The poem excerpts that Mulder reads at the beginning and end of this episode are from "Paracelsus" by Robert Browning.
The Temple of the Seven Stars was built on a soundstage in Vancouver. It was one of the most expensive sets ever built for the show.
The name "Vernon" comes from cult leader David Koresh's real name, and "Ephesian" is taken from one of the books of the Bible.
Lead guest star Kristen Cloke was a regular on season 2 of Chris Carter's other show, Millennium (1996), starring Lance Henriksen. Henriksen himself also guest-starred on the X-Files in season 7's Millennium (1999) that serves as both a crossover between the two shows and the series finale for the canceled Millennium.