Editing Branch Davidians (section)

== Early history ==
In 1929, [[Victor Houteff]], a Bulgarian immigrant and a [[Seventh-day Adventist]] [[Sabbath School]] teacher from [[southern California]], claimed that he had a new message for the entire Adventist church. He presented his views in a book, ''[[Shepherd's Rod|The Shepherd's Rod: The 144,000 – A Call for Reformation]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author=The General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists |url=http://www.the-branch.org/Shepherds_Rod_Volume_1_Houteff |title=The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 1 |publisher=The-branch.org |access-date=March 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313113619/http://the-branch.org/shepherds_rod_volume_1_houteff |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Adventist leadership rejected Houteff's views as contrary to the church's basic teachings, and local church congregations disfellowshipped Houteff and his followers.

In 1934, Houteff established his headquarters to the west of [[Waco, Texas]], and his group became known as the [[Shepherd's Rod|Davidians]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ird01 |title= Davidians and Branch Davidians |author1= Pitts, William L |publisher= Handbook of Texas – Texas State Historical Association |access-date= November 25, 2012}}</ref> In 1942, he renamed the group the General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists {{ndash}} 'Davidian' which indicated its belief in the restoration of the [[Davidic line|Davidic Kingdom of Israel]]. Following Houteff's death in 1955, his wife Florence usurped the leadership believing herself to be a [[prophet]]. Convinced that an [[apocalypse]] would occur in 1959, a date which is not found in her husband's original writings, Florence and her council gathered hundreds of their faithful followers at the Mount Carmel Center, the group's compound which was located near Waco, for the fulfillment of the prophecy which is written in [[Ezekiel 9]].<ref name="melton1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Branch-Davidian#ref700562|title=Branch Davidian {{!}} Religious Organization|last=Melton|first=John Gordon|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=May 17, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Mt_Carmel_Center_memorial_closeup,_2022.jpg|thumb|left|A memorial at the Mount Carmel site identifying leaders of the Adventist movement from Ellen G. White to Vernon Howell]]
The anticipated events did not occur, and following this disappointment, [[Benjamin Roden]] formed another group which he called the Branch Davidians and succeeded in taking control of Mount Carmel. The name of this group is an allusion to the anointed 'Branch' (mentioned in [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 3:8; 6:12).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ZEC.3.8|title=Zechariah 3:8; "'Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.|website=bible.com|access-date=May 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ZEC.6.12|title=Zechariah 6:12; Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.|website=bible.com|access-date=May 17, 2017}}</ref> When Benjamin Roden died in 1978, he was succeeded by his wife [[Lois Roden]]. Members of the Branch Davidians were torn between allegiance to Ben's wife or to his son, George. After Lois died, George assumed the right to the Presidency. However, less than a year later, [[David Koresh|Vernon Howell]] rose to power and became the leader over those in the group who sympathized with him.