As the head of the Branch Davidians sect, an offshoot of the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet. Carmel property as he had been able to save the property from receivers by paying very large amounts in back taxes. He also acquired control of the Mt. David Koresh and the ATF raid. However, there was contention as Koresh refused to publish the last edition of SHEkinah. Lois recognised Koresh as her successor in 1983. He had been dismissed from the SDA Church due to his attempts to preach his own version of SDA theology.

After all, he was disfellowshipped from the church in 1981 and much of his radical theology … Howell had an affair with the then- prophet of the Branch Davidians, Lois Roden , while he was in his late 20s and she was in her late 60s. David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell) was the leader of the Branch Davidians religious cult. They certainly have a right and even a duty to do so. He was responsible for the events from February 28 to April 19, 1993, which would then became infamously known as the Waco Siege. Rise of David Koresh Vernon Howell 's arrival on the Waco compound in 1981 was well received by nearly everyone at the Davidian commune. The siege, led by the FBI, left 86 people dead (including Koresh himself) and nine injured. When David Koresh was thirty-three years old, he managed to assume the position of the leader of the Branch Davidians. One of the factions opposed to Florence Houteff’s leadership was led by Ben Roden, who had previously called the Davidians to “Get off the dead Rod [led by Florence Houteff] and move to the living Branch.” Roden gained control of Mount Carmel and established the General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. David Koresh (then Vernon Howell, 1959-1993) became a member of the Branch Davidians in 1981.

As Grey reported, however, forensic theology is a real discipline in which, as the name implies, religion scholars help law enforcement investigate and prevent crime, and help the judicial system decide cases involving religious liberty. This prophetic status was embraced by many. David Koresh (/ k ə ˈ r ɛ ʃ /; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader and musician who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. The public relations department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has done back flips in an attempt to distance itself from former member David Koresh.