Randy Weaver: Siege at Ruby Ridge

In 1973, Egypt invaded Israel, causing an Arab-Israeli war. An oil embargo quickly followed, which caused tensions throughout the world. Vicki and Randy viewed these events as the coming of Biblical prophecies and were upset that none of the churches were preparing their members for the end of the world. They soon concluded that preachers were in denial and did not want to admit that the end was near.

Randy Weaver head-
shot (AP)

Randy and Vicki's first child, Sara, was born in March of 1976. Vicki was crazy about children and relished motherhood. Whenever a friend became pregnant, Vicki was the first to offer advice on everything from morning sickness to breast-feeding. She was a loving mother and felt very comfortable in the role.

During 1978, following Sara's second birthday, Vicki began to talk of a recurrent vision, which she perceived as an omen. Vicki saw a beautiful mountaintop retreat where her family would be safe from evil and the apocalyptic events which she believed were imminent. She also saw two other children in her vision, yet to be born, who would be called Samuel and Rachel. The Weavers soon began to think that all organized religions had strayed from the written word of the Bible and that Roman Catholics and Jews were so far removed from the Bible that they had become enemies. The Weavers formed a study group and taught their small group of followers that the Bible was the literal word of God — or Yahweh — as they began referring to him and should be acknowledged as the truth. They would only read from the King James Version of the Bible, because they considered other versions to be influenced by pagans. Although it had been written so long ago, they felt that the Bible was opening their eyes to the current events around them, including conspiracies involving their own government, which they began referring to as "ZOG" (Zionist Organized Government), a Jewish controlled government. During one particular study session, the group was reading Matthew 24, according to the King James Version, in which Jesus reportedly spoke of the Apocalypse. Those passages made everything clear to Vicki, especially when she caught notice of a particular section referring to the mountains as a safe harbor and a place to be saved. Vicki was now convinced that her visions were in fact an omen. The Weavers decided to find the mountain in Vicki's vision.

In July of 1978, as they prepared for their ultimate journey, the couple's second child was born. The Weavers named him Samuel. As they savored their new bundle of joy, they became more and more serious about their journey. Randy began collecting guns, which he felt would be needed to protect his family and Vicki began to study the Amish and self-sufficient lifestyles.