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03/01/93
Howell's revelation: Wounded sect leader, in rambling interview, says that he is Christ
By Victoria Loe / The Dallas Morning News
"They've gone and done it again, not knowing what they do,' the man who introduced himself as David Koresh whispered hoarsely, alluding to the crucifixion of Christ.
In a rambling telephone interview from inside the fortified compound where he said he lay gravely injured, the man born as Vernon Howell cited dozens of passages of Scripture to buttress his many claims, among them:
That he is Christ, come again as the "lamb' to reveal the truths contained in the book of Revelation.
That those truths can be understood only by opening the Seven Seals described in Revelation and that he alone can open those seals. The Seven Seals herald the catastrophic events of mankind's final days.
That God's wrath will come upon the world as a result of the Sunday morning shootout between Mr. Howell's followers and federal agents.
That the Branch Davidian, which he has led since the mid-1980s, is not a cult.
That he came in love to teach about the Seven Seals but that the world, and particularly the mainstream Christian denominations, rejected him.
That the mainstream churches and disaffected former followers are responsible for setting the government against him.
That agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, not Mr. Howell's followers, fired the first shots Sunday and that they fired without warning.
That ATF agents had infiltrated his religious group and that Mr. Howell was aware of the infiltration.
Sometimes crying, sometimes gasping for breath, Mr. Howell, 33, also confirmed that he is a polygamist and has fathered "many babies' -- a charge he had earlier denied. "It's true,' he said.
However, he denied charges that he has had sex with girls as young as 12 and has physically abused children in his group.
The Houston native, who said he was raised near Dallas, said he and his followers will not surrender until he is allowed to broadcast his message on national TV and to discourse with religious leaders. Then, he said, if anyone can convince him that his beliefs are wrong, he will submit to legal authority.
He said that although he and his followers want to live, they are prepared to die because they know "our lives have been spared in heaven.'
Mr. Howell, whose words occasionally were interrupted by groans, said he had been wounded in the stomach and arm.
He said a 2-year-old girl was killed in the firefight. He said other people were wounded and that they were being cared for by registered nurses who are members of the sect.
The Branch Davidian's history has been marked by schism and violence. Mr. Howell wrested control of the sect from an earlier leader, George Roden, in the mid-1980s. Rivalry between the two men culminated in a 1987 gunbattle at the group's compound that led to attempted murder charges against Mr. Howell and seven others. The seven were acquitted, and a mistrial was declared in Mr. Howell's case. Charges against him were later dismissed.
Mr. Howell said he was born in Houston and raised "in the Richardson-Garland area.' He mentioned various schools he attended, including Mark Twain Elementary in Dallas, Sellers Middle School in Garland and Garland High School.
Mr. Howell referred to his schools as "special schools' for children who were not intelligent. He said his parents and teachers never expected him to amount to anything.
Mr. Howell's stepfather, Roy Haldeman of Chandler, Texas, said his stepson was "kind of weird' while growing up in a rural area between Sachse and Wylie.
A religious youth, Mr. Howell loved to play the guitar and participate in sports. He was a tight end on the Garland High School football team before dropping out after the ninth grade, Mr. Haldeman said.
Mr. Howell's mother, Bonnie Haldeman, was at work late Sunday and could not be reached for comment, Mr. Haldeman said.
"He was weird,' Mr. Haldeman said of Mr. Howell, whom he had visited recently. He declined to be more specific. "Nothing drastic, but you know . . .
"He's a smart boy; he's probably mixed up,' said Mr. Haldeman, 65.
"He thinks he's Jesus Christ, that's what he says. But I think that's. . . '
Sunday, as the standoff continued, Mr. Howell spoke at breakneck speed, often switching topics with little apparent logic. But one clear theme emerged: his conviction that he is the Lamb of God. Revelation says the Lamb, which also refers to Christ, will unlock the Seven Seals.
"If you continue in my ways, you are my disciples,' Mr. Howell said. "I said that 2,000 years ago.'
Referring to the Bible, he said, "My father is the one who wrote that book. It says about me that he loves me more than any of you. But I love you. I came to reveal the love that can set you free.'
"The last apostle I spake with was John,' he said, referring to the writer of the book of Revelation.
"I am the anointed one,' he said at another point.
Asked if he was above the law, he raised his voice for the only time in the 1 1/2-hour interview. "I am the law,' he thundered.
Asked if he was the Lamb referred to in Revelation, he said, "I was the Lamb.' He spoke in the past tense, he said, because he believed he was dying.
"These blankets are soaked (with blood),' he said.
Mr. Howell also repeatedly spoke of his mission: loosening the Seven Seals to reveal God's truth to the world.
"All I've ever done is to try to teach the world the Seven Seals,' he said.
"The next thing, the sun and the stars will be darkened,' he said, "that is the Sixth Seal.' According to his theology, that means that only the opening of the Seventh Seal stands between mankind and God's final judgment. "We're pretty close,' he said.
"All I do is open up the book and make it plain,' he said. And later: "The only way I let people worship me is by learning these seals.'
Steve Schneider, who also spoke from within the group's compound, is among the worshipers.
Mr. Schneider, who said he encountered Mr. Howell in 1986 in Southern California, said their meeting satisfied a lifelong search for answers about the meaning of life and the Bible.
"It was beyond anything I'd ever heard,' he said. "He, with his knowledge, literally blew me away. The information just went on and on. Here was the truth that was so conclusive, the science of salvation.'
Others, however, were not so ready to believe.
Marc Hennig in Vancouver, British Columbia, said he considered joining the Branch Davidian in the late 1980s, after being introduced to Mr. Howell by a friend who was a follower.
Mr. Hennig was shocked, but not surprised, to hear of Sunday's shootout.
"Even during the brief time I knew these people, I could sense definitely that they were taking a turn for the worse,' he said during a telephone interview. "They were becoming more aggressive.'
Mr. Howell, he said, would spout biblical phrases and interweave them, somewhat chaotically, with his own religious interpretations, his views on science and world affairs.
"He was a very charismatic speaker, no doubt about it. He had what would seem to be a very, very sharp mind, but oddly sharp-almost schizophrenic and dissociative.
"The words would all be there, the syntax would be correct, but when you put it together, it didn't make logical sense. He would wrap what he was saying in this air of mystery.'
Mr. Howell, he said, brooked no dissent or discussion of his teaching.
"You didn't dare to question him,' Mr. Hennig said. "If you'd venture any kind of comment like, "This isn't what that biblical text is saying,' or "That isn't what science says on that point,' he'd just lash out at you with this rapid-fire, tangled stream of words.'
When he wasn't agitated, Mr. Hennig said, Mr. Howell "had a certain endearing quality to him. He had a real good heart, an interesting way with homeless people, alcoholics on the street. He'd stop and talk with them in this very gentle, understanding manner. In many ways, I found it commendable.
"His strength over people, I think, is that he was offering very simple answers: He convinced his followers that the world was going to end and that the key to their salvation was to do what he said-just believe in these things, and you'll be fine. Don't believe, and you may be in jeopardy in the eternal scheme of things.'
Mr. Hennig said Mr. Howell, a self-taught guitar player and rock singer, viewed himself as a latter day, electrified psalmist.
"He thought of himself as kind of a contemporary rock 'n' roll David, if you will,' Mr. Hennig said. "And he was pretty good. I'm not that big a fan of rock 'n' roll, but I thought it was OK-apart from the lunacy of the lyrics.'
Mr. Howell changed his named legally two years ago to David Koresh, reportedly to further his musical career. But authorities refer to him as Vernon Howell.
Once established as a rock star, "He (Mr. Howell) was going to go to Israel and show the ancient rabbis the deep truths they were never able to see on their own because of their lack of understanding and wisdom. And of course, Vernon was the sole claimant to just what those truths were.'
Mr. Hennig said Mr. Howell believed that his presence in Israel would create havoc in the Mideast, America would be forced to send in troops that would bring about a war of global destruction and he, Vernon/David, would be crucified.
The only war being played out Sunday was between Mr. Howell and the federal government. But he claimed that the end result-his sacrificial death-had been achieved. As, he said, his apocalyptic vision would be.
"We felt sorry for you,' he said. "But everything got turned around, and now God's got to straighten it out.
"Your world is not going to be the same,' he said. "When this boy is gone, my mother in heaven will be angry.
"I'm sorry that this had to happen,' he said. Nevertheless, he said, "the world has got to do what it's got to do, and now I have to do what I've got to do.
"I tried to keep this world from having to deal with my father,' he said. "Now you're going to have to learn the hard way.'
Staff writers Bruce Tomaso and Christopher Lee contributed to this report.
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