Christ is the Mystery no. 114

Chronology of End Time Events part 9

The End Time Testing Time

September 7,  2013

Brian Kocourek

 

This evening we will take a short message on the Chronology of end time events, this will be part 9 in our series, and we will focus it on the time of the End Time Testing Time.

 

Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

 

Now, this : is not talking about the tribulation period, it is talking about a period or time of testing, which we know to be when the Squeeze comes down and forces every church to either come into the World council of churches or not be able to come together to worship at all. During this time, he says, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience", so we know that this time will be a time where we will either have learned patience and thus overcome, or we will not. It is just that simple.

 

Brother Branham spoke of this in Church Age Book   8 - The Philadelphian Church Age P:86 The Eulogy and the promise "What does He mean by the "word of His patience?" Hebrews 6:13-15. "For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." You see the Spirit is speaking about the Word of God which is given to us. To wait for the fulfillment of that Word required patience even as it did in the case of Abraham. He endured as seeing Him Who is invisible. He was patient and then the Word finally was fulfilled. This is the way God teaches His people patience. Why, if He fulfilled His Word in physical manifestations the very instant you prayed, you would never learn patience, but would become even more impatient with life. Let me show you this truth even more fully set forth. Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises (the Word of God) offered up his only begotten son." There it is: Abraham was tried AFTER he received the Word of Promise. Most think that as soon as we pray in Jesus' Name over the good promises of God that there could not be a trial. But here it says that Abraham was tried after he received the promise. That is exactly correct according to the Psalmist referring to Joseph, 105:19, "Until the time that his word came: the Word of the Lord tried him." God gives us exceeding great and precious promises. He has promised to fulfill them. He will. But from the time we pray until the time we get the answer we must learn to receive patience into our souls for only in patience do we possess life. May God help us to learn this lesson even as we know the people of this sixth age learned patience. We read the history of the lives of these great Christians; what a contrast we see between their lives and ours for they were so patient and quiet, and today we are all but overcome in over-impatience and haste.

 

I believe the age in which we live which is so fast paced that everything is so instant. And we have to have results right now, or we get mad and upset. Look at the rage on the highways, because you don't get out of the way for that car racing down the road at 20 miles over the speed limit. Even in California, back in 79 I was out there on business and heard that people were being pulled over by the police for doing the speed limit, but when the people said, we were obeying the law, the judge said you were obstructing traffic.

 

So that means there are no traffic laws, that the law now is if the majority are doing it, then it is ok. And we have entered into an age of chaos where anything goes as long as it is acceptable by the majority. And thus we have entered the age of the test. And God does test us for our reactions.  Are we going to do what everyone else is doing because we do not want to be looked down upon, or are we going to stand with God and His Word regardless of what the rest of the world is doing.

 

From the Church Age Book The Philadelphian Church Age P:88 brother Branham reads Revelations 3:10 that we took for our text this evening, and then comments on it. "I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." This : is not a declaration that the true church will go into and through the tribulation. If it meant that it would have said that. But it said, "I will keep thee from the hour of temptation." This temptation is exactly like the temptation in Eden. It will be a very inviting proposition held up in direct opposition to God's commanded Word, and yet from the standpoint of human reasoning it will be so very right, so enlightening and life-giving as to fool the world. Only the very elect will not be fooled. The temptation will come as follows. The ecumenical move that has started on what seems such a beautiful and blessed principle (fulfilling Christ's prayer that we all might be one) becomes so strong politically that she bears pressure upon the government to cause all to join with her either directly or through adherence to principles enacted into law so that no people will be recognized as actual churches unless under direct or indirect domination of this council. Little groups will lose charters, privileges, etc., until they lose all property and spiritual rights with the people. For example, right now unless the local ministerial association approves in many, if not most cities, one cannot rent a building for religious services. To become chaplains in the armed services, hospitals, etc., it is now almost mandatory to be recognized as acceptable to the trinitarian ecumenical groups. As this pressure increases, and it will, it will be harder to resist, for to resist is to lose privilege. And so many will be tempted to go along, for they will feel it is better to serve God publicly in the framework of this organization than not to serve God at all publicly. But they err. To believe the devil's lie is to serve Satan, even though you may want to call him Jehovah. But the elect will not be deceived.

 

Psalms 7:9 tells us  "The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins."

 

And The Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

 

And we see in Hebrews 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.  14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

 

And that is something we must be on guard against is that root of bitterness. Because he would not have warned us about it if it was not a real threat to you and I.

 

Elijah and meal offering 60-0310 P:28 God tests every son of Abraham like He did Abraham, for we are Abraham's seed. By being dead in Christ, we are Abraham's seed and are heirs according to the promise. Abraham's seed, that's the spirit that Abraham had. He had the promise given. And if our father trusted God and took a promise, an impossibility, and held on to it for twenty-five years before it was ever manifested, getting stronger all the time, his seed's just like the father. No matter what happens, when we're prayed for, it's settled. When we get everything out of the way, met all requirements, get everything out of the way, then ask God, and stand there knowing you're going to receive it.

 

But the problem is that when we have asked God and he doesn't immediately respond then we get upset. And that shows you your spirit is not right when you do that. That is the thing I battle the most, is being able to patiently wait. Even Moses failed the test time and time again. He got so angry at the people for not taking God at his Word, that he struck the rock when he was told to simply speak to the rock and it would draw water.  And for his anger, God punished him for it. But it was the people that brought him to the point of boiling and when he boiled over God held him accountable for it.   Sometimes I do not understand these things. When God was so angry with the people he told Moses to step aside and he was going to kill them all and start over,  it was Christ in Moses that stood in the breach, and yet when Moses out of anger struck the rock, he was punished for it, and was not allowed to enter into the promised land with the people.  I've never understood that, but God is sovereign and we know that.

 

So Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, (Revealed where? Revealed in you) ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

 

Now this word "suffer" is a word which means to under go mistreatment or to be maltreated on account of the Word sake. So we see that the trial of your Faith is exactly that. Your faith is put to the test. God places you in situations because of your faith to see how you will utilize your Faith.

 

Remember Daniel in the Lion den and the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. They all possessed the revelation of their hour and so God tested them by it. The Revelation you possess is your Faith. And thus in order to get you to use it, and to apply it, God allows affliction and suffering to come your way because of your stand for your faith. Thus the suffering is a result of your already possessing Faith and puts you into the place of having to rely only upon your Faith to see you through. That is exactly what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went through. And Daniel and Moses, Abraham and all God's prophets each had to go through a trial of His Faith, A trial of His Revelation. The trial came because of the Revelation and thus he learned to wait upon God and in due course when God brought forth His Faith for testing again, it caused the Revelation to energize his own faith.

You Faith is given you to be used. But you can't just use it for any purpose. It must be of God's choosing and according to His timing. But believe me when I tell you this, If God has given you this measure of Faith, then He will just as surely as He gave you this Faith, He will test it and cause it to be of use to you. So when you enter into the trials of your faith, just Let go and let God.

 

I Peter 1:7-9 'That the Trial of your Faith (Revelation), being much more precious than gold that perishes, that your Faith may be found after scrutiny to result in praise , honor and Glory at the Appearing of Jesus Christ:"

 

So we see here that there is to be a trial or a testing of your faith. Your Revelation. And the result of this testing will actually produce in you, praise, honor and Glory. So then the testing will as James said, bring forth Patience, and when patience has it's perfect work, it'll produce a fully mature son of God in the very image of the Father just as His First born was. Remember, Jesus Himself, God's firstborn, learned obedience to God's Word by the things that He suffered.

 

In fact we see in 1 Peter 1:7 that not only are we ordained to these tests, but we are also ordained to pass them. Wuest Translation "In which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a little while at the present time if perchance there is a need for it, you have been made sorrowful in the midst of many different kinds of testings in order that the approval of your faith, which faith was examined by testing for the purpose of being approved, that your approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which perishes, even though that gold be approved by fire-testing, may be discovered after scrutiny to result in Praise, Honor and Glory at the time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ;"
 

And in getting back to 1 Peter 4 let's pick up at verse 17  "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

 

So the test and failure, test and failure, then test and passing it, are God's way of bring about in us a molding into us his very character . And as the Wuest translation of 1 Peter 1 tells us, "we are ordained to pass the test."

 

Reaction to an action 59-0810 P:24 God tests. Like Job, they accused him that he was a secret sinner. And Job was righteous. There was no man on earth like him. And yet, God let the devil take everything he had. And when they accused him of being a secret sinner, he knew that he was righteous before God. He knew he had done no sin. But God lets those things happen to see what you'll do. You see, He and Satan had a proposition. Satan said, "I'll make him curse You to Your face." God said, "You can't do it." And the test had to come. And your test comes, and my test comes. And we all go through those testings. The Bible said if we cannot stand that, it proves that we're illegitimate children: Our testimony was not right: we're not real children of God, but we become illegitimate; we're not the children of God. We just claim to be.

 

We are told in James 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

The he tells us in James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures the testing for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

 

Again the Apostle Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

 

In the book of Jeremiah 17:10 we read,  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

 

And David a man after God's own heart said in Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

 

And again in Psalms 66:10 he said,  For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

 

And in Psalms 26:2 David said, "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart."

 

Be certain of God 59-0412A P:19 When you've done everything that you know how to do, and met every requirement that God has required, that's where faith takes a hold. That's where faith comes in. If you've met every requirement that God required you to do, then sometimes God tests your faith, to see what kind of a reaction you'll have on your action. Oh, He's good at that. It just proves whether you really believe what you think you believe. You know He does that many times.

 

Stand still and see the salvation 57-0629 P:11 When God gets ready to do anything, the people is all tore up. The reason they were tore up in their journey is because there was a mixed multitude that went up. And the testing time came. Oh, I want you to notice this, that every time that God makes a move there's usually a mixed multitude; it attracts the attention of all and creates a mixed multitude. When God makes a move you'll find all kinds of isms and everything moving with it. But the testing time came. God tests every son or daughter that comes to Him, no exceptions at all. God gives them the testing time to prove them.

 

And much of the time the test comes from the mixed multitude who do not have the patience for receiving the promise and they get side tracked and then begin to accuse and look for fault, and that brings the trials.

 

God keeps His Word 57-0407M P:40 And when they did like that, they come to the place of Kadesh-barnea. And when they come to Kadesh-barnea, that was the judgment seat, where trials must be settled. Oh, if you could only understand it little church. Now here's where we want to squeeze just for a moment. Now, listen closely. Kadesh-barnea was the testing time, and every child that comes to God has got to be tested. There's no exceptions at all. God tests and tries every child that comes to Him. Is that right? The Bible said they are. And as we notice now, when those trials come and testings. There's testing times comes for nations. Now, I say this; I'm not a politician. God runs His own nation. He doesn't run these nations; the devil runs these, everyone of them; the Bible says he does. The devil operates every nation.

 

Jehovah Jireh 56-0224 P:23 You believe God tests you? He's tested me a many time, and He will test every son that comes to Him, no matter who it is, not any exceptions. He will... Every one that comes must first be tested, child-trained, brought up. You know that's what makes a good child sometime, when you give him a little testing, you know. Papa used to give it to me with the hickory switch, about this long, you know, with all the ten commandments wrote on it. When I... All of them, you know, that was the golden rule at our home. And he sure knowed how to use it right too.

 

So we have a time coming upon us, and possibly we have already entered into this time of testing where brother comes against brother and sister against sister, wives against husbands and husbands against wives, and it is a time of great trouble and great stress.

 

2 Timothy 3:1 tells us, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."

 

The Amplified Bible says, "But understand this, that in the last days there will set in perilous times of great stress and trouble - hard to deal with and hard to bear." Hard to deal with and hard to bear.

 

Now, before the bride is caught away, there will be a a Squeeze come down, because we know it is at that time the third pull will go into effect.


This happens or somewhere close to the time when the Squeeze goes into tribulation, there will be a great constraint or Squeeze on the churches as well.

                  

This period of time consists of three and a half years immediately after the Elect have been caught away to the wedding supper.

 

Things that are to be 65-1205 P:80 And if you ever was in the Orient, which I preached in there many times, that wedding supper's still carried on just the way it was. The bridegroom, the--he has so many guests that he's going to have. Probably, Brother Kopp, probably you've watched it there in India. See? They just have so many guests that he's going to ask. Say he's going to ask thirty guests. Now, the bridegroom has to furnish the robes. He has to furnish them. Therefore, there's a man stands at the door, and you come up with your invitation; he examines your invitation and puts you on a garment, a robe, that... Some of them are rich; and some are poor; and some of them are different; but they all look alike when they get these robes on. They all look alike. And you have to all be alike. You ain't going be say, "I'm the Methodist over here," "I'm the Presbyterian over here." Oh, no. You ain't going in the first place. See? You've got to come by the Door. Jesus said, "I am the Door to the sheepfold." "I'm Pentecostal." "I'm this, I'm that." That don't mean one thing. You come by that Door. And if you come by that Door, you get the robe.

 

Now, in closing I am going to talk a little about the Squeeze. Did you know that brother Branham mentions the word Squeeze 62 times and only once does he use that word in connection with the third pull and the churches closing down.  One other time he calls it the press, not squeeze. But most of the time he uses the term squeeze in referring to how people put pressure on one another and he calls that a squeeze as well. And of course because that is what it is. So although we know there is coming a Squeeze when the council of churches will tighten down on little churches, yet we have a more serious issue before us at this time, and that is the little things we allow to squeeze the Christ life right out of us.  

 

Things that are to be 65-1205 P:39 You split a molecule to split a atoms and do so-and-so to blow you up. You take gun powder, and bang this, and kill something. You take the car and take gasoline out of the earth and the materials out of the earth to loosen up the fibers so it can blow up, and go down the road at ninety miles an hour and kill somebody. See? Oh, so nervous, squeeze, and hurry up, we got to push and taken... Oh, see, it's all of the devil. Notice this attitude of pressing or putting others under pressure he says is of the devil. We need to learn to relax and lay in the presence of the son.

 

Trying to do God a service 65-0718M P:33 Many times a man, God can deal with them, give them a gift, and the people will squeeze in on those people. If they're not perfectly called and sent of God, he'll cause that man or woman to say something that isn't His will, because the people constrains them to do it. Notice again he uses the word squeeze when referring to pressure people exert on one another.

 

Why it had to be shepherds 64-1221 P:91 Don't you let somebody squeeze something into you that's not Thus Saith the Lord. In other words, just keep your focus on Christ, and tune out all other distractions.

 

In Questions and Answers brother Branham tells us a story of a man that purposely puts the squeeze on his wife, pressuring her to react to his un-Christian manners. 

 

Questions and answers COD 64-0830M P:64   330. Brother Branham, how am I supposed to show my wife that I really care for her and yet play--or stay with the Word (That's)--stay--stay with the word, but still having a question like this said: "Why don't you practice what you preach or believe?" Well then, if the wife, if the wife is saying this to you when she's--has a right to say it, you better get right. See, see? Then if she, if--if she is saying it just to be evil, remember, the Bible said, "It was better that a millstone was hanged at your neck and drowned in the depths of the sea than even to offend the least of these, My little ones." Now, that just your question. And may be that this wife is not that type of person. Maybe she's a different--maybe, she's a good person. Maybe she's just testing you to see what you'll do.  65   Now, stay in love with her and let her see Jesus in you. You do that. See? You just go on.

 

And I know this is where I have fallen short time and time again. Instead of just walking away and praying, I get defensive, and then return hurt for hurt, when I know I should never do that. Pray for me.

 

So let's continue with what brother Branham is telling us here, he says, ...

 

"Let me give a little illustration this morning about a person that One time this little woman had received the Holy Ghost. And she was a very sweet little person. Well, she'd had a hard life, and her husband was an alcoholic. And so, she just kept on; she bore with him. He says, "You want to go to church, honey, take off. But I just go down to the saloon, down at the old Brown Derby, down here. Go and--on." So they hung out down there all the time, used to be Bonifers. Many of you old-timers here remember when Bonifer had there on the corner of... It's called Brown Derby now, I believe it is.  

So, hanging around down there, and the first thing you know, one night come up a question about church and about Christians. One of the old drunks setting there said, "There ain't no such a thing as Christians anymore." Said, "There is no such a thing. All this bunch of hypocrites," said, "you see them out here smoking, drinking, doing the same thing that we do," and said, "call themselves Christians. There is no such." This one drunk raised up and said, "Just a minute. There's one that I know about. "Said, "Who is it?"Said, "It's my wife." See? She'd become salty. He was catching it all the time. He said, "I bet if she was put to a squeeze..."He said, "No, she's still a Christian; I'll prove it to you." Said, "I tell you what let's do; let's go up home, and I'll show you whether she's a Christian or not." Said, "Let's go up home, and now, let's really be drunk. We're going to act like we're really drunk." Knocked at the door, come in staggering over everything and... "Why don't you set around this a-way," and everything. And she set them all a chair and (his guests, you know)--and tried to make them just as welcome as could be. Said, "I want you to fix us some supper." And so they, she went out and fixed some. Said, "we want ham and eggs." He knowed they had it, so they fixed the ham and eggs. When he got there at the table, he looked at them like that, picked up his plate, and slammed the stuff on the floor, said, "You know, I don't like my eggs like that. Come on boys let's get out of here anyhow," like that--like that. 67   They went out and set down like that, you know. And she come out; she said, "Dear, I'm--I'm sorry I didn't get them fixed; I'll fix some more for you." "Oh, nonsense, you knowed I didn't want them that way in the first place," just carrying on like that. They went out there, and set down, and act like they was drunk. They heard her in there kind of snubbing to herself, singing real low voice: Must Jesus bear the cross alone, All the world go free? There's a cross for every one, And there's a cross for me. This consecrated cross I'll bear, Till death shall set me free, One drunk looked at the other one, said, "She's a Christian; she's got it." And that little woman led her husband, plus these others to Christ that night. See? Why? See? Just be real sweet. Just remember, He knows all about it. So, sister, or brother, whoever it might be, or brother, it is here, 'cause he asked about his wife, you just be salty; she'll get thirsty if there's anything in her to thirst for. If it isn't, remember, if you got the wrong person, you'll get the right one in the millennium. You just keep on going; all wrongs will be made right there.

Now, how many of you have had that kind of squeeze thrown your way and you've passed that test when you went through that?

 

Another place brother Branham uses the term squeeze is when he talks about how we have to die to self, because we still have too much self in ourself, and he said God has to squeeze all that out of us.  

 

I know 60-0417S P:45 I have seen disappointments. I've seen the time I've asked for things, and cried for things, and begged for things, and failed to get them. But if I'll just wait patiently upon God, then I know that it works just exactly right, comes out just exactly right, does just exactly the right things. 46   When I lost my baby, and my little Sharon, I... That was one thing that stumbled me. I said, "How can that be for the good? How can it be for the good?" And months later, when I seen her standing there in all the beauty of a young girl, speaking to me, standing by the side of that old wagon broken down there. I knowed if she would've lived, she might've turned out wrong. God had to take her while she was tender and sweet. I know I'll see her again. I know I shall see her; I know it beyond any shadow of doubt. I think of my wife of twenty-two years old, taken, just merely a girl, a little mother there. When the papers give a headline here, "Young mother of reverend just died," oh, how my heart bled. I didn't know what to do. But today I know it was all working for my good. I know the life had to be ground, and twisted, and squeezed to get what in it was, out. There was too much Branham in there had to be squeezed out before God could make Himself known. 47 There was too much of you in you, till God had to squeeze it out through trials. And while that squeezing was coming on, it's hard. But after while the skies clear back and you see the purpose of God. Then you cry, "I know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He'll stand on the earth. Though the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." These little trials and things are just for a moment, and they fade and pass away. But they're only done for your good; let us remember that, that God would get glory.

 

And finally we will look at how he uses this term Squeeze when speaking of the council of the churches tightening up to squeeze out little churches like this one, who will not follow after man, but will hold only to God's Word regardless of what happens.

 

From his sermon, Look away to Jesus 63-1229E P:16 So now, I am going to say something to you now, that I haven't said all along. And that is, the thing that we have looked forward to for so long, or at least many years, four or five years or maybe longer, the third pull has now been vindicated, and I'm sure you all know what it is. Now, remember, there'll never be any impersonation of that, 'cause it can't be. It cannot be. Now, it's in existence, and I am warned of this, that soon, right at this time now, it's just happened, so it could identify its presence among you. See? But it will not be used in a great way, until this council begins to tighten up. And when it does, when that does... The Pentecostals and so forth can almost impersonate anything could be done, but when that time comes, when the squeeze comes down, then you'll see what you have seen temporarily, be manifested in the fullness of its power. See...?... see?

 

Brother Branham uses the word squeeze in reference to  a condition of pressure that is placed upon you which puts you to the test, because it forces you to make a stand one way or another.

 

In his sermon, End time evangelism 62-0603 P:112 he talks about Peter and his Squeeze he went through and how he didn't do so well.  "Peter had a sword. He pulled that sword was going to cut the high priest's ears off, and things like that; he did it. But when it come to real Christian courage, he didn't have it. He backed up and denied Him. Is that right? He could cut the high priest's ear off with his sword, sure, he knowed how to handle it. But when it come to the squeeze and time to stand on the Word of God, he didn't have the courage, and even denied he knowed Jesus. That's where it is today. We got courage to build buildings and put millions of dollars in them. We got courage to put pipe organs, and plush seats, and everything, and go out and proselyte from place to place, and make the Methodists come Baptists, and so forth, back and forth like that. But when it comes to Christian courage to accept the Word and the message of God, and stand there on it, we are few."

 

And finally in Look away to Jesus 63-1229E P:19  we see brother Branham use another word instead of the word squeeze when he talks of the same situation which he calls the press which is short for pressure. He says,  "There's coming a time upon, in this nation, to where this nation is going to exercise all the power that the beast had before (which was pagan Rome, when it become papal Rome. See?) that this nation will do that. Revelations 13 plainly explains it. The lamb came up out of the earth. The other beast came up out of water, thickness and multitudes of people. This lamb came up where there was no people. A lamb represents religion, the Lamb of God. And remember, it spoke like a lamb; it was a lamb, and then after while it received power and spoke like a dragon, and exercised all the power the dragon had before him; and the dragon is Rome always. So don't you see, Roman denomination, a marked Protestant denomination, an image unto the beast, making a power that'll force all Protestants like a union. You'll have to be into this council of churches, or you won't be able to have fellowship or to... Well, it's practically that way now. You can't go to a church and preach, 'less you have a fellowship card or some identification. 20 And now, on persons like ourselves, we're going to be cut out of all that altogether. That's exactly, because they won't be able to do it. It's tightening; and then when that time comes, and the press comes to a place to where you're pressed out, then watch (what I am fixing to tell you in a few minutes) watch the third pull then. It'll be absolutely to the total lost, but it will be for the Bride and the church. Now, we're closer than it seems to be. I don't know when, but it's real, real, close.

 

So who knows when the press or squeeze will come into full manifestation, but we have a  promise that when it does, the Third pull will also come into manifestation at that time.

 

Regardless of when, we know that we are currently in a time of testing, and we should be thankful that God loves us enough to keep trying and testing us as brother Branham said, "There was too much of you in you, till God had to squeeze it out through trials. And while that squeezing was coming on, it's hard."

 

let us pray...