Arno C. Gaebelein Books: A Guide to All 12 and Where to Start
Arno C. Gaebelein (1861–1945) taught the Bible for more than half a century, and most of his books do one of two things: explain a book of the Bible chapter by chapter, or gather what the whole Bible says about the Lord's return. TheWay Library has twelve of them, all free to read: two short books on Christ, four on prophecy, a study of Romans 11, and five commentaries. For his life story, see who was Arno C. Gaebelein.
This guide sorts them so you can find what you need.
Where to start
If you're new to Gaebelein, start with The Work of Christ. It's short, about an hour, and it shows his whole outlook: the cross, Christ's present work in heaven, and His coming kingdom.
After that, choose by what you want:
- For devotional reading: The Lord of Glory.
- For the second coming: The Return of the Lord, then Studies in Prophecy.
- To study a book of the Bible: his expositions of John, Acts, Revelation, Zechariah or Ezekiel.
- On Israel's future: The Jewish Question.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For many more, see our collection of Arno C. Gaebelein quotes.
Books on Christ
The Work of Christ
A short study of Christ's work in three tenses. The past work covers its foreshadowing in the Old Testament, the incarnation and the finished work of the cross. The present work, the longest part, covers His bodily resurrection and ascension, His priesthood and advocacy, and what that means for prayer and freedom from worry. The future work covers His judgment seat, Israel restored and His kingdom.
Incarnation brought God to Man, but could never bring man back to a holy God.
The Work of Christ, What Incarnation could not Accomplish
The Lord of Glory (1910)
About thirty brief meditations on the person and glory of Christ, first printed at the front of each issue of Gaebelein's magazine Our Hope. They take His names and titles, scenes like the upper room, and psalms like the twenty-second, and they press home "Not I, but Christ." Good for a few minutes a day. Read The Lord of Glory.
Books on prophecy
The Return of the Lord (1925)
A survey of everything the New Testament teaches about the second coming, book by book: the Gospels, especially the Olivet Discourse, then Acts, Paul's letters, the general epistles and Revelation. It ends with twenty facts that sum it all up and fifty Old Testament prophecies still waiting for His return. This is the best single book here on the subject. Read The Return of the Lord.
Studies in Prophecy (1918)
Short studies written as the First World War ended. They cover the course of this age, "that blessed hope" of Titus 2:13, who will be caught up when the Lord comes, why Gaebelein held the church will not go through the great tribulation, the midnight cry, the history of Satan, and Israel's feasts read as a prophetic calendar. Read Studies in Prophecy.
That blessed hope will keep the person of the Lord Jesus Christ constantly before the heart.
Studies in Prophecy, "That Blessed Hope"
The Harmony of the Prophetic Word (1907)
Gaebelein sets passages from all the prophets side by side to show that they agree about the future: the day of the Lord, the great tribulation, the nations' last attack on Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the visible appearing of Christ, Israel's conversion, and the blessings of the coming kingdom. He counts that agreement as a strong proof of the Bible's inspiration. Read The Harmony of the Prophetic Word.
Current Events in the Light of the Bible (1914)
Short notes on world news from about 1906 to 1914, first written for Our Hope, under headings like political events, religious apostasy, modern delusions, social conditions, the Jews, and new archaeological finds. It's a window on how a Bible teacher read the years leading up to the First World War. Read Current Events in the Light of the Bible.
Israel
The Jewish Question (1912)
An exposition of Romans 11 and its question, "Hath God cast away His people?" Gaebelein draws seven answers from the chapter, showing that Israel's unbelief is neither complete nor final and that "all Israel shall be saved." A longer study, The Messianic Question, follows, tracing the marks of the Messiah through the Old Testament and appealing to the reader to receive Jesus as the Christ. Read The Jewish Question.
Commentaries
These go through a book of the Bible chapter by chapter, with an outline for each. Turn to the one for the book you're studying.
- The Gospel of John (1925): his fullest commentary, verse by verse through all twenty-one chapters, stressing that John reveals Jesus as the eternal Son of God. He gives special weight to the upper-room discourse and calls John 17 the holy of holies of the Gospel.
- The Acts of the Apostles (1912): from the ascension and Pentecost through Paul's missionary travels and his voyage to Rome, with attention to the Holy Spirit's presence in the church and the change from law to grace.
- The Revelation (1915): an analysis built on Revelation 1:19, reading the seven churches as the history of the professing church and the seals, trumpets and vials as the coming tribulation, then Christ's reign and the new Jerusalem. Appendices explain Daniel's seventy weeks.
- Studies in Zechariah (1911): the eight night visions, the question about fasting, the rejected Shepherd sold for thirty pieces of silver, and the Lord's return to the Mount of Olives.
- The Prophet Ezekiel (1918): the vision of God's glory, the signs and parables of judgment on Jerusalem, then the dry bones, Gog and Magog and the great temple, read as Israel's future restoration.
The beginning of evil, in doctrine or in life, is heart-departure from Christ, and not giving Christ the pre-eminence.
The Revelation, The Things Which Are: The Seven Church Messages
Also in the library
Gaebelein wrote the chapter Fulfilled Prophecy a Potent Argument for the Bible in The Fundamentals. And Down Through the Ages, the story of the King James Bible, is by his son, Frank E. Gaebelein, not by Arno.
A note on these editions
The Work of Christ, The Lord of Glory, Studies in Prophecy, Studies in Zechariah and The Prophet Ezekiel are proofread transcriptions. The other seven were restored from scans of the original printings and are still being proofread, so you may meet the odd misread word.
Why read Gaebelein today
Gaebelein is plain, orderly and always close to the text, and he never lets prophecy crowd out the Person it's about. Start with The Work of Christ, then go to The Return of the Lord or the commentary for the book you're reading. For other classics on the Lord's return, see our list of the best books on the second coming. All twelve books are on the Arno C. Gaebelein author page.