A dip into history is necessary to set up an event that took place on this day in 1993. It begins with William Miller, born February 15, 1782. Miller was an avid student of the Bible, became a Baptist lay preacher, but soon began forming beliefs contrary to what Baptists believe. He became a Deist and quickly formulated a belief that Jesus would return in 1843-1844. Leaving the Baptist church and drawing many with him from other denominations, he formed a group called the Millerites who eventually determined that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844. Jesus didn’t and the day became known as The Great Disappointment.
Out of the Millerites came the teaching of Sabbatarianism, that the church must observe the Sabbath. Seventh Day denominations were springing up all across the region. Seventh Day Adventism emerged out of the Millerites, led by the teachings James White and his wife, Ellen G. White, who alleged to have 100-200 visions. Time doesn’t allow us to explore the aberrant teachings of White or the Adventist movement. But, on May 21, 1863, the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan and began to spread globally.
Through the years, the SDA experienced numerous splits and spin-off movements. The first split occurred in Poland and Germany in 1925, forming two branches of the SDA. The next split was on American soil in 1935 when excommunicated SDA member, Victor Houteff, took his Fullerton, California group to Waco, Texas, forming the Davidians SDA Church. They built their own community known as the Mt. Carmel Center.
After Houteff’s death in 1955, his wife, Florence, had her own set of prophecies. She sold the original Mt. Carmel in Waco and purchased land in nearby Elk, Texas to build the New Mt. Carmel Center. In the next 26 years, there would be infightings between those who purchased the old Mt. Carmel center and those in the New Mt. Carmel Center. Each fight revolved around an individual’s unique prophecy that contradicted the prophecy of the others.
A leader that arose in the Branch Davidians was Vernon Wayne Howell. He is better known by his chosen name, David Koresh. Evidence was growing against him due to allegations of polygamy and child sexual abuse. “Robert Darden, author of “Mad Man in Waco” and professor of journalism at Baylor University, described Branch Davidian sect 
leader David Koresh as a fiercely influential and manipulative leader who used scripture to prey on confused followers.
“He split the men and the women and worked on them differently and began relationships with the women, just classic, nothing new, nothing creative, nothing particularly charismatic, he just was convincing and he cut them off from all other form of input,” said Darden, who is considered an expert on the religious group and their polygamist demagogue…
““Ya know it’s not like these were stupid people, there were lawyers and nurses in there,” said Darden. “They were all searching and kind of confused, and what Koresh had that nobody else had is, he had every answer.”1
On this day in 1993, the ATF tried to execute a federal search warrant due to the sexual abuse allegations as well as reports that Koresh had illegal weapons. Four ATF agents were killed and 16 were wounded. The ATF was unable to enter the compound. On April 19, 1993, the stand-off came to an end as fire broke out on the Mt. Carmel compound. Some say the fire was set by the Davidians. Others say that the tear gas canisters shot into the compound caused the blaze. Either way, a total of 76 people died in the final assault.
Remarkably, the Branch Davidians still exist today under new leadership as well as a split from that group who call themselves The Branch, The Lord Our Righteousness.
1 John 2:18-19 warns, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (19) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
Another warning is found in 2 Peter 2:1-3. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (3) And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
There’s never a shortage of cults! How do we protect ourselves? Should we study the cults, read their writings, and fill our minds with all their propaganda? Absolutely not! Nothing is found in the Scripture that tells us to do that. Instead, know your Bible. Know Bible doctrine. Be able to defend it. When the cults start asking questions, you’ll find out very quickly what they believe but it won’t take you off guard because you know the truth of God’s Word.
Remember that our best weapon is the Word of God. Know how to use it and you will be fine. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
1https://www.kwtx.com/2023/02/21/mad-man-waco-how-david-koresh-went-aspiring-rock-star-religious-sect-leader/
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