Well I do prefer to take my counsel from the Lord as our history together has shown He has never steered me wrong.
However the Lord did speak that there would be, as there was in His time, false teachers “within” the church itself and why He spoke of not relying on man...rather He encouraged us to search ‘the scriptures’ to see if what is being stated is of God or not...for there are indeed many deceivers in our world today, just as there was at that time.
Interesting that you speak of “we” which would suppose you’re speaking as the collective within the catholic faith and it’s leadership. Whereas it has seemed clear to me to me ‘we’ will ‘each’ be accountable to Christ as individuals for what we believe...right or wrong. Although there is warning to teachers about what they do teach, which seems to place a heavier accountability on them for what they instruct. Therefore they had better have Christ’s assurance that what they are teaching is the truth.
As for catholicism being around for 2000 years, that really doesn’t attest to if they are right or wrong...as Jesus did warn us the tares and the wheat will grow amidst one another....yet one or the other surely is wrong...both cannot be right...but they both will be until that day.
You see deceivers did go out “from among them”, or the “we” in that day...and they do so today as well....so they have “prevailed” until this time.
Which is why He left us a Church immunized against the heresies of men. That aside, from your comments am I to conclude that you reject Gamaliel’s Counsel?