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 February 9, 2026

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But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Rev 2:4.

           The church at Ephesus is largely faithful to Jesus, but there is a problem. She has “left her first love.” She has taken that first fateful step down a slope to disaster. No one but Jesus may have been aware of it. Ephesus itself may not have been aware of it, at least until the Book of Revelation arrived. The first steps in spiritual decline are usually quiet ones.
           One time I was driving in Kruger National Park, South Africa. People there are allowed to drive freely along roads occupied by lions, giraffes, elephants and much more. You could say that the animals roam free in Kruger, while the people are restricted to four-wheeled cages (their cars)! Visitors are expected to spend the night in fenced-in “rest camps” for their safety.
           Late one day we were about fifteen miles from the next rest camp. We needed to be safely inside by six in the evening. We had just stopped for a few moments at the spot where a leopard had been seen in the last half hour. When the leopard failed to return, we decided we had better get to camp. As I pulled out of the parking spot I drove over some small bushes. There was a loud thumping sound under the car, louder than small bushes should make, but nothing seemed wrong, so I drove on.
           A few moments later I noticed that the battery gauge had slipped from 16 to 14 (don’t ask me what the numbers meant). The car’s owner thought that meant the alternator was no longer charging the battery. We had only a limited stretch of time before the engine would die. We decided to stop at no more water holes but head straight toward the rest camp. The thought of being stranded in the African wilderness at night was not a welcome one.
           Can you remember a time when your gas gauge read empty and no fuel station was in sight? Then you will understand a fraction of the concern that gripped our stomachs as the needle on the battery gauge moved from 14 to 12 to 10. When the gauge reached 8 the fence of the rest camp appeared on the horizon. As we approached the entrance the engine began to stumble. I worked down through the gears trying to keep the engine going. It stumbled and stumbled and finally died a hundred feet from the gate. We rolled in with silent engine and came to a stop at the fuel station just inside the entrance! Our gratitude to God knew no bounds!
           It is easy enough to know when our cars break down, but how is it with our spiritual lives? In the easy comfort of a consumer society, it is easy to think that all is spiritually well, when in reality our spiritual batteries have been running down for quite some time. To us the words of Jesus come home with considerable force, “you have left your first love.”

           Lord, don’t hold back. I need to know the truth about myself and receive the remedy only You can give.