Yep, and he wrote letters rebuking those 'someone elses' and warning the believers if these 'someone elses' weren't preaching the truth. Elsewhere he says he doesn't mind what motives they have for preaching the Gospel As long as the Gospel is preached. So, the question is, is the gospel being preached accurately?
Read 2 Peter 2 for a small sample of what Paul spent much of his time writing. Kinda nasty and harsh if you ask me. He should be put on church trial for that sin. And, I'm sure he was ostracized, in the churches which chose to follow the leaders he was referring to there.
Balaam heard the voice of the Lord... but that did not mean he was very obedient to him:
22But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.
23When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way.
24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall, [ouch!!! if you have ever had that happen you know how painful it is] so he struck her again.
26The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left.
27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick.
28And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
29Then Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now."
30The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, "No."
31Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw (U)the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.
32The angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was (contrary to me.
33"But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live."
34Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "(W)I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back."
35But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you." So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
I can only pray that these church leaders get on to v 34 and 35... because I do not want the Lord to bring judgement on them. Why is it that Balaam heard from the Lord but then couldn't see him standing in his way? Is it because he was focused on something other than obedience to God? (e.g. satisfying his earthly longing for status, approval, and money which he was promised from Balak if he would do something God didn't want him to do.) God told Balaam to go ahead and finish the journey, but to only speak what he told him. Apparently Balaam had in mind to speak something else, which is why his way was perverse before the Lord.
But as you know Balaam again turned away from the Lord later on, continually mixing pagan ways with the Lord's ways, of which mixing the Lord does not approve and for which, when the Israelites were being righteous, they had put him to death according to the law. I'm not suggesting violence is still the way we deal with false teachers by any means. But public rebuke and marking of false teachers is commanded and exemplified all throughout the Bible. Read Jude... he was originally going to write a wonderful uplifting letter but felt led to write a warning instead. It's pretty harsh, again. And note where the false teachers come from ... from 'among you.'
Thank you for the thread and post.