The ideological origins of the Branch Davidians who perished in a 1993 battle with the federal government are part of a long religious tradition in America. The ideology expressed by David Koresh that he was the seventh and final messenger in the Davidian tradition "who would restore all things before the return of Christ," can be traced to the Millerite movement in the early 19th century. The federal government’s inept procedures and failure to come to an understanding of the perceptual dissonance between the reality of life inside the Waco compound and the reality confronting overpaid bureaucrats in plush, leather chairs led to tragedy that could have been prevented. Unfortunately, federal authorities failed to form an understanding of the Branch Davidians that took into account their ideological roots and the logical consequences of them.

The group that would became known as the Branch Davidians was a splinter sect of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Coming to a clear understanding of the roots and history of the Seventh-day Adventists is crucial to forming a clear conception of not only David Koresh and his cult of personality in Waco, but of the theological underpinnings of his religious thoughts as well.

Doctrinally, Seventh-day Adventists are heirs of the interfaith Millerite movement of the 1840s. Although the name "Seventh-day Adventist" was chosen in 1860, the denomination was not officially organized until May 21, 1863, when the movement included some 125 churches and 3,500 members. Seventh-day Adventism is distinguished from other Christian sects by its belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to earth, special vegetarian dietary restrictions and retention of Saturday as the Sabbath.

In the early 19th century, a Baptist preacher and former army captain in the War of 1812 launched the "great second advent awakening." William Miller’s movement would eventually spread throughout most of the Christian world. Based on his study of the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, Miller calculated that Jesus would return to earth sometime in the Jewish year of 1843, meaning between March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When Jesus did not appear, Miller's followers experienced what became to be called "the great Disappointment."

David Koresh and William Miller share much in common. So much so, in fact, that religion scholar Kai Arasola’s description of Miller as the kind of man "whose mind was loaded with historical events and who was able not only to repeat almost any passage of Scripture, but also to name the exact place, book, chapter and verse proved convincing," could easily be used to describe Koresh. Both were also successful in disappointing their followers.

After Miller’s followers had been disappointed, thousands left the movement in disillusionment. Some of his followers decided not to leave the church but to re-evaluate the events which led to the disappointment. These former followers of Miller concluded the October 22 date had indeed been correct, but that Miller had predicted the wrong event for that day. They became convinced that the Bible prophecy predicted not that Jesus would return to earth in 1844, but that He would begin at that time a special ministry in heaven for His followers. As an end-time religious tradition, they still looked for Jesus to come soon, however, as do Seventh-day Adventists yet today.

Several leaders emerged from the group who refused to give up after the "great disappointment." These leaders built the foundation of what would become the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Notable figures in this movement include a young couple — James and Ellen G. White — and a retired sea captain named Joseph Bates.

The small group of "Adventists" grew in the New England states where Miller’s movement had begun. It was there where Ellen G. White, who was a teenager when the "great Disappointment," plagued followers of Miller, grew into a gifted author, speaker and administrator, who would become and remain the trusted spiritual counselor of the Adventist family for more than seventy years until her death in 1915. Adventists came to believe that she enjoyed God's special guidance as she wrote her counsels to the growing body of believers.

A loosely knit group of Adventist congregations gathered at Battle Creek, Mich., and chose the name Seventh-day Adventists in 1860. Three years later, a church body with a membership of 3,500 was formally organized. The denomination was largely confined to North America until 1874 when the Church's first missionary, J. N. Andrews, was sent to Switzerland. Another missionary, Dr. H. P. Ribton, moved to Egypt and opened a school in 1879, but the project ended when riots broke out in the vicinity.

Adventists reached a non-Protestant Christian country in 1886 when they entered Russia. Four years later, the schooner Pitcairn was launched at San Francisco to carry missionaries to the Pacific Islands. By 1894, Seventh-day Adventist workers had entered several non-Christian countries in 1894 including Gold Coast (Ghana), West Africa, and Matabeleland, South Africa. By the close of the 19th century, Adventist missionaries spanned the globe, reaching global points as distant as South America and Japan.

The publication and distribution of literature aided the growth of the Adventist movement. In 1850, a general church paper called the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (now the Adventist Review) was launched in Paris, Maine. In Rochester, N.Y., the Youth's Instructor was launched. In Oakland, Calif., the Signs of the Times began publication in 1874. The denomination was able to open its own publishing house at Battle Creek, Mich., in 1855. In 1861, it was incorporated under the name of Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association.

The Health Reform Institute opened in 1866. By 1870, Adventist missionary society work was organized on a statewide basis. The first of the Church's worldwide network of schools was established in 1872. In the early 20th century, the denominational headquarters was moved from Battle Creek to Washington, D.C., and in 1989 to Silver Spring, Maryland, where it continues to form the nerve center of ever-expanding work.

By the time the Adventist Church had organized into a large, bureaucratic entity, some members became displeased at the direction of the church. Victor Houteff, who became a Seventh-day Adventist in 1919, founded a breakaway sect in 1929. It was that group which would eventually become the Branch Davidians who would ultimately find tragedy in Waco. Houteff’s book, The Shepherd's Rod, specified his dissent from prevailing Seventh-day Adventist thought. He thought Christ's return would only occur when at least a small number of Christians had been sufficiently purified. He also believed that he was a messenger sent by God to conduct this cleansing.

Houteff saw his role as a revealer of secret information contained in the scroll described in the Biblical book of Revelation. This scroll has a description of the events to occur when Christ returns and the world as we know it ends. Seven seals had protected the scroll. Houteff also saw a role for himself as a purifier of a small group of Christians. He felt this purification was a necessary condition to preclude the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. It was at that point that Houteff and his followers believed the downfall of Babylon (the end of the world) would occur and the Kingdom of David would be established.

Choosing a small town midway between Dallas and Austin, Houteff founded Mount Carmel near Waco, Texas, with 11 followers in 1935. Calling the group "The Shepherd's Rod" (after his book title), Houteff and his followers attempted to recruit membership from within the Adventist church. They gained only a modest success in this effort. Houteff made a final departure from the church in 1942 because Adventists refused the grant of conscientious objector status to its members during World War II. Calling his new church the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, Houteff and followers started to recruit members internationally.

When Houteff died in 1955, his wife Florence assumed control of the Davidians. She moved the Davidians to a new location farther from Waco. Believing that the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation 11:3 signified the end of the world, Florence Houteff calculated that the Kingdom of David would be established on April 22, 1959. Hundreds of followers sold their possessions and moved to Mt. Carmel in anticipation of the "end time". Disappointment again struck when business as usual was carried on around the world on April 23. The failure of this prediction to manifest almost destroyed the group as only a few dozen members remained with the organization. It was at this time when former Davidians formed the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association (a group that remains active to this day).

Florence Houteff left the group in 1962 and Benjamin Roden assumed control. Roden believed that Victor Houteff had served as the fourth angel of Revelation 8:12. Renaming the group the General Association of Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, Roden proclaimed himself King David's successor.

His wife, Lois, assumed control after his death in 1978. Gender issues merged with her end-time postmillennialism when she claimed to receive visions that God is both male and female, that the third person of the trinity (the Holy Spirit) was female, and that Christ would take the form of a woman at His or Her Second Coming.

At this point a series of power struggles engulfed the church. Some Davidians were put off by Lois Houteff’s postmillennial feminism. This included her son George who began to challenge his mother’s power. Another power struggle developed between George Roden and a new member, Vernon Howell.

Howell had joined the group as a handyman in 1981. Three years later, he married Rachel Jones, the daughter of a prominent member of the community. At the time, she was 14 years old. Roden had Howell thrown off the property. He later dug up a 25-year-old corpse, placed it in the chapel and declared that the person who returned the corpse to life would be the next leader. Howell and his followers infiltrated the compound and photographed the casket.

When Roden and his followers detected them, a gun battle began and Roden was wounded. He was later imprisoned for violating a restraining order and for contempt of court. The contempt charge was levied against him for fining legal actions laced with profanity and threats against the judges. He was later tried for attempted murder, but the jury could not reach a verdict. Obviously battling serious mental problems, Roden murdered his prison roommate with an axe in 1989. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and moved to Big Spring State Hospital in west Texas. In December of 1998, at the age of 60, Roden escaped and was found dead of a heart attack on the hospital grounds.

After Roden was imprisoned in 1987, Howell assumed control. When he and his followers entered the complex, they found a methamphetamine laboratory and a large collection of pornography. Both were removed. Under Howell’s control, the church established a major international recruitment drive in 1985. Aimed mainly at Seventh-day Adventists, Howell brought in members from Australia, Canada and Great Britain. A number of businesses were created within the compound and guns were purchased wholesale. By the Spring of 1993, 130 members were living at Waco. The group was a racially and ethnically diverse group with 45 black members.

Calling themselves "Students of the Seven Seals," the group saw themselves as students of the scroll protected by the seven seals. The term "Branch Davidians" was derived from Roden's expression "Get off the dead [Shepherd's] Rod and move onto a living Branch". Although it was not generally used by the church’s membership, the public and media commonly used the name.

While on a trip to Israel in 1985, Howell claimed to have a vision from God in which he was instructed to change his name to David Koresh. If he did so, according to the vision, he would be given the keys to unlock the seven seals of Revelation. Gordon Melton describes the origin of the name thusly:

From Isaiah 45, he assumed the name David Koresh (Koresh being a form of Cyrus). Cyrus was the only non-Isrealite who was given the title "anointed" or "a messiah" or in Greek, "a christ." As a modern-day Koresh, he saw his role as that of the Lamb mentioned in Revelation 5. While traditionally this Lamb has been identified as Jesus Christ, Koresh dissented and claimed that the Lamb was identical with the rider of the White Horse who appeared in Revelation 6:1-2 and 19: 7-19. The rider was clearly not Jesus.

In 1990, Howell changed his first name to David in reference to King David of the Israelites. He changed his last name to Koresh in honor of the Babylonian King Cyrus. In 1992, Koresh renamed Mt. Carmel "Ranch Apocalypse" because he thought final encompassing battle of Armageddon mentioned in the Bible would start at the compound.

Koresh was correct to predict a violent concurrence of events which was to occur at Ranch Apocalypse. Of course, the timing and detail of the seize and its conclusion were not necessarily in keeping with his wishes.

The physical conflict between Branch Davidians and the federal government began of Sunday Feb. 28, 1990 at 9:55 a.m. Two cattle trailers carried agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to the compound where they were to issue an arrest warrant for possession of illegal weapons to Koresh. In the process of serving the warrant, a two-hour gun battle erupted. After the smoke had cleared, four ATF agents lay dead and 16 had sustained injuries. Two Davidians were killed in the struggle and three cult members (including Koresh himself) were wounded.

The unsuccessful raid led to a 51-day seize. During this time, the FBI assumed control of the situation and engaged in a strategy to negotiate with increasing amounts of pressure. As negotiations dragged on, electricity to the compound was cut off, spotlights were focussed on the building at night, and recordings of dying rabbits and Gregorian chants were played at high volume.

On April 19, 1993, federal tanks moved on the compound and began ramming the building as tear gas was inserted. The operational tactic was to force the Branch Davidians from the compound. However, unbeknownst to federal agents, Davidians were supplied with gas masks and were able to remain inside. After six hours of tense combat between federal agents and cult members, the building erupted in flames. "At about 12:40 p.m.," reported the local newspaper, "the compound was nothing more than a blazing heap of tangled wreckage." Media sources reported that the fire left more than 80 Branch Davidians dead, 16 of whom were children. Later accounts describe the death toll as reaching 114.

The Branch Davidians’ ideology closely followed the of the Seventh Day Adventist emphasis on the imminent arrival of Jesus Christ, dietary rules and a belief in the inerrancy of the Bible. They differ only slightly from many Evangelical churches.

According to the Branch Davidians, God provided a prophet whose inerrant pronouncements are to be regarded with the same level of faith as the Bible. To Davidians, Christ's death provided salvation only for those who died before A.D. 32. Members believe that those who have since died will only be saved through the activities of the current Branch Davidian prophet. Davidians dispute the common Christian belief that the "lamb" mentioned in Revelation 5:2 is Jesus Christ. Members believed the lamb referred to in Revelation was David Koresh himself. By virtue of this, Koresh was empowered with the ability to open the seven seals and trigger the end of the world as it is known to humans.

Koresh did not view himself as Jesus Christ, as many have incorrectly posited. Rather, he saw himself as the agent facilitating the apocalypse foretold in the book of Revelation. According to this view, after Koresh had broken all seven seals, Christ would return to earth, Armageddon would follow, and Branch Davidians would ascend to heaven to be with God.

Branch Davidians at Waco led a communal, highly regulated and disciplined life. Members would rise early in the morning, eat together, grow their own food, and commit to lengthy Bible study sessions. It was in these sessions that Koresh’s teachings served to galvanize (and, in some cases, divide) the group. Some Branch Davidians had jobs outside the community that contributed financially to the organization. As a group, they published Shekineth Magazine and held conventions synchronized with the Jewish feast days defined in Leviticus 23:4-43.

In accordance with Koresh's "New Light" doctrine, female members were encouraged to join with him as "spiritual wives." All other marriages were dissolved and members were required to remain celibate. (The celibacy requirement did not apply to Koresh and his spiritual wives.)

After Koresh had dissolved the members’ marriages and assumed several female members as spiritual wives, rumors began to surface that Koresh was sexually and physically assaulting children in the community. These charges were levied by disgruntled ex-cult members and a father involved in a custody suite. Koresh was also accused of using excessively physical disciplinary measures against children of the community. A Texas Child Protective Service investigation found no evidence of such violence and the charges are apocryphal. Although none of the children who left the compound during the siege exhibited any signs of abuse, Koresh did state in a videotape that he is the father of more than a dozen children with several "wives" who he allegedly impregnated at the age of 12 or 13. If this is true, Koresh had committed statutory rape.

Under Koresh’s control, Branch Davidians assembled a large supply of arms. One source estimated that the group was in possession of at least eleven tons of arms including antitank rifles.

The Branch Davidians exhibited almost all the characteristics commonly associated with doomsday cults. One characteristic of the group, however, differed from their apocalyptic brethren. A strict control of information, characteristic of most doomsday cults, was not exercised at Ranch Apocalypse.

When 76 heavily armed employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms moved on Ranch Apocalypse, many members viewed the act as the start of the Battle of Armageddon. For these members, this was the moment for which Branch Davidians had been studying and anticipating for years. Given their religious beliefs, this interpretation seems palpable.

Koresh’s cult of personality held that the end of the world was imminent and that he would play a major role in the series of events leading up to that event. Koresh saw his role in that process as the breaker of the seventh seal mentioned in Revelation 5:2. Although it is clear that Branch Davidians expected to be attacked by the government, several features of the ATF’s raid and subsequent siege by the Federal Bureau of Investigation were not in accordance with predictions of the cult. Not only had the Branch Davidians calculated that the end of the world would occur in 1995, but they believed that they would be transported to Jerusalem for the final battle. Neither of these tenants held true for the Davidians.

Koresh made repeated requests to communicate with Biblical scholars during the seize. Academics who offered their assistance to the FBI were rejected. Koresh refused to surrender until he received instructions from God. On April 14, he believed that these instructions had become manifest. Koresh believed that he had been instructed to write a description of the Seven Seals and then to surrender to the FBI with his followers. James Tabor describes Koresh’s self-image thusly:

According to this scenario, each figure is associated with a key step or insight that brought the people of God closer to the original, primitive truth of the early Church: Luther/Faith; Knox/Spirit; Wesley/Grace; Campbell/Baptism; Miller/Second Coming; White/Sabbath; Houteff/Davidic Kingdom on Earth; Roden/Jewish Feast Days; Lois Roden/ Feminine Nature of God.

Branch Davidians and federal agents perceived events in Waco with a marked disparity. In the postmodern 1990s, perception is reality and several realities were manifest in 1993. The FBI viewed Koresh as a deranged individual who believed himself to be Jesus Christ and they were aware of an extensive arsenal of illegal weapons in the compound. Federal agents genuinely believed that Koresh had sexually and physically abused several children within the compound and some believed that he was producing illegal drugs.

Although the FBI moved with the force and determination that characterize that organization, it seems that they were totally insensitive to the religious nature of the conflict. Their treatment of the situation as a conventional hostage standoff illustrates a shocking lack of wisdom on the part of the federal government. The FBI was in error to dismiss Koresh's obsession with the seven seals. Their interpretation that Koresh’s fascination with the seals foretold of in the book of Revelation as an indication that he was psychotic constitutes a misunderstanding of both psychology and religion. Furthermore, the FBI’s assumption that Koresh was lying when he said that he was waiting for a revelation from God with instructions how to proceed demonstrates a dangerous lack of wisdom one would expect from a federal organization which wields such power.

The FBI perceived Koresh’s belief that he was the recipient of revelation as a delaying tactic. As media-created anxiety created a desire among many to end the situation quickly, federal agents became weary of the extended nature of the standoff. After receiving an "expert" opinion that mass suicide or murder was unlikely, they attacked with tear gas.

This ignorant behavior is totally unacceptable. Fortunately, the FBI has done some introspection in the wake of this tragedy. Hopefully, future situations involving perceptual disparities such as these will not befall the same tragic fate as the one which inflicted 114 Branch Davidians in a fiery end time passion play.

The Branch Davidian movement has continued after the bloody apocalypse in Waco. But the group is divided among two factions. One of the factions to emerge after the fiery conclusion of the standoff with the FBI condemns Koresh and claims to be the original Branch Davidian group before David Koresh took over. This group, which controls the compound property, has erected a museum on the site which is denounces not only David Koresh but the federal government as well.

Other remaining Branch Davidians revere Koresh’s memory and are still attempting to comprehend the events in Waco in the light of Bible prophecy. This group anticipated that David Koresh would return to earth in December of 1996. Although this did not happen, this small group of about 20 Branch Davidians believes that the 2,300 day interval prophesized in Daniel 8:14 began at the time of the mass deaths at Waco. According to this view, the sixth seal will be fulfilled in early August of 1999. When this happens, say these Davidians, the Cleansing of the Sanctuary will occur and five months of torment will begin.

About 250 surviving Branch Davidian members and relatives of the dead are currently in the process of suing the federal government. These members believe that the fire was started when federal agents punched holes in the walls of the compound and fired tear gas inside. They allege that the gas canisters caught fire and started the conflagration that burned down the entire compound.

In September of 1997, U.S. District Judge Walter Smith reimposed lengthy prison sentences on five Branch Davidian members. Four of these were sentenced to 10 years for voluntary manslaughter and 30 years for using a firearm in a violent crime. The fifth was sentenced to 10 years for possessing a hand grenade and 10 years for using a firearm.

David Koresh was acting in a long line of American religious tradition. The adherance of the Branch Davidians to Koresh’s cult of personality in 1993 is reminiscent of the Millerites in 1844 and the followers of Victor Houteff in 1959. Even after the flames in Waco had subsided, many Branch Davidians continue to hope for the bodily resurrection of Koresh and the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom. Currently, anywhere between twenty and forty adult members of Koresh’s group either came out during the seize or escaped the fire. Although no member has arisen to lead the group, Branch Davidian Marc Bunds suggested in 1993 that his father, Donald Bunds, might lead the group.

1. These figures come from a brief history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church found at http://www.tagnet.org/ryleysda/gc-history.htm

2. Everett N. Dick, "The Millerite Movement 1830-1845," in Adventism in America, ed. Gary Land (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1986), p. 20.

3. Kai Arasola, The End of Historicism: Millerite Hermeneutic of Time Prophecies in the Old Testament. (Sigtuna: Datem Publishing, 1990), p. 169.

4. Godfrey T. Anderson, "Sectarianism and Organization: 1846-1864" in Adventism in America, ed. Gary Land (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1986) pp. 36-65.

5. Bill Pitts, "The Davidian Tradition." in From the Ashes, Making Sense of Waco, ed. James R. Lewis (Lanham and London: Rowman and Littlefield, 1994), pp. 33-39.

6. Ibid. p. 44.

7. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions. 4th ed. (Washington, D.C. and London: Gale Research Inc., 1994), p. 38.

8. B.A. Robinson, "Branch Davidians, Students of the Seven Seals," an essay found at http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_branc.htm

9. Ibid.

10. James Tabor, "The Dynamics of Biblical Apocalypticism in Waco." in Armageddon In Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict, ed. Stuart Wright (New York, Stuart Press, 1994) p. 7.

11. Melton, p. 38.

12. James D. Tabor, "Apocalypse At Waco: Could the Tragedy Have Been Averted?" Bible Review (October, 1990) p. 26.

13. Mark England, "6 Dead, 18 Hurt." Waco Tribune-Herald, March 1, 1993. A1

14. Drew Parma, "A Fiery End." Waco Tribune-Herald (Special Report), April 19, 1993, A1.

15. Mark England, "Black Monday: More than 80 Feared Dead in Compound Blaze." Waco-Tribune Herald, April 19, 1993, A1, A6.

16. Ron Cole, Sinister Twilight: A Tragedy Near Waco and a Sinister Twilight in America. 2nd ed. (Waco: Ron Cole, 1994), p. 96.

17. Kenneth Samples, Erwin de Castro, Richard Abanes and Robert Lyle. Prophets of the Apocalypse: David Koresh and Other American Messiahs. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994) p. 57-58.

18. Samples et.al., p. 62.

19. John A. Saliba, Understanding New Religious Movements. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1995) p. 34.

20. Tabor, p. 23.

21. Cecil Holmes White, "New Movement Could Arise from the Ashes, Experts Say." Houston Chronicle, Feb. 27, 1994, A1.

22. Richard Vara and Cecile Holmes White, "Deadly Finale at Mount Carmel." The Houston Chronicle. April 21, 1993, A12.