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Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Clemens Gaebelein (August 27, 1861 – December 25, 1945) was a German-born American preacher, author, and Bible teacher whose ministry shaped early 20th-century fundamentalism and dispensational theology. Born in Thuringia, Germany, to Wilhelm Gaebelein and an unnamed mother, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1879, settling in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Converted at 17 through a Methodist preacher’s sermon, he was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886 after informal theological study, pastoring German-speaking congregations in New York and New Jersey. Gaebelein’s preaching career shifted dramatically in 1899 when he left Methodism over its liberalism, embracing dispensationalism and joining the Plymouth Brethren. His sermons, delivered at conferences and churches across the U.S. and Europe, emphasized biblical prophecy, Israel’s restoration, and Christ’s return, notably influencing the Scofield Reference Bible as C.I. Scofield’s assistant. He edited Our Hope magazine (1894–1945), founded the Hope of Israel Movement for Jewish evangelism, and wrote over 50 books, including The Annotated Bible and Revelation: An Analysis and Exposition. Married to Emma Fredericka Grimm in 1884, with whom he had four children—Frank, Paul, Arno Jr., and Claudia (died in infancy)—he died at age 84 in St. Petersburg, Florida.