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20/20 Special Edition

1End of the World Cult Michael Travesser says he's the Messiah. He claimed that 31 October 2007 was Doomsday and at midnight on that date there would be an event of apocalyptic proportions, marking the end of the world. Formerly a sailor called Wayne Bent, Michael is the leader of a cult in New Mexico called Strong City. His 56 followers - men, women and children - hang on his every word, serving him with absolute and unquestioning devotion. With unprecedented access, 20/20's Special Edition takes viewers into an undiscovered world, into the heart of a cult whose members are preparing to meet their maker. It discovers how a cult operates and how a leader like Michael exerts his influence. As the programme delves deeper in to the world of Strong City, it asks whether Michael Travesser is about to lead his cult to a tragedy of Jonestown or Waco proportions and ultimately whether he's really a master manipulator: an expert spin doctor who brainwashes his followers simply to serve his own ends? What happens to Strong City and their Messiah?