New book probes end of time

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This article was published 31/07/2023 (650 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new book promises to be a presentation of the biblical end time story that’s different than any other book.

“The reason is that this book attempts to look upon the end time through the eyes, understanding, and worldview of the ancient Biblical writers as much as possible,” the preface states.

Called From the End Time to Heaven, Rev. Werner Trapp shares his research on the end times, the Antichrist, and the rapture.

The 96-year-old pastored in Steinbach for about 25 years beginning in 1974. He led the Bethel Tabernacle which was later named the Bethel Christian Centre. Born in 1926 in Kassel, Germany, he packed much studying and living into his life, and was awarded a certificate for 50 years with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada in 2019.

Even now he’s still actively learning Hebrew and serving as chaplain of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 190 in Steinbach.

Trapp said the book is written from a neo-evangelical viewpoint. Notable neo-evangelicals include Harold Ockenga, Carl F.H. Henry and Dr. Billy Graham, and their viewpoint is different from traditional evangelicals on several issues, including creation. However the main difference for the purpose in this book is that the historical texts of the Bible are looked at from the writers’ understanding as opposed to modern understanding, avoiding the mistakes traditional Evangelicals are accused of doing.

The book covers a wide array of end times teachings, showing images referenced in Revelation on the map of Europe, discussing the signs of the end times, the timing of the end times and even naming the Antichrist.

While a lifetime of Biblical reading and research was intensified in the last two years to allow Trapp to publish the book, he said some of his insights were given to him by the Holy Spirit.

“God showed me those images in Europe in 1968,” he noted.

What is perhaps his biggest departure from common teachings of the end times, is his belief of when the rapture in which Christians will be lifted up to heaven, will occur.

He said it’s a relatively recent belief that the rapture will take place before the tribulation, saying traditional teachings up to 1830 taught the rapture would only take place after the tribulation, when Jesus Christ returns. Those beliefs are still held by Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans.

“The dead in Christ rise first,” he said. “They don’t rise until Jesus arrives at the end of the tribulation.”

Driven by books and movies like Left Behind, Trapp said the belief of a pre-tribulation rapture is dangerous, in that it could lead to a falling away of Christians when the tribulation begins with no rapture in sight.

“If I am wrong, by joining with the traditional view of Christianity that the rapture is after the tribulation, and it doesn’t happen, I haven’t done no damage to anybody,” he said.

He realizes that his thoughts aren’t shared by every Christian, but insists that he’s been very careful as to what he included in his book.

“I don’t like to teach or write anything that as far as I can see would be against that (which) the Holy Spirit says,” he said. “My responsibility is to be truthful.”

Writing for a wide audience, described as “everybody that’s going to be interested in the end times”, the 111-page book cites scripture and other sources. But he insists some of the information came through a divine conduit.

“I couldn’t have written some of those things in this book if it wouldn’t have been for the Holy Ghost explaining things to me,” he said. “God let the information come to me.”

Another issue that Trapp said is a common mistake is people reading Revelation as if what’s presented happens in the same order.

“Most evangelical scholars believe that Revelation runs chronologically, and that’s a mistake,” he said.

For example, a table in the book indicates his belief that the seven trumpets begin sounding during the middle of the fourth seal, (famine, pestilence from animals and the erection of a statue of the Antichrist.) That, he argues, kicks off the great tribulation. The Seven bowls of wrath, also referenced in Revelation begin at the sound of the third trumpet and during the fifth seal, the table explains.

He also gets specific in the book explaining that the Antichrist will rule 10 countries including England, Spain, France, Austria, Italy, a reunited Yugoslavia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece. He said the references made to “the whole world” in the prophetic books should be taken to mean the whole world as the writers knew it.

“I’m trying to follow very clear lines, through the Bible, through history, through science and through common sense,” he said.

Using a calculation he explained in detail in the book Trapp said the Antichrist will come to power sometime between 1967 and 2087. He even described and named the Antichrist, saying Christians will be aware of who he is.

Using the Hebrew letters represented by 666, and adding vowels, Trapp said the Antichrist will be named Thera Sawa, will be a very large man, have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, will be born in Bethlehem and will be half Jewish and half Palestinian.

As he also notes in the book, he’s not the only one to try to identify the Antichrist.

People once thought the Antichrist was Stalin, because if one used matches to spell his name, they can be rearranged to portray 666. At other times, Hitler, Mussolini and more modern heads of state have been thought by some to be the Antichrist. Even the pope was once a suspect thanks to Martin Luther who figured out that the words on his crown, ‘Vicarius filii Dei’, can give Roman numerals for the sum of 666.

The book also ventures into other areas, proposing that hell is found in the bowels of the earth and that heaven is a planet with water, rocks, time concepts, plants, animals, people, angels and God.

“There will be an intimate relationship between God the Father and His people, to the point that He will even wipe the tears from their eyes according to Revelation 21:4,” he writes. “The same verse emphasizes that there will be no more sorrow, crying, pain or death.”

Not one to shy away from controversy, Trapp also includes a chapter outlining what he calls 70 lies, misconceptions and heresies circulated among evangelicals.

These misceptions include beliefs that pictures of Jesus are not allowed, that the Bible says God created everything 6,000 years ago, that every word in the Bible is inspired by God, that the Bible contains no contradictions, that women may not preach, that sprinkling or immersion are the only true forms of baptism and many more.

Trapp said it was important for him to address those issues as well. “I don’t think it’s right for churches to hang on to those kinds of things,” he said.

This book is for everyone who is curious, according to Trapp.

“If they want to know what’s ahead of them in the future, to the coming of Christ, look into this book and you’ll find out,” he said. “Christ is interested in that people get to know what’s in the book of Revelation.”

Trapp will be selling From the End Time to Heaven at Clearspring Centre Aug. 3 to 5 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The possible exception will be on Friday, Aug. 4 when Trapp said he may take part in the Pioneer Day Parade as part of his Legion duties, keeping him away from his book sales for an hour or so.

The book is also available from book sellers online and within Steinbach.