File Name: Gaebelein, A.C. - The Prophet Ezekiel
File Submitter: pfpeller
File Submitted: 26 Nov 2012
File Category: Reference Books (topx)
Author: Gaebelein, A.C.e-Sword Version: 9.x - 10.x
Gaebelein was a Christian Jew who believed in the veracity of the promises of the Old Testament. He writes from a pre-Millennial, dispensational, literal point of view.
There are not many commentaries on the Book of Ezekiel. So, all by itself, this is a relatively rare breed. This is not just any commentary, though; it is a very good one!
The fact that this book is copyrighted ln 1918 is astounding. The temptation to spiritualize these prophecies is enormous; yet Gaebelein consistently wrote that Israel, as a nation, would be restored - literally. While it seems obvious now to all dispensationalists that these prophecies had to be true literally, in 1918, that was quite a statement! Bible prophecy, literally understood, is astounding!
For more than half a century evangelist, author, journalist, and Bible expositor Arno C. Gaebelein passionately proclaimed the prophetic truths of the Bible and daily lived with the hope of their fulfillment. With a ministry that bridged two centuries and endured two world wars, Gaebelein never doubted the relevance of the study of prophecy for spiritual growth and for interaction with the chaos of culture. In the midst of the thundering storms of World War I, he encouraged Christians not to despair, for the trials of this world would one day give way to the triumph of Christ. In 1915 he wrote:
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back! He may be here at any moment! He may come today! Now this is not a foolish assertion that He will come today. Nor is it the setting of a specific time for Him to come, which would be equally foolish and wrong; yet many do it. It is the sober statement of a fact, to arouse souls from their carelessness and indifference, and point them to the clear testimony of God's only Word that the Lord Jesus is coming again , and may be here today (Meat in Due Season, 64).
From the Forward by James Gray:
I know of no expounder of Holy Scripture on this side of the Atlantic in the same class as Mr. Gaebelein. His work on the Old Testament prophets especially is unique. To understand and expound them not for scholars but for the people, calls for a combination of gifts bestowed upon very few.
Such a teacher must believe in the inerrancy of the autographs of Scripture. He must interpret it literally except where it clearly indicates to the contrary. He must apprehend the dispensational scope of its teaching. He must know and rely upon the Holy Spirit as the revealer of the truth whose record He has inspired. He must have a working knowledge of the Hebrew text and be able to pass intelligently on questions of Biblical Criticism. He must be familiar with the writings of others who have preceded him. He must be a platform man in constant communication with the people whom he would instruct. He must be no dreamer, but wide-awake to current events and capable of looking upon and dealing with them in a practical way. He must use simple terms and express himself in plain speech.
Mr. Gaebelein meets all these demands, for which we who reap the benefits give God the praise.
Circumstances have prevented my reading all the chapters of this present volume on Ezekiel, and hence I do not undertake to endorse every detail of interpretation it contains, but a general acquaintance with the author's point of view as expressed in his volumes on Daniel, Joel, Zechariah, Matthew and Revelation leads me to commend it strongly.
Pastors, evangelists, Bible teachers and Christians generally who would be counted among the wise who understand, need such helps as this as an antidote to the false teaching flooding the church today, and to enable them to stand up against the wiles of Satan on every hand. Familiarity with the revelation of God in the Old Testament is simply indispensable to the Christian witness in this twentieth century, and to the soldiers of Christ in this crucial hour of spiritual combat.
JAMES M. GRAY
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