False shepherds, whom God has not appointed, pose a grave threat to the flock. Jesus describes such individuals as thieves and robbers who access the sheep without going through Him, coming to steal, kill, and destroy, though their destructive intent may not always be evident. He also speaks of hirelings who care not for the sheep but for their own safety, abandoning the flock in times of greatest need rather than laying down their lives for them. God pronounces woe on shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of His pasture, driving them away and failing to attend to their needs. He declares that His people have been lost sheep, led astray by shepherds who have become dull-hearted and have not sought the Lord, resulting in scattered flocks and a lack of prosperity. Additionally, some shepherds feed themselves instead of the flock, ruling with cruelty and force, neglecting to strengthen, heal, bind the broken, bring back the driven away, or seek the lost. Though this often applies to physical leaders of Israel, it also pertains to spiritual shepherds of God's flock, highlighting the danger of destructive under-shepherds who fail to reflect the care of the Chief Shepherd.

Sometimes, circumstances scatter Christians, leaving the sheep without a shepherd, vulnerable and isolated. However, if sheep choose to reject the under-shepherds gifted by the Chief Shepherd, they willfully step outside His established order, placing themselves in grave danger. Such sheep risk turning to their own way, developing bad spiritual habits, becoming prey for satan, and ultimately growing malnourished and spiritually diseased. Christ establishes that sheep must submit to godly shepherds, comparing their instruction with God's Word, while always obeying God over men when the two conflict. In recent decades, the church of God has unraveled, causing agitation among the flock. Some shepherds grow suspicious or contemptuous of other shepherds, engaging in turf-wars and sheep-rustling, inciting further unrest. Sheep who have suffered abuse or neglect from hireling or derelict shepherds become less inclined to trust others, and peace suffers. God warns through Ezekiel that dominant sheep may push weaker ones, scattering them, while defiling the pasture. Some shepherds, losing focus on the Good Shepherd, elevate themselves, using and abusing the sheep rather than tending and feeding them. Both sheep and shepherds risk becoming bogged down in worldly pressures, contributing to the ongoing unrest in the church. Despite this chaos, the Good Shepherd remains in control, limiting the harm hirelings can cause and overseeing the under-shepherds to fulfill His will.