Connect Isaiah 65:15 with New Testament teachings on God's judgment and redemption. Isaiah 65:15—A Launch Point “ You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.” In one breath, the verse unveils two unshakable realities: decisive judgment and gracious redemption. Two Parallel Tracks: Judgment and Redemption • Judgment on rebels: “the Lord GOD will slay you” • Blessing for the faithful: “He will give another name” These themes flow straight into the New Testament. Judgment Echoed in the New Testament • Matthew 25:46 — “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” • Romans 2:5-6 — “Because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself… He will repay each one according to his deeds.” • 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 — “The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels… inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God.” • Revelation 20:12-15 — The final judgment scene mirrors Isaiah’s warning: names not found in the Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire. God’s justice is consistent from prophet to apostle—He deals decisively with sin. Redemption and the Gift of a New Name • Revelation 2:17 — “To the one who overcomes… I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written that no one knows except the one who receives it.” • Revelation 3:12 — “I will write upon him the name of My God… and My new name.” • 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” • 1 Peter 2:10 — “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.” The promise in Isaiah of “another name” blossoms into full identity in Christ—new creation, new citizenship, new destiny. Connecting the Dots • Old Testament curse → New Testament condemnation (John 3:18) • “The Lord GOD will slay you” → Christ executes final judgment (Acts 17:31) • “His servants” → the church, called “saints” (Romans 1:7) • “Another name” → the believer’s secure identity and eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14) Living in the Tension • Take the certainty of judgment seriously; God’s warnings are never hollow. • Rest in the certainty of redemption; His promises to His servants are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). • Let the coming new name shape today’s choices—holiness, perseverance, and hope. A Closing Snapshot Isaiah 65:15 stands as an early, Spirit-breathed sketch of the gospel’s twin messages: the severity of God toward unbelief and the kindness of God toward His own. The New Testament simply colors in what the prophet outlines—final wrath for the unrepentant, everlasting honor for the redeemed. |
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