The Pharisees and Sadduccees of our Day

Matthew 23:14-16

¹⁴ [Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’

I have a feeling that if Yeshua were walking the earth today, there would be some pastors that would be told verse 2 above.  Why?  Because what is being taught looks like worship of God, but actually leads you on a path more dangerous than had you not believed Yeshua at all.

Remember what James says in chapter 3:

James 3:1

¹ Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

I have been to Seminary, a Southern Baptist, conservative one at that and I can tell you from my experience that what they are teaching for the most part will make people two fold sons of hell or at the very least lead them down a path that endangers their relationship with God.  There were many young men in there who have not felt the full weight of the verse above.

The Pharisees of Yeshua's day had created rules around the Torah that kept people from understanding the depth and beauty of the Torah.  They heralded the precepts of men and even taught their specific liturgy, practices, and customs.  Kind of sounds like today where we have so many denominations with so many different liturgies, practices, and customs (most of these coincide with pagan festivals I might add).

They had shut off the kingdom of heaven from the people and yet would not enter themselves:

Matthew 23:13

Eight Woes¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Why does John and Yeshua later call them a "Brood of Vipers"?

Matthew 3:4-10

⁴ Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; ⁶ and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; ⁹ and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Aramaic version of the New Testament translates it, "Generation of Vipers" in verse 7 (http://www.peshitta.org/). 

Here is a breakdown of the Hebrew:

Here is the breakdown in Paleo (Ancient) Hebrew  It shows the Hebrew name transliterated followed by the letters and their meanings.  This was fascinating:

It shows the translation to mean that Generations of Vipers is the entrance to add to the beginning and continue to divide sharply.  Wow.  The Pharisees had introduced something new to the Torah originating from the beginning which would continue to divide sharply.  Now that should resonate with some Pastors and this was back in Yeshua's day before the proliferation of Facebook, Blogs, and social media where your message can reach millions.