Matt 3:
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

"Pharisees"
5330 Pharisaios (far-is-ah'-yos);
of Hebrew origin [compare 6567]; a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary:
KJV-- Pharisee.

5330 Pharisaios-
A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to all Old Testament books the Pharisees
recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward
observance of external rites and by outward forms of piety, and such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, and alms giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good and evil angels, and to the expectation of a Messiah. And they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him, and be requited each according to his individual deeds. In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods and the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy and their country's cause, and possessed great influence with the common people. According to Josephus they numbered more than 6,000. They were bitter enemies of Jesus and his cause, and were in turn severely rebuked by him for
their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, and affection of piety in order to gain popularity.

"Sadducees"
4523 Saddoukaios (sad-doo-kah'-yos);
probably from 4524; a Sadducaean (i.e. Tsadokian), or follower of a certain heretical Israelite:
KJV-- Sadducee.
4524 Sadok (sad-oke');
of Hebrew origin [6659]; Sadoc (i.e. Tsadok), an Israelite:
KJV-- Sadoc.

4523 Saddoukaios-
Sadducees = "the righteous";
a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews, who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites, and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority. They denied the following doctrines:
a) resurrection of the body
b) immortality of the soul
c) existence of spirits and angels
d) divine predestination, affirmed free will

Do we still have "Pharisees" and "Sadducees" among us?
Absolutely, yet they are now called by their 'acceptable' denominational names.

Let's look a bit closer at these two groups.

In the definition of the "Pharisees", the Strong's suggests comparing the Hebrew word #6567.

6567 (KJV)
Lev 24:12
12 And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them. (KJV)

Num 15:34
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. (KJV)

Neh 8:8
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (KJV)

Prov 23:32
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. (KJV)

Ezek 34:12
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.


Note in Ezekiel 34:12, only the "scattered" in the phrase "his sheep that are scattered" is this Hebrew word #6567.
The whole phrase "they have been scattered" is one word in the Hebrew ; it is the Hebrew word #6327, which is a different definition.

The Hebrew word #6567 has been translated into the English as "might be shewed", "it was declared", "declared", "distinctly", "stingeth", and "scattered".
6567 parash (paw-rash');
a primitive root; to separate, literally (to disperse) or figuratively (to specify); also (by implication) to wound:
KJV-- scatter, declare, distinctly, shew, sting.

6567 parash-
1) to make distinct, to declare, to distinguish, to separate
a) (Qal) to declare, to clarify
b) (Pual) to be distinctly declared
2) (Hiphil) to pierce, to sting
3) (Niphal) to scatter

In the definition of the "Sadducees", from the prime root #4524, the Strong's suggests comparing the Hebrew word #6659.
6659 Tsadowq (tsaw-doke');
from 6663; just; Tsadok, the name of eight or nine Israelites:
KJV-- Zadok.
6663 tsadaq (tsaw-dak');
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense):
KJV-- cleanse, clearself, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ifyself), (be turn to) righteous (-ness).

6659 Tsadowq-
Zadok = "righteous";
1) the high priest, son of Ahitub of the house of Eleazar the son of Aaron, and 11th in descent from Aaron; joined
David after Saul's death and supported him against Absalom and Adonijah; anointed Solomon as king
2) a priest, son of Meraioth, father of Meshullam of the house of Ahitub; apparently a nephew of 1 (see above)
3) the father of Jerusha, the wife of king Uzziah and mother of King Jotham of Judah
4) son of Baana and a repairer of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah
5) a son of Immer and a repairer of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah
6) a leader of the people in the time of Nehemiah
7) a scribe appointed by Nehemiah as one of the treasurers over the storehouse
8) a valiant warrior of the tribe of Benjamin who joined David at Hebron. Same as meaning no. 1?

Through this we can see that the "Sadducees" were those who had originally come out of the priesthood, Zadok, but had gone astray. Was this due to the Kenites mixing into the priesthood? Or, were they Kenites first, who mixed themselves into the priesthood?

The Pharisees were a prideful group. Their behavior was as though they thought themselves to be superior and special.
The pompous manner and dress of these prideful 'religious' men was a way that these used to make themselves popular with the people and the government.
But, they denied YAHSHUA, JESUS CHRIST, and were in fact, bitter adversaries of HIM and HIS teachings.

Could there be men today in the pulpits who are actually working against YAHSHUA...against YAHOVAH'S SAVIOR?
Have you seen the so-called religious men, who wear elaborate costumes to show themselves as being something special?
Have heard what these men teach? Do they teach YAHOVAH'S Truth, or they just "putting on the dog" in order to fill their houses and "hornswaggle" the flocks for the tithes they can collect.
Yes, these speak of a Messiah, but yet their actions and teachings are contrary to that which YAHSHUA taught and did.

Think not that these Pharisees have remained within Judah only (claiming to be Jews), for they have spread like a plague into the seminaries and into the pulpits of many denominations and religions. Many now call themselves "gentiles" or "descendants of Israel".

Now, the traditions of the Sadducees can be easily seen in many so-called 'Christian churches' today.
As these Sadducees of old, we can easily see that many of the churches today deny the resurrection of the body.
These teach "soul sleep". They teach that at the death of the flesh body, that the flesh body must be buried (entombed).
Their doctrinal teaching is that all who die in the flesh, remain in the grave until Jesus returns.
This misinterpretation of the scriptures was brought about because these teach that the soul/spirit does not exist until it was created in the flesh. These have no understanding of the immortality of the soul because they deny or have no understanding of the first Heaven age, and the 2nd Heaven age.

Now, are there Pharisees and Sadducees in the pulpits of the world today?
Yes, there are some, but many have simply taken on the ways and traditional teachings of these Pharisees and Sadducees.
Many are Christians who have gone astray from the path.

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism"
John was able to recognize these "Pharisees and Sadducees".
Can you discern these?
Our type of "John the Baptist", we have with us today, recognizes them, and he 'blasts' them openly and often, just as did John.

"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
What did he call them (and rightfully so)?

"generation"
1081 genema or gennema (ghen'-nay-mah);
from 1080; offspring; by analogy, produce (literally or figuratively):
KJV-- fruit, generation.
1080 gennao (ghen-nah'-o);
from a variation of 1085; to procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively, to regenerate:
KJV-- bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.
1085 genos (ghen'-os);
from 1096; "kin" (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective):
KJV-- born, country (-man), diversity, generation, kind (-red), nation, offspring, stock.

1081 gennema-
what has been born or begotten
a) the offspring or progeny of men or animals
b) the fruits of the earth, the produce of agriculture
1080 gennao-
1) used of men who fathered children
a) to be born
b) to be begotten;
used of women giving birth to children
2) metaphorically,
a) to engender, cause to arise, excite
b) in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his
way of life, to convert someone
c) used of God making Christ his son
d) used of God making men his sons through faith in Christ's work
1085 genos-
1) race
a) offspring
b) family
c) stock, race, nation, that is, nationality or descent from a particular people
d) the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort

"vipers"
2191 echidna (ekh'-id-nah);
of uncertain origin; an adder or other poisonous snake (literally or figuratively):
KJV-- viper.

2191 echidna-
a viper, offspring of vipers;
addressed to cunning, malignant, wicked men

Who is the snake that hisses and is the poisoner of minds/spirits?

"serpent"
5175 nachash (naw-khawsh');
from 5172; a snake (from its hiss):
KJV-- serpent.
5172 nachash (naw-khash');
a primitive root; properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate:
KJV-- X certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) X enchantment, learn by experience, X indeed, diligently observe.

5175 nachash-
a serpent, a snake
a) a serpent
b) an image (of a serpent)
c) a fleeing serpent (mythological)
5172 nachash-
to practice divination, to divine, to observe signs, to learn by experience, to diligently observe, to practice
fortunetelling, to take as an omen (Piel)
1) to practice divination
2) to observe the signs or omens

Gen 3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (KJV)

John 8:44
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (KJV)

"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

The prophets did.
Who has warned them?
Have you?
Our type of "John the Baptist", we have with us today, has warned them again and again.

Have we been told to warn them?

Ezek 3:17-21
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a
stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. (KJV)