David Koresh Ordered Waco Followers To Be Burned Alive

Waco wacko David Koresh responded to a worried little girl's question — "am I going to die?” — with  solemn words befitting his self-proclaimed status as "Jesus Christ": “No, you’re not going to die. You’re one of my angels.”

But five hours later, she joined 23 other children and 51 adults in a fiery death — torched on Koresh’s command in a kerosene-drenched hell on earth in Waco, Texas. As the TV miniseries “Waco” wows audiences, The National ENQUIRER can reveal the gruesome details of what really happened during the Branch Davidian cult's final hours.

Even before the maniac messiah gave the order to burn everything at 12:06 p.m. on April 19, 1993, an ENQUIRER news team was on the ground covering the 51-day siege that preceded the final explosive act, which became a touchstone for domestic terrorists. In mid-March, the FBI began blasting music into the compound.

“Some followers made it clear they wanted to leave. Koresh retaliated by cutting off their food and water,” an insider told The ENQUIRER. On April 16, Koresh, shown here with then-follower Clive Doyle (right), flipped out when the FBI towed his precious black Chevy Camaro from outside the compound.

“He ranted, ‘That’s the last straw! We will all die and those Satans of the FBI will go up in flames with us,’ ” survivor David Thibodeau (left, in custody) told a relative. “David finally calmed down, then gave instructions that we were to collect all the kerosene we had.”

On April 19, as the FBI battered the compound, Koresh ordered the children separated from their parents. “David told his most trusted bodyguards, ‘Bring their toys to keep them calm, and they won’t know what’s coming,’ ” said Thibodeau, shown here in Jan., 2018.

Added a source: “Most people were frightened. “One woman said, ‘I’m not sure I want to die.’ David told her, ‘Everyone who dies with me will have the highest status in heaven, except for God and me.’” A man yelled, “No!” and ran from the room. But one of Koresh’s bodyguards caught him outside — and those inside heard a single gunshot!

Finally, Koresh and his loyal followers lit the kerosene — and the compound exploded! Miraculously, some cultists escaped. FBI agents found Graeme Craddock in a bunker. “Craddock told the agents, ‘Thank God, you’re here," The ENQUIRER learned from a source. "'I didn’t want to die. It was like being in the depths of hell!’ ”