Who are the Branch Davidians?

Answer

The Branch Davidians are a cultic religious group whose leaders have claimed messianic status and who focus primarily on end-times prophecy and the need to prepare for the Lord’s return. They are best known for the FBI siege and subsequent conflagration of their compound in early 1993.

The Branch Davidians is one of several groups that followed the teachings of Victor Houteff (1885—1955), a Seventh-day Adventist layman who attempted to reform the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Houteff’s reforms were rejected by SDA leaders, but he took a group of followers and settled near Waco, Texas, in 1935. There, they developed a self-sustaining community, called themselves the Shepherd’s Rod Seventh-day Adventists, and taught that the average Adventist had lost the urgency of the Lord’s imminent return and was too involved in worldly pursuits.

When Houteff died, his wife, Florence, continued his work and set a date of April 22, 1959, as the dawn of the Messianic age. When the date passed and nothing happened, Florence admitted her mistake and withdrew from the splintering group. A Davidian named Ben Roden led one of the splinter groups and redoubled efforts to develop a community that would hasten the return of the Lord by living a pure lifestyle. Roden established the General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists at a compound called Mt. Carmel outside of Waco. It was Roden’s group that began calling themselves “Branch Davidians” (Davidian is a reference to King David in the Bible, whom Houteff had seen as a foreshadowing of his own ministry;and Branch is a reference to the fruit-bearing branch of Isaiah 11:1:) After Roden died in 1978, a young,Charismatic member of the group, Vernon Howell, rose to fame and eventually solidified his leadership over the Branch Davidians.

Howell changed his name to David Koresh: David in honor of King David, and Koresh, which means “Cyrus” in Hebrew, the Persian king referred to as the “anointed one” in Isaiah 45:1. Koresh also proclaimed himself as the Lamb of Revelation 5 and asserted that he was the one destined to unlock and explain the significance of the seven seals. Koresh also took multiple “spiritual wives,” including some teenagers and pre-teens, to establish a new lineage of children. This resulted in allegations of child abuse made against Koresh by former cult members. Moreover, Koresh was suspected by the authorities of amassing weapons.

On February 28, 1993, ATF agents tried to execute an arrest warrant for David Koresh and a search warrant for the Branch Davidian compound. They encountered armed resistance. The Branch Davidians alleged that the ATF agents initiated the gunfire, while the ATF claimed the contrary. Four ATF agents lost their lives in the exchange of fire, and more than a dozen others were wounded. Several Branch Davidians also perished. The ATF retreated, and the compound was cordoned off. The FBI became involved. Negotiations took place for approximately 2 months. During this period, some children were released from the compound.

The federal government was concerned that the remaining children were still being mistreated, prompting the FBI to launch a raid on the compound. On April 19, tear gas was deployed in an effort to compel the remaining cult members to vacate. Simultaneously, fires erupted in various locations. Some asserted that the fires were ignited by exploding tear gas canisters, while others claimed they were intentionally set by Davidians within the compound. Ultimately, the entire compound was engulfed in flames, resulting in the deaths of 76 individuals, including 20 children and David Koresh. Approximately 25 people survived. The survivors confirmed instances of child sexual abuse by Koresh. Some of the survivors received prison sentences for their actions during the si

After the tragedy in Waco, a political controversy erupted, leading to hearings in both the House and Senate. Ultimately, the hearings determined that the government had not committed any wrongdoing. To this day, there is speculation about whether the situation could have been managed differently to minimize bloodshed, despite Koresh’s apparent determination for a violent outcome.

Certain survivors of the raid on the Branch Davidian compound have tried to revive the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist movement in Waco, but they have attracted only a small number of followers.