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 June 8, 2026

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And the first angel blew his trumpet, and it was that hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up. Rev 8:7.

           If nuclear war ever breaks out, here’s a suggestion on where to take cover. North of Yellowstone National Park, in a place called Paradise Valley, there are a remarkable number of places to hide underground. In the splendid scenery of Paradise Valley one could easily overlook the clues: ventilation equipment, vault-like doors in hillsides, a watchtower that could double as a machine-gun nest. One of the shelters is called Mark’s Ark, a sort of Motel 6 located 20 feet under the ground. When the builder was asked, “‘Why don’tyou live down here?” he said, “Are you nuts? The only reason I’d come down here would be because I had to.”
           The first 90 feet of walking gets you through the entryway to Mark’s Ark. It’s cluttered with spare parts that might be useful in a long-term disaster. There’s a decontamination room and an engine room with a large amount of stored fuel. The main shelter is 32 feet across, 132 feet long. It has three floors and 40 bedrooms! They’re individually furnished by families that will live in them someday, if things get really bad outside. There’s even an auxiliary shelter for pets. The long corridors are packed with dehydrated food, lentils, beans and oatmeal. There’s a well-stocked clinic and a big community kitchen. “Easily feed a hundred and fifty,” says the builder.
           But why would 150 people want to go underground for a year? It started in the 1980s with predictions of nuclear war by a controversial local religious group, the Church Universal and Triumphant. The shelter craze spread to the church’s neighbors. In all, there are about 30 community shelters in the area.
           Now the same people talk less about the nuclear threat and more about natural catastrophes involving extreme wind, when the Earth tips on its axis. According to one potential resident, “Now if that happens, it throws the whole kilter of the air cycles off. The jet stream, instead of staying up there, could come right down on the surface and, man, 300 mile-an-hour winds would just change your life entirely.” In Paradise Valley they think the rest of America is woefully under-prepared.¹
           A large percentage of these people are conservative Christians, who see in the trumpets natural disasters that will affect all people. But this is a misunderstanding of the text. According to Revelation, the trumpets are judgments of God that fall on unbelievers (Rev 8:3-5; 9:4). So the best safety against the judgments of God is not a shelter in Montana, it is obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

           Lord, whenever my world caves in, help me to trust You rather than my own devisings.

¹ Based on John Hollenhorst, “Underground Shelters Abound in Paradise Valley,” transcript of a television report posted at www.rickross.com on March 2, 2004.