Branch Davidians

The Branch Davidians were a religious group, which split from the Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Church in 1955. The Branch Davidians as a movement go back to 1930. In popular usage, the name is usually associated with the specific Branch Davidian group led by David Koresh near Waco, Texas, although this group was properly called "students of the Seven Seals."

Beliefs

Other than the standard beliefs shared by all Christians, the Branch Davidians believe:

• That baptism is an ordinance of the Christian church and should follow repentance and forgiveness of sins. By its observance faith is shown in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That the proper form of baptism is by immersion. Romans. 6:1-6; Acts 16:30-33.

• That the fourth commandment requires the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. This holy institution is at the same time a memorial of creation and a sign of sanctification, a sign of the believer’s rest from his own works of sin, and his entrance into the rest of soul which Jesus promises to those who come to Him. Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; 31L12-17; Heb. 4:1-10.

• That God ‘only hath immortality.’ 1 Tim. 6:15. Mortal man possesses a nature inherently sinful and dying. Eternal life is the gift of God through faith is Christ. Romans 6:23. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12. Immortality is bestowed upon the righteous dead are raised from the grave and the living righteous translated to meet the Lord. Then it is that those accounted faithful ‘put on immortality.’ 1 Cor. 15:51-55.

• That the condition of man is death is one of unconsciousness. That all men, good and evil alike, remain in the grave from death to the resurrection. Eccl. 9:5,6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 5: 28, 29.

• That there shall be a resurrection both of the just and of the unjust. The resurrection of the just will take place at the second coming of Christ; the resurrection of the unjust will take place a thousand years later, at the close of the millennium. John 5:28, 29; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18; Rev. 20:5-10.

• That the finally impenitent, including Satan, the author of sin, will, by the fires of the last day be reduced to a state of non-existence becoming as though they had not been, thus purging God’s universe of sin and sinners. Rom. 6:23 Mal. 4:1-3; Rev. 20:9, 10; Obadiah 16.

• That no prophetic period [meaning prophetic time-setting of the exact date of Christ’s coming] is given in the Bible to reach to the second advent, but that the longest one the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, terminated in 1844, and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.

• That the true sanctuary, of which the tabernacle on earth was a type, is the temple of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8 and onward, and of which the Lord Jesus, as our great high priest, is minister; and that the priestly work of our Lord is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation; that this heavenly sanctuary is the one to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14; its cleansing being, as in the type, a work of judgment, beginning with the entrance of Christ as the high priest upon the judgment phase of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary foreshadowed in the earthly service of cleansing the sanctuary on the day of atonement. This work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary began in 1844. Its completion will close human probation.

• That God, in the time of the judgment and in accordance with His uniform dealing with the human family in warning them of coming events vitally affecting their destiny (Amos 3:6, 7), sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the second advent of Christ; that this work is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; and that their three-fold message brings to view a work of reform to prepare a people to meet him at His coming.

• That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, synchronizing with the period of the proclamation of the message of Revelation 14, is a time of investigative judgment, first with reference to the dead, and secondly, with reference to the living. This investigative judgment determines who of the myriads sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation. 1 Pet. 4:17, 18; Dan. 7:9, 10; Rev. 14:6, 7; Luke 20:35.

• That the followers of Christ should be a godly people, not adopting the unholy maxims nor conforming to the unrighteous ways of the world, not loving its sinful pleasures nor countenancing its follies. That the believer should recognize his body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that therefore he should clothe that body in neat, modest, dignified apparel. Further, that in eating and drinking and in his entire course of conduct he should shape his life as becometh a follower of the meek and lowly Master. Thus the believer will be led to abstain from all intoxicating drinks, tobacco, and other narcotics, and the avoidance of every body-and-soul-defiling habit and practice. Cor. 3:16, 17; 9:25; 10:31; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 John 2:6.

• That the divine principle of tithes and offerings for the support of the gospel is an acknowledgment of God’s ownership in our lives, and that we are stewards who must render account to him of all that He has committed to our possession. Lev. 27:30; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 23:23; 1 Cor. 9:9-14; 2 Cor. 9:6-15.

• That God has placed in His church the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. That these gifts operate in harmony with the divine principles of the Bible, and are given for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry the edifying of he body of Christ. Rev. 12:17; ;9:10; 1 Cor. 1:5-7.

• That the second coming of Christ is the great hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel and plan of salvation. His coming will be literal, personal, and visible. Many important events will be associated with His return, such as the resurrection of the dead, the destruction of the wicked, the purification of the earth, the reward of the righteous, the establishment of His everlasting kingdom. The almost complete fulfillment of various lines of prophecy, particularly those found in the books of Daniel and the Revelation, with existing conditions in the physical, social, industrial, political, and religious worlds, indicates that Christ’s coming ‘is near, even at the doors.’ The exact time of that event has not been foretold. Believers are exhorted to be ready, for ‘in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man’ will be revealed. Luke 21:25-27; 17:26-30; John 14:1-3- Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7; Heb. 9:28; James 5:1-8- Joel 3:9-16; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Dan. 7:27; Matt. 24:36, 44.

• That the millennial reign of Christ covers the period between the first and the second resurrections, during which time the saints of all ages will live with their blessed Redeemer in Heaven. At the end of the millennium, the Holy City with all the saints will descend to the earth. The wicked, raised in the second resurrection, will go up on the breadth of the earth with Satan at their head to compass the camp of the saints, when fire will come down from God out of Heaven and devour them. In the conflagration which destroys Satan and his host, the earth itself will be regenerated and cleansed from the effects of the curse. Thus the universe of God will be purified from the foul blot of sin. Rev. 20; Zech. 14:1-4; 2 Peter 3 :7- 10.

• That God will make all things new. The earth, restored to its pristine beauty, will become forever the abode of the saints of the Lord. The promise to Abraham, that through Christ he and his seed should possess the earth throughout the endless ages of eternity, will be fulfilled. The kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Christ the Lord, will reign supreme and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea will ascribe blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever. Gen. 13:14-17- Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:8-16; Matt. 5:5; Isa. 35; Rev. 21:1-7; Dan. 7:27; Rev. 5:13.”--Year Book of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination, 1940 Edition, pp. 5-8.

History

The Davidian movements, named for the restoration of the kingdom of David, first developed in 1930 from the teachings of Rev. Victor T. Houteff, who pointed out a number of scriptural shortcomings in the structure of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

The movement set up headquarters a few miles west of Waco, Texas, and remained unified there until 1955, when Houteff died. Multiple leaders arose to take commend of the movement, resulting in several splinter groups. One splinter group, led by Benjamin Roden, called themselves "Branch Davidians," which came from select Bible passages.

In 1959, Israel granted the Branch Davidian movement landed immigrant status, and allowed them to create the town of Amirim in Galilee.

After the death of Benjamin Roden, his wife, Lois Roden, took a leadership role in the Church. In 1983, she allowed a man named Victor Howell (later known as David Koresh) to study at the Mt. Carmel compound outside Waco, but after attracting followers among the movement, he moved to Palestine, Texas. In 1987, Howell and followers he had amassed conducted an armed assault on the Mt. Carmel compound, but were rebuffed. The son of Lois and Ben Roden, George, took control of Mt. Carmel after Lois' death until his arrest for murder, at which time Howell (now David Koresh) took control of the compound.

Waco Siege

The Branch Davidians were under siege after a warrant was secured by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for having illegal firearms and allegations drug laboratory inside their main church building.

The actions of the government resulted in the death of 82 people, including many children. During the raid, the BATF started a fire that burnt down the building and killed many inside. The evidence for this contradicted the longstanding claims by the BATF and FBI that no pyrotechnic devices were used at Waco, causing them to retract their claims and leading to Congressional hearings into the Waco siege.

References

• Waco: The Rules of Engagement, documentary film, 1997
• Waco: A New Revelation, documentary film, 1999
• Thibodeau, David. A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story. HarperCollins, 1999.
• http://www.davidiansda.org/

See also

• Ruby Ridge, Idaho