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 1, 2026

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And I saw when the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and the one sitting on it had a bow. A victory crown was given to him and he went out conquering and in order that he might conquer. Rev 6:1-2.

           Who is this rider on the white horse? The symbols seem to consistently point in the same direction. First of all, the horse is white in color. Throughout the book of Revelation the color white always refers to the things of Christ and His people. The same is true for the “victory crown” (Greek: stephanos) that the rider wears.
           While the language of conquering might seem to reflect something negative, it is primarily a spiritual term in Revelation. In fact, up until chapter six, the Greek word for conquering always refers to Christ and his people (“to the one who overcomes I will give. . .”). The word “conquer” in Revelation refers to overcoming in spiritual matters (Rev 5:5; 12:11).
           The rider on the white horse, therefore, represents the gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning with His enthronement in heaven (Rev 5) and continuing until the very end. Passing on that gospel is now the major activity of God’s people on earth.
           I will never forget how the gospel came to me. I was serving as a pastor. I wanted to please God and to reach other people for Him. Yet everything I did was to earn His favor. I had no assurance that I was right with Him.
           One day I was walking down a forest path sharing the gospel with someone else (how ironic!). She looked at me with desperate eagerness.
           “Could God ever accept me after everything I’ve done?”
           “Oh, yes,” I said with words that I truly meant, but that didn’t seem to apply to me. I assured her many times that all sins could be forgiven. We prayed the “sinner’s prayer.”
           Then she looked at me and said, “Do you think God is really here?” I said, “Of course.”
           Just then lightning flashed, thunder rolled and a huge downpour soaked us to the skin. She looked at me with eyes shining, “I’m being baptized again!” And I could see that the gospel had truly struck home for her.
           But when I saw the power of the gospel in her eyes, God touched me with a sense of my own acceptance with Him as well. They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but the gospel struck twice that day!

           Lord, I need to know that I am right with You. Touch my heart with anything that needs to be made right, anything I need to understand. I want to be clean in Your eyes.