David Berg
—By Father DavidDFO913 22 May 1980
1. I WOKE UP ABOUT 4 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING & I HAD JUST HAD THIS INTERESTING DREAM!—But I was too sleepy to tell it then, so I told Maria, "Please remember the words, 'The 3–Day Ultimatum'", because that's what it was: It was a 3-day ultimatum! PTL! TYL! I lay here awhile thinking about it, & it certainly was interesting—very short, but quite shocking in a way!
2. I WAS LOOKING AT THE FRONT PAGE OF A NEWSPAPER in the dream, & right in the middle of the page at the top under the big headlines there was a picture of this official government document, about two columns wide & about 8 inches tall, about as big as the cover of our Magazine, right in the middle of the front page up at the top under the headlines:
3. "CARTER ISSUES 3-DAY ULTIMATUM!" That was the big headlines!—And the caption right underneath the picture of this official government decree that Carter had issued: "Carter Issues 3-Day Ultimatums to Iran to Release the Hostages!
4. "ULTIMATUM BEGINS TOMORROW!"—Everything with exclamation marks! But it was the funniest thing!: It was like those slide shows you see where they've got those disappearing slides, so that one fades out & the other fades in‚ & another fades out & the other fades in—when they use two slide projectors. Or they have movies scenes that are a lot like that sometimes, where the scene will fade out & the other one fades in, each superimposed over the other.
5. SO I WAS LOOKING AT THE DOCUMENT (of course the print had been greatly reduced in size) & I was trying to read the fine print, when suddenly that caption began to fade out & then back in came this new headline:
6. "FIRST DAY OF CARTER ULTIMATUM!" I don't know whether it's going to happen or not‚ but it certainly was interesting anyway! And these headlines kept fading out & then coming back in again, just like it was a new edition of the paper each time, with the headline of the next day's edition: "2nd Day of Carter Ultimatum!" Then that one would fade out & then the next day's issue would fade in: "3rd Day of Carter Ultimatum!" And then that one faded out & it faded back in again & said:
7. "FIRST DAY AFTER CARTER ULTIMATUM!"—And then the article told all about how he was demanding the release of the hostages or he was going to do something. It didn't say what he was going to do or exactly when he was going to do it, but it was a 3-day Ultimatum! And then I woke up! Just like that!
8. IT WAS LIKE ALL THE WORLD WAS WAITING TO SEE WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO, because that was the day after the Ultimatum! He gave them 3 days. (Maria: But he didn't say what he was going to do?) He didn't say what he was going to do; it didn't say yet if he had done anything. Apparently he hadn't done anything yet. (Maria: Sounds like Carter!) Yes, it does sound a bit like him!
9. IT REMINDS ME OF THAT FUNNY CARTOON WE SAW ABOUT CARTER where he says, "Khomeini, you must release the hostages!" And then he says, "Khomeini, you've got to release those hostages!" And the next time he says, "Khomeini, when are you going to release those hostages?" And in the next one he says, "Khomeini! Are you there Khomeini?" And then the final one said, "Do you want some time to think about it?"—Ha! The dream reminds me of that cartoon.
10. HE'S ALWAYS THREATENING & SCOLDING, BUT HE SELDOM EVER DOES ANYTHING. Well, it was so clear & so vivid I thought I'd better tell you anyway, just in case! The EEC too is stalling, trying to ease into it slowly & not trying to push it too fast, trying to give Iran lots of time to change their mind & help them save face & get out of it if they can.
11. SO CARTER THREATENED IF THE EEC DID NOT DO SOMETHING BY THE 18TH or something, he was going to go ahead & do something else! So the EEC had their meeting & said, "Yes, we are going to enforce sanctions", so that stalled him off a bit longer, but they were only going to enforce them at the end of the month.
12. THE END OF THE MONTH THEY WERE GOING TO ENFORCE SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN. The first agreement was that they were going to make them retroactive back to November 4th of last year when the poor hostages were taken captive. But Britain had a great big row in Parliament & claimed they couldn't do that, that it just couldn't be retroactive on all contracts & sales clear back to November 4th. (Maria: That would be pretty difficult...)
13. YES, POOR BRITAIN IS GOING BROKE AS IT IS, & to lose any more sales or contracts‚ she can hardly afford to! So Britain said they weren't going to make it retroactive‚ but just from now on‚ beginning at the end of the month when they're going to enforce the sanctions.
14. AND SINCE BRITAIN DID THAT, two or three others of them are talking & still discussing & debating whether they are going to make them retroactive or not, although they had all previously agreed either in Lisbon or Naples that they were going to enforce sanctions & make them retroactive to November 4th.
15. NOW THEY'RE SORT OF CHICKENING OUT. (Maria: So then the representatives of the meetings go back to their countries & tell them, & then their countries put the pressure on them?) Yes, the local folks put the pressure on them, the local yokels. The U.S. is furious about it, that they are not making them retroactive, in other words they're not making them tough enough & heavy enough to force Iran to cough up the hostages. It's like I told you:
16. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IRAN WILL EVER DARE COUGH UP THE HOSTAGES NOW, because if those hostages were out of there‚ I think the U.S. would be inclined to want to take vengeance, & I think the Iranians know it! (Maria: Because they've got a double purpose?) Yes, they know their only safety is hanging onto those hostages‚ or the U.S. would have attacked them a long time ago!—& to keep the U.S. tormented!
17. BUT THE EEC, EUROPE, IS STALLING AS LONG AS IT CAN to try to put off any final crisis, hoping that some kind of solution will pop up from somewhere. I already suggested that one of the smartest things Russia could do would be to march in & take'm over & deliver the hostages to the U.S., & the U.S. would have to be grateful! How could the U.S. complain about Russia taking over Iran if they freed the hostages? Then Russia would have the hostages, & she could say‚ "Well now, we'll give you the hostages providing you promise to behave & don't start any war!"
18. ANYHOW‚ THAT WAS THE DREAM, "THE 3-DAY ULTIMATUM!"—"Carter Releases 3-Day Ultimatum for the Delivery of the Hostages!" Delivery was one of the words. Well, maybe he's cooking up one. It would be funny if we saw such an Ultimatum on the front page of the next paper, wouldn't it? Well, I don't know why I should get that dream right now, unless the Lord is trying to warn us that things are hotting up & getting more severe everyday! Amen? Thank You Jesus!—So!:
19. WATCH OUT FOR "THE 3-DAY ULTIMATUM!"—Don't let it catch you with your pants down & unable to move!—Ha!—It may take you more than 3 days if you're not already mobile! Get that camping equipment & get packing now before "The 3-Day Ultimatum!"—Tomorrow may be too late! GBAKY!