I was thinking about the Pre-wrath teaching of four comings (erchomai) in Jesus' one second coming (parousia) and decided to check out Scripture for myself on that point. In his Chapter 16, The Prewrath Rapture of the Church: Part 1 of "The Sign," Van Kampen writes:
"The Coming (Parousia) of Christ"Before we look at the clear teaching of the New Testament concerning the timing of Christ's return, one word of clarification must be made which will bring incredible simplicity to this critical defense. When referring to the second coming of Christ, invariably the Greek word 'parousia' is used. This particular word does not indicate movement from one place to the next, but, as a noun, speaks more to the overall event of Christ's second coming. It carries the basic meaning of 'presence.' Therefore, within the scope of the second coming (parousia) of Christ as an event, there will be various comings and goings of Christ, but in those cases a different Greek word is used. However, the 'parousia' of Christ _always_ refers to the event in general. There will be only one 'second coming' or 'parousia' of Christ, not two. Keeping that simple fact in mind will bring total harmony to the teaching of the New Testament concerning the timing of Christ's 'parousia.'"
Van Kampen says that "When referring to the second coming of Christ, invariably the Greek word 'parousia' is used" and "there will be various comings and goings of Christ, but in those cases a different Greek word is used." This differentiation pretty much forms the base for his whole post-rapture scenario, because the extended length of time needed for all of Jesus' "comings" has no true biblical basis. Until the pre-trib doctrine came along, with its Christ's coming _for_ the church, then Christ's coming _with_ the church, the idea of more than one second coming, or a split second coming, or a series of comings in one second coming was never taught.
Reading through all of the scripture passages referring to Jesus' coming again leaves one with a natural understanding that there's just one coming. For example, when reading "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" or "be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near" or "so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming," no one would come to a natural conclusion that this coming would be a long drawn-out process involving two or three or four comings. But the pre-wrath doctrine _needs_ it to be so, so Van Kampen is forced to rely on the artificial differentiation of the meanings of Greek words.
Unfortunately, what I found when I referred back to the scriptures was that Van Kampen's need to rely on word distinctions forced him into such a little corner that his only way out was dishonesty. In the quote above, he says, "When referring to the second coming of Christ, invariably the Greek word 'parousia' is used." "Invariable" means "constant" or "unchanging," and most readers would probably take his word for it that "parousia" is always used to refer to "the overall event of Christ's second coming." But his statement is false. The verb "erchomai" is used 643 times in the New Testament, and I didn't have the time to look them all up. But concentrating mainly on the passages that speak of Jesus' return, I quickly found 7 "erchomai" verses that I think everyone would agree refer to what Van Kampen artificially distinquishes as "the overall event":
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." (John 4:25 NIV)"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (John 14:28 NIV)
For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. (Heb 10:37 NIV)
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Rev 3:11 NIV)
"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." (Rev 22:7 NIV)
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Rev 22:12 NIV)
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20 NIV)
Van Kampen gets even more dishonest in his endnotes. In chapter 16's endnote 6, he writes, "'Erchomai' is rendered as 'coming' or 'comes' in the following New Testament passages: Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev. 1:7; 2:5; 22:7, 12, 20." The implication is that this is an exhaustive list, but as you can see, in just a few minutes, I found 4 other verses that he didn't cite. I thought these omissions were possibly the result of carelessness or laziness, but on reading further, realized why Van Kampen pointed his readers only to these few references. Keep in mind that he needs to keep "parousia" as the only word which speaks of the "overall event" of Jesus' coming, because the major part of his doctrine hangs on the assertion that "within the scope of the second coming (parousia) of Christ as an event, there will be various comings and goings of Christ, but in those cases a different Greek word is used."
Van Kampen stresses, in three separate paragraphs in this one endnote, that "erchomai" "connotes movement," "relates to movement" and "refers to movement," although Strong's definition doesn't use the word at all. It just defines "erchomai" as "to come or go (in a great variety of applications, lit. and fig.):--accompany, appear, bring, come enter, fall out, go, grow, X light, X next, pass, resort, be set." But the idea of "erchomai" connoting movement is vital to Van Kampen's purpose, BECAUSE HE NEEDS TO SEPARATE JESUS' COMING ON THE CLOUDS FROM HIS CONCEPT OF "PAROUSIA" BEING THE OVERALL EVENT. So in an awesome display of chutzpah, he relegates the one single, glorious return of Christ - the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory - to the status of just one of the "various comings and goings" encompassed by the "parousia." He writes,
"It is significant that 'erchomai,' which always relates to movement, is so often mentioned with Christ's coming 'in' or 'with' the clouds as he descends from heaven. . . . Clouds are associated with physical movement in the sky, . . ."
As for Van Kampen's list of references for "erchomai," 8 of the 11 verses he does cite refer to Jesus' coming in the clouds, making it difficult to blame the omissions on carelessness.
Writing on the verb "heko," he states:
"In reference to Christ's second coming, the term is used only three times in the New Testament, each time in the book of Revelation. It is used once as an encouragement to the church at Thyatira and twice as a word of warning to the church at Sardis (Rev. 2:25; 3:3)"
By classifying these references to Jesus' second coming as words of mere encouragement or warning, VanKampen doesn't have to deal with the fact that one of them, like the "erchomai" verses above, also points to the "overall event" which he insists is "invariably" referred to as "parousia." Furthermore, contrary to his assertion that "in reference to Christ's second coming, the term is used only three times in the New Testament," there are 4 other second coming verses which use the word "heko." Here are all 7:
Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Luke 13:35 NIV)And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. (Rom 11:26 NIV)
For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. (Heb 10:37 NIV)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Pet 3:10 NIV)
Only hold on to what you have until I come. (Rev 2:25 NIV)
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Rev 3:3 NIV)
I believe that Van Kampen's insistence on "various comings and goings of Christ" within one second coming is more than enough reason to label his system as a "new revelation." The idea is so close to the pre-trib doctrine's two comings, which is generally acknowledged as "new revelation," that Van Kampen has to resort to deception and ludicrous reminders that clouds move in the sky in order to distance his own doctrine from it. At the end of the section of "The Sign" quoted above, he writes:
"Therefore, within the scope of the second coming (parousia) of Christ as an event, there will be various comings and goings of Christ, . . . Keeping that simple fact in mind will bring total harmony to the teaching of the New Testament concerning the timing of Christ's 'parousia.'"
Because the New Testament definitely does not teach pre-wrath, a more accurate last line would be:
"Keeping that simple fact in mind will bring total harmony to the teaching of Robert Van Kampen concerning the timing of Christ's 'parousia.'"
Submitted by Mary Tarkowski