Loading...The 1993 Waco Disaster—How Not to Negotiate with Apocalyptic Believers
James D. Tabor, retired professor of Religious Studies, UNC Charlotte
In this three-part series James Tabor surveys what happened 30 years ago outside Waco, TX as Federal authorities violently confronted a group of apocalyptic believers who believed that David Koresh, their prophetic leader was a final messianic messenger of the book of Revelation.
Part II: Opening the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation
It should be noted that at this point Koresh and his followers had been labeled a “cult” and thoroughly “demonized” in a series of articles called “The Sinful Messiah” printed in the Waco Tribune–Herald beginning on February 27, just one day before the BATF raid. This series, based largely on charges by disaffected former Branch Davidians, painted a grim and bizarre picture of Koresh and his followers, echoing all the stereotypes the public had come to associate with unfamiliar groups or new religious movements that are pejoratively labeled “cults.” Hungry for any “information” about this heretofore unknown religious group, all the major print, radio, and television media had snapped up this material the day of the February 28 raid. The FBI apparently shared and certainly tried to perpetuate the public perception of Koresh, charging that he was a power-mad, sex-crazed “con man” who constantly made up and changed the rules as things unfolded. They maintained that his word was completely unreliable, pointing to his broken promise to exit Mount Carmel on March 2, following the broadcast over radio of a fifty-eight-minute message he had recorded. After his default on March 2, two days after the BATF raid, however, Koresh stuck irrevocably to his position: God had told him to wait. No matter how hard the authorities pressed Koresh or his followers, demanding that they surrender and come out, the reply was the same: the group would not come out until Koresh received his “word from God.” The potential horror of the situation was that if the group perceived itself to be “in the fifth seal,” might they not unwittingly, or even willfully, orchestrate their own deaths in order to fulfill this prophecy of martyrdom?
Koresh talked most, almost incessantly, throughout the fifty-one days about the Seven Seals of the book of Revelation. Inseparable from his view of these Seven Seals was his understanding of himself as the unique messianic figure, sent by God to reveal the hidden meaning of the entire biblical prophetic corpus. This was clearly Koresh’s primary theme. He would constantly challenge anyone, particularly the ministers and preachers of Christianity, to “prove him wrong” on the Seven Seals or to match him in expounding their hidden meaning.
In its opening chapters the book of Revelation describes a scene in which a mysterious book or scroll sealed with seven wax seals is introduced. The question is then raised: “Who is worthy to open this sealed book?” Koresh understood the sealed book to be the entire Bible, particularly the prophetic writings. Accordingly, to open the book is not only to explain it but also to orchestrate the events it sets forth, leading to the climax of human history, the end of the world. According to the book of Revelation, only one person can open this book, a figure called “the Lamb,” whom Christians have always understood to be Jesus of Nazareth. Koresh, however, had an elaborate set of arguments to demonstrate that a figure other than Jesus was intended here, a second
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I’m getting the impression that “Bible Derangement Syndrome” is a very real thing, and has a way of infecting anyone who encounters a victim– even those who try to deal with a victim in a helpful and rational way. Everyone involved in any sort of dialog, where one party suffers from BDS, goes crazy or gets crazier, in one way or another, and the result can easily be a Waco, or a Waco-like meltdown. Mutual destruction.
I take it, given the modern use of Derangement Syndrome, that you are referring to people who have an irrational hatred of the Bible (which would not include the Branch Davidians or any group that studies the Bible).
Note: I watched a 3-hour video with Dr. Tabor about Waco. I was impressed with his and the other scholars’ understanding and empathy for Koresh and followers–their refusal to dehumanzie the group. And an appreciation for the fact that this country was founded on, among other things, religious freedom. I hope we’re not yet at the point of labeling any group that studies the Bible and takes it seriously as having some psychological disorder.
The aforementioned video: The 1993 Waco Branch Davidian Tragedy Revisited: What Really Happened?
These sorts of debacles might make folks lose faith in the government.
Fortunately Waco was the distant past.
From Daily Beast in Oct 2022:
“He fits all of Russia’s paranormal stereotypes. Her diagnosis: “Putin is attracted to the idea that supernatural forces anointed him as the Chosen One,” Moroz says. “Putin hates democracy because he doesn’t believe in human powers,” she adds. “He believes spirits have anointed him with sacred autocratic powers.”
Waco was run by the JV team, but now at least we have the Varsity team keeping Ukraine and the whole world from becoming Waco. The government might have lied and withheld information related to Waco, but the government is forthright and honest now.
And no doubt that the high priests of foreign policy are correctly interpreting the tea leaves related to foreign policy, Putin and his shamans and Rasputin-esque mystics.
Everything is going to be okay.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-superstitious-beliefs-sending-vladimir-putin-wild-in-russias-war-on-ukraine
Has your research found that federal negotiators would now likely use experts who would understand critical beliefs of such a group?
I’m still baffled by the appeal. I realize religious fervor is a large part of many cults but I’m still amazed at the people that join and truly believe. Is there a predominant personality type that are attracted to these end times cults?
Hi Patty, I think any personality type can be susceptible to joining religions/cult like groups. Mostly, it stems from persons who are deeply longing for belonging and how vulnerable they are to a group at a particular time in their life. It’s easier to brainwash vulnerable people and even harder for those people to see the light after so many years of conditioning.
Fortunately in the case of the Koresh followers, we do have lots of interviews and in-depth materials on what they believed and why they were drawn to these teachings. Defining a cult is a real challenge, since it is usually used by a dominant religious culture to define the “outsider,” whereas many accepted “religions” are just as high demand and manipulative, with doctrines of hell and guilt, as those often labeled cults. In the three hour discussion on my Youtube channel we talk a lot about what Koresh taught, see links here: https://jamestabor.com/the-waco-tragedy-looking-back-after-thirty-years/
PattyIt, check this overview I offer here of the people and why they were drawn: https://youtu.be/Q4KCXlzqhQI
That is a good point about the difficulty of defining a cult. You make a lot of good points and post good stuff. There is not a HPB store in DFW that has a copy of Why Waco in stock (which means its in demand and probably a good read) but i found another place to buy it. Thank you again.
The corrupt FBI will eventually be carting off mainstream Christians who believe the book of Revelation and in the return of Jesus, which is a basic tenet of Christianity. Those of us, who unlike David Koresh, believe the 7 seals are very straightforward (no hidden meanings), and represent the counterfeit Christ, war, famine, death (first 4 seals). Note: For those who think the rider on the white horse is Christ…Christ is the one opening the seals.
We just happen to believe that, as the Bible states, history is NOT an endless cycle going nowhere…it has a culmination, when wrong things are made right.
Adventists have historically believed that the US Government is the Antichrist?? That’s news to me!
More “Babylon” than the antichrist per se…that is another entire topic for SDAs–going back to EGWhite.
Interesting! I will check it out
I didn’t realize until recently, in Dr. Ehrman’s MJPodcast with Ukrainian minister, that other Christian denominations (e.g. Roman Catholic, Eastern Othodox) do not read Book of Revelation the same way English-speaking Protestants do (GB, Australia, U.S.A, etc.)
Professor Tabor, I heard you speak what I assume is German in your recent Genesis book intro video (about Soil-Man/Wo-Man). Martin Luther was a German. The Deutschland must have big Protestant traditions, right? What is their present take on end-time? Did Hilter & Co. feel they were called by their Christian God to fight in their version of Armageddon?