David and Goliath: Koresh and Waco The events that transpired on the morning of April 19, 1993 outside of Waco Texas would forever haunt the American perception of fanatical Christians, and bring questions about how the United States government responded to the Branch Dividians at Mt. Carmel. In the predawn hours of April 19, 1993 the FBI initiated its plan of action to end the 51 day standoff at Mt. Carmel, the Branch Dividian compound outside Waco, Texas. David Koresh, the self prophesied “Lamb of God,” would lead nearly all of his followers to a fiery death that early April morning. According to the article, “The Final Days of David Koresh,” Koresh believed the end was near, and told his followers: “They are coming, because the time has come” (Raine, Harrison, Popkin, James, 1993, p. 1). Because of his mistrust of government, his stockpile of assault weapons and ammunition, and because God told him so, Koresh would insist that an apocalyptic assault was imminent at Mt. Carmel (Raine, Harrison, Popkin, James, 1993, p. 1). Koresh was correct. The government was coming to see what Koresh was doing with all of the assault weapons he was stockpiling, and this would result in the terrible death of David Koresh and his followers at …show more content…
The Branch Dividians are associated with the Seventh Day Adventists who are a Christian denominational religious group. The Branch Dividians owned and resided in a compound at Mt. Carmen outside of Waco, Texas. The residents at Mt. Carmel believed David Koresh to be the second coming of God to earth, and believed that Koresh was Jesus Christ himself (Raine, Harrison, Popkin, James, 1993, p. 1). Those that followed Koresh would follow him to their death, and take with them answers to the reasons for it. The self proclaimed “Lamb of God” did not lead his faithful followers to glory, but rather to a horrific