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 July 20, 2026

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The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven which were speaking, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who are sitting on their thrones before God fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken hold of your great power and begun to reign.” Rev 11:15-17.

           One day the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
           On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
           “It was great, Dad. . .”
           “Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
           “Oh yeah,” said the son.
           “So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
           The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
           The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are.¹
           In Rev 4:9 we noticed the twenty-four elders giving continual thanks to God for creation and for His mighty acts of salvation. In our text the elders are giving thanks again, but this time the object of their thankfulness is more specific. They praise God for His End-time invasion of the kingdom of this world, and for replacing it with His own kingdom, grounded in the mighty acts of Christ. When we fully grasp what Christ has done for us, it changes our attitude toward everything. This is one of the major functions of Revelation. By raising our perspective from our own little world to the grandeur of God’s universe, we become aware of how deeply grateful we should be. It’s all in how you look at it!

           Lord, whenever I am tempted to think I have been shortchanged in this life, remind me of the treasure I have in Jesus Christ.

¹ Based on an email from Dan Millen, November 26, 2003.