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 October 10, 2026

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(The angel) carried me away into the desert by the Spirit. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of the names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. Rev 17:3.

           The writers, director, producer and actors all sat down before a twelve-inch, black and white television to watch the first episode of I Love Lucy. It was October 15, 1951. All but one of this group had been involved in the filming of the show, so the only laughter came from the one person who hadn’t seen it before, the husband of a secondary actress. He laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair. The others hoped that his reaction was a good omen.
           When the reviews appeared, they were mixed. The Hollywood Reporter raved about the show. Daily Variety, on the other hand, indicated that it needed some work before it could be successful. The New York Times thought the show had “promise.” Time called it “a triumph of bounce over bumbling material.” But when the ratings came out, I Love Lucy was in the Top 10, and six months later it reached number one. Time magazine quickly had a change of heart, featuring Lucy on its cover in May, 1952. The fifty year success of the show is a credit to the comedic genius of “Lucy,” Lucille Ball.
           I Love Lucy established all kinds of records. It has been seen by more than a billion people. But one of the show’s greatest contributions to the entertainment world was something that happened before it ever went on the air. In the early 1950s most TV shows were performed for live broadcast from New York City. Stations around the country played a kinescope, a copy of the show filmed from a TV screen, which left a lot to be desired in terms of quality.
           But Lucy and Desi were expecting their first child, and they didn’t want to move to New York. So Desi suggested shooting the show with three film cameras in front of an audience. CBS said it would cost too much, so Desi and Lucy took a cut in salary and in return were given the rights to the negatives of the films. Thus the three-camera film system, still used for situation comedies today, was created, and the rerun was born.¹
           Rev 17:3 is also a rerun. The woman in the desert has been seen before, in chapter twelve (verses 6, 13-16). So has the beast with seven heads, ten horns and the names of blasphemy (Rev 12:3-4; 13:1-6). These characters also echo characters from the Old Testament (Exod 28; Ezek 23; Dan 7). “What goes around comes around,” and “there is nothing new under the sun.” Satan’s strategies tend to be fairly consistent. The problem is not that he surprises us, but that we tend to fall for the same tricks over and over again.

           Lord, help me to learn from the spiritual mistakes I have made in the past. Help me recognize the wiles of Satan and be found faithful in all things today.

¹ Based on Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, “Falling in Love with Lucy,” Time, March 31, 2003, A28.