Errors of Judaism

These represent different errors in Judaism.

Pharisees were legalists and had spirtual authority, but abused. They were popular with the masses.

Sadducees rejected the resurrection, angels and spirits (cf. Mark 12.18, Luke 20.27, Acts 23.8 ). They also only accepted the 5 books of Moses. Sadducees were aloof from the masses and unpopular. It was a closed group as well.

Essenes were into monasticism, ascentism and further legalisms and a small group, seemingly with even higher standards, even extreme by Pharisees' standards. They were not even mentioned in the NT.

Herodians (Mark 3.6, Matt. 22.16) were Jews of influence well disposed to Herodian rule, so Romans supported them.

Zealots (Luke 6.15) were patriots resisting Rome at all costs. Their fanaticism brought on the war during which the army of Titus destroyed Jerusalem and it's Temple in 70 A.D.

ALL 5 GROUPS DO NOT REPRESENT THE ISRAEL OF OLD THAT WAS GOD'S CHOSEN ONES, THAT IS, THE FIRST NATION AS A WHOLE HE REVEALED HIMSELF TOO.

Do you realize you might fall, depending on your flavor of the month or year in your oscillating emotions, into the same disputes already promoted over 1900 years ago in the Pharisees and the Sadducees fully weeded out in the Scriptures? The former believed in the resurrection, while the later thought the soul ends. The former were dead fundamentalists while the latter were modernists and like liberal theology today. There are other groups in those days that depicted the same mentalities today, such as the Essenes (extreme legalistically ascetics), Zealots (rejected the 2nd Temple), Herodians (married to Rome), Marconites (reject the law, they were lawless), Ebionites (Jewistic only), Montanistics (screamers and false tongues), Gnostics (too much in their head, not reaching their spirit) and Thomasines (new age, all kinds of bizarre theories).

Here we see the various kinds of excuses of man's flesh.

Jesus never asked us to be ascetics and to crucify the flesh, for it has already been crucified with Christ on the Christ putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and the old man on that cross so we are resurrected into new life. If special knowledge were needed then only the learned could be saved, but the Gospel is preached unto babes. If you don't know you are a sinner, how will you ever repent? If you are in love with the system, how will you be able to let go of it? If you love new age and spiritism, then how will you distinguish between evil spirits and God's angels? If you judaize Christianity in the RCC, how will you experience rending the veil rent? If you reject the Temple of God in the OT, how will you come into fellowship? If you legalize everything outwardly, how will experience His life indwardly? If you can't accept Christ was resurrected you call Him a liar and those who saw Him in various group sizes? God is infinitely ahead of you in these vain errors.