Isaiah thus described the longing of God s rebellious people. These men handle the holy things rather with wit and entertainment than with godly fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-destroyers. They are like evil surgeons, that skin over the wound, but never heal it. Flattery destroyed Ahab and Herod, Nero and Alexander.
False teachers are hell s great enrichers.
It is not bitter, but flattering words which do all the mischief, said Valerian, the Roman emperor. The second distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they are notable for casting dirt, scorn and reproach upon the person, names, and credits of Christ s most faithful ambassadors. And indeed the same harsh treatment had our Lord Jesus from the scribes and Pharisees, who labored as if their life depended on it, to construct their own esteem upon the ruins of His reputation. The third distinguishing mark of false teachers is that they spew out the devices and visions of their own heads and hearts. The Lord said to me.