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 11, 2026

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And it was given to her (the wife of the Lamb) to be dressed in fine linen, bright and clean (for the fine linen is the righteous actions of the saints). Rev 19:8.

           The bride of the Lamb at the end of history wears “the righteous actions of the saints” like a garment. They are visible on the outside yet representative of something deeper and even more important, character. The outward actions arise from within. When all is said and done, success will prove to be more a matter of character than a matter of skill or luck.
           This reminds me of Jesse Owens, the famous Olympic athlete. While he was certainly blessed with physical skills, the 1936 Olympics revealed his character as much as his skills. Said his mother, “Jesse was always a face boy, when a problem came up, he always faced it.”
           Jesse grew up as a young black man in a world dominated by whites. Overcoming many barriers, he made the Olympic team, only to face the greatest challenge of his career. Adolph Hitler had proclaimed that Nazi Germany was the location of the “master race” that would prove its superiority on the sports field before it did so on the battle field. Owens could not just concentrate on the sports, larger issues were at stake.
           John Kelley was the captain of the US marathon team in the 1936 Olympics and a good friend of Jesse Owens. On the boat to Germany Owens told him, “I want to go up to the deck and exercise, but I don’t have any shoes.” Kelley responded, “I don’t think my shoes will fit you.” But that didn’t stop Owens. He tried to get one of Kelley’s shoes on, but his foot was so large, it split the shoe in half! Owens apologized and Kelley got the shoe sewed up for 50 cents, a small price for what would become a treasured souvenir.
           When Kelley finished the marathon, Hitler waved at him, he thumbed his nose in return. That became his greatest claim to fame. He was stunned later on what Owens told him, “Kelley, Hitler waved at me, and I waved back.” Talk about character! When Owens won his fourth gold medal, however, he became the hero of the games to everyone but Hitler. The dictator looked unbeatable at the time and German athletes dominated the 1936 Olympics on the whole. But one African-American was all it took to expose the lie of a master race.¹
           Character is the sum total of many choices and actions over a long period of time. Character is not made in a crisis, it is exposed in a crisis. The behavior of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics was a beautiful garment that bore witness to the character developed over a lifetime.

           Lord, thank You for the reminder that every small decision and action today sets the stage toward the larger purpose for which You designed me.

¹ John Kelley, “Outrunning the Arian Myth,” Time, March 31, 2003, A18-A19.