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 November 7, 2026

View in the Daily Devotional Index

And a second time they shouted, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, the one sitting on the throne, saying, “Amen, Hallelujah!” Rev 19:3-4.

           Heavenly beings worshiping? So what! How easy it must be to worship God when you are face to face with dazzling glory! Flashes of lightning, thunderous sounds, and blazing torches almost force you to fall on your face and worship One who possesses such glory and such power. But does it really take thunder and lightning and dazzling jewels to inspire people to worship God? Or is it more about being attuned to His presence, wherever we are?
           I remember the time my daughter and I climbed up Mount Sinai in the dark. At five o’clock in the morning we reached the top. Along with about five hundred other people, we sat or lay down on rocks to await the sunrise. We battled to stay warm in a freezing wind atop the 7400-foot peak.
           Although we were on the very spot where Moses encountered the living God Himself, there was no sense of awe or reverence in the crowd. Locals were making money, loudly offering food, hot drinks and blankets that had been transported to the mountaintop on the backs of donkeys and camels. Tourists cursed the cold and the wind and carried on conversations about sports, relationships, politics, and what they had eaten yesterday. There was no sense of God’s presence on the mountain. All were consumed with the concerns of the moment.
           That began to change with the first glimmering redness at one end of the blackened sky. People began to stir from their places. A buzz of conversation all over the mountain forsook the mundane details of everyday life and anticipated the appearance of the golden orb that lights every day. Cold, sports, and politics were all forgotten in an instant. As the red in the eastern sky gradually was matched by a reddish glow on the peaks to the west, all sounds of human presence began to die down until the whole mountaintop was gripped with an amazing hush.
           As the sun itself began to peek over the mountains to the east, no one raised up a sign or anything, yet everyone in the crowd was hushed or at most talked in whispers. It seemed as if everyone had suddenly realized that we were in God’s sanctuary, and what a sanctuary it was! The roof was the heavens and it was lit by the sun. It was fittingly huge as befits a King of His stature. Everywhere one looked produced quiet awe. There was no thunder or lightning and no sparkling jewels. Yet for a moment all were attuned to God’s presence.

           Lord, I need a sense of Your presence today. I need to be awed by the mighty works You have done for me. Give me a glimpse of You in the midst of today’s distractions.