Editing Apocalypticism (section)

====Branch Davidians====
{{Main|Branch Davidians}}

The Branch Davidians (also known as The Branch) are a religious group that originated in 1955 from a [[Schism (religion)|schism]] among the [[Shepherd's Rod|Shepherd's Rod/Davidian]]s. The Branch group was initially led by [[Benjamin Roden]]. Branch Davidians are most associated with the [[Waco siege]] of 1993, which involved [[David Koresh]]. There is documented evidence (FBI negotiation transcripts between Kathryn Shroeder and Steve Schneider with interjections from Koresh himself) that David Koresh and his followers did not call themselves Branch Davidians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/1958/507.pdf?sequence=1|title=United States Department of the Treasury: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (Tape #126 Transcription)|date=March 13, 1993|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624204503/https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/1958/507.pdf?sequence=1|archive-date=June 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, David Koresh, through forgery, stole the identity of the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists for the purpose of obtaining the Mount Carmel Center property.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Waco Untold, How David Koresh Stole the Identity of The Branch Davidians|last=Mitchell|first=Douglas|publisher=Ten Strings Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9998026-0-1|location=US}}</ref> The doctrinal beliefs of the Branch Davidians differ on teachings such as the [[Holy Spirit]] and his nature, and the feast days and their requirements. Both groups have disputed the relevance of the other's spiritual authority based on the proceedings following [[Victor Houteff]]'s death. From its inception in 1930, the Davidians/Shepherd's Rod group believed themselves to be living in a time when biblical prophecies of a final divine judgment were coming to pass as a prelude to Christ's [[Second Coming]].

In the late 1980s, Koresh and his followers abandoned many Branch Davidian teachings. Koresh became the group's self-proclaimed final prophet. "Koreshians" were the majority resulting from the schism among the Branch Davidians, but some of the Branch Davidians did not join Koresh's group and instead gathered around [[George Roden]] or became independent. Following a series of violent shootouts between Roden's and Koresh's group, the Mount Carmel compound was eventually taken over by the "Koreshians". In 1993, the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|ATF]] and [[Texas Army National Guard]] raided one of the properties belonging to a [[new religious movement]] centered around David Koresh that evolved from the Branch Davidians for suspected weapons violations. It is unknown who shot first, but the ATF surrounded and tried to invade the home of the Branch Davidians. This raid resulted in a two-hour firefight in which four ATF agents were killed; this was followed by [[Waco siege#Siege|a standoff with government agents]] that lasted for 51 days. The siege ended in a fire that engulfed the Mount Carmel compound which led to the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians inside.<ref>Dick J. Reavis, ''The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation'' (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995), [https://books.google.com/books?id=-k34va6Lx3UC&pg=PA13 p. 13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318082254/https://books.google.com/books?id=-k34va6Lx3UC&pg=PA13 |date=2017-03-18 }}. {{ISBN|0-684-81132-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect |url= https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-branch-davidians-of-waco-9780199245741?cc=au&lang=en&#.UFG2XbJlRK4 |author1= Newport, Kenneth G.C. |date= 2006 |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 978-0199245741 |access-date= 25 November 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190624204447/https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-branch-davidians-of-waco-9780199245741?cc=au&lang=en&#.UFG2XbJlRK4 |archive-date= 24 June 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref>