . . was completed” -NIV). But the word “number” isn’tthere in the original, it is introduced by translators to make sense of the passage. But the passage makes sense as it is. The “fellow servants” are being “completed,” perhaps a reference to their character in the final crisis of earth’s history (Rev 19:7-8). They are waiting for God to act in some special way for them.
           Being told to “relax” is a bit surprising in a message from heaven. When I “relax” bad things often happen, (read “procrastination”). For example, there is a sizeable patch of grass not far from the septic tank at my house. I don’tknow if it is the type of grass planted there or the proximity to natural fertilizer, but the grass seems to grow twice as fast and twice as thick as anywhere else on my lawn. Particularly in the month of May, we have plenty of both sunshine and rain, the grass is seeding itself, and the plants are growing at peak efficiency. But what is good news for plants becomes bad news for me if I “relax” more than a day or two beyond my mowing schedule.
           Other parts of the lawn are thinner and grow more slowly. The grass there is not difficult to mow even if I skip a few days. But this patch in the back quickly becomes nearly impossible to cut down to size. If the grass is the least bit damp (and we have dew almost every day), the mower clogs almost instantly and I am penalized with the nasty task of having to raise up the mower on all four wheels (and lower it later) and then mow a couple of square feet at a time, stopping to clean out the underside of the mower every couple of minutes. Not fun.

           Lord, my day is already over-filled. I need Your guidance to know what things will improve if they don‘t get done today. Help me trust that You are working even when I am not.