The True Name of God

Man has always sought to give a name to the Creator. Moses asked Him what his name was; He answered: “I Am He Who Is”, in Hebrew this is “YHVH”, and means “The One Who Is”, the Being par excellence. He continues: “This is what you must say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you…’ This is my Name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come.” (Exodus 3,13-15) This name indicates the existence of the unique Creator, “The One Who Is”, as opposed to the pagan and mythological gods who “are not”; who do not exist.

Thus, the Creator’s Name is neither “Elohim”, nor “Allah”, nor “Dieu”, nor “God”, nor “Theos”, nor “Deus” or “Dio”, etc… according to the different languages, nor YHVH even. As the Creator revealed His Name in Hebrew, a language in which this word has a meaning as we have explained; this Name reveals his Essence, his Being, his Personality, his transcendent Nature: eternal, uncreated. The Name “YHVH” does not make any sense in any other language. Indeed, to understand the Name “YHVH” for example, one should understand Hebrew. And yet, it is to the whole of humanity, and in all languages, that the Creator wants to be revealed. His Name must have a significance in the language in which man invokes Him and must have the possibility of being translated in other languages while reproducing the exact sense of the word. The Name “YHVH” has no sense in French, English, Chinese, etc…

On the other hand, how do we translate the word “Deus” in Arabic or English? Impossible! Because this word has no sense, it does not describe the quality of the Creator’s Essence. YHVH, on the contrary, means the “BEING” in English, “L’ÊTRE” in French, “L’ESSERE” in Italian, “DAS SEIN” in German, “AL-KAEN” in Arabic, etc… These Names interpolate man because they are able to understand its sense, and lead them to reflect on their spiritual commitments, to finally discover the existential Personality of the Unique Creator.

All other “names” attributed to the Creator are inspired, or translated from paganism and mythology. So “Dieu”, “Deus”, “Theos”, “Dio” emanate from “Zeus”, the god of Greek mythology. They are peculiar names that make no sense whatsoever, and so disfigure the Being ‘par excellence’; they leave us rather indifferent towards him as they do not reveal the paternal and affectionate Face of the Father, without character, with no aspect of his personality.

Similarly, the Name YHVH only reveals a transcendent aspect, “cold” rather, which does not touch the heart of man, is not inviting to God’s love, nor does it reveal the Creator’s love for his creation. It was the premier significant contact by He who created man, desiring to make Himself known as the Unique Source and Cause of their existence on earth.

With time, the Israelis became unfaithful to the Lord in adoring the environing mythical gods. They thus soiled his Holy Name by placing Him at the level of these false gods. The Almighty denounced this apostasy by his prophets: “they have profaned my holy name among the nations where they have gone, so that people say of them, ‘These are the people of Yahweh…’ I mean to display the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am YHVH” (Ezekiel 36,16-23).

Also, after this, the prophecies announce that the Creator’s true Name, his Hallowed Name, would be revealed much later. It came to the Messiah, a suffering Messiah who was persecuted to death, to reveal this true Name which englobes the infinite, essential, intellectual and affective qualities of He who was before the world existed. David’s messianic Psalm describes, 1000 years before his Advent, the Messiah’s Passion to come. It is through this sufferance that this Messenger reveals to the world the Creator’s true Name. David makes Him say:

“A pack of dogs surrounds me, a gang of villains closes me in; they pierce me hand and foot and leave me lying down in the dust of death… I shall proclaim your Name to my brothers, praise You in full assembly…” (Psalms 22,16-23)

When Jesus came, He kept His promise: at the eve of his Passion, in the presence of his apostles, “his brothers”, addressing Himself to his Father, who became thus, through Him, theirs and ours as well, said to them:

“I have made your Name known to the men you took from the world to give me… I have made your Name known to them and will re-reveal It to them (again therefore, in the future, as we will see further), so that the love with which You loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.” (John 17,6 / 17,26)

The apostles realized, by their faith in Jesus, that they were adopted children by the Father:

“The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave anymore…” (Galatians 4,6-7 / Romans 8,15)

Thus, we pass, by the Messiah’s Passion, from the intellectual Name of YHVH, to a Name of intimate Love: The Creator is only love for the brothers of his Messiah, this Messiah who gave them his own Father for Father: “Go to my brothers and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father…” says Jesus to Mary Magdalene (John 20,17). It is by Jesus, that the Creator’s true Name was revealed to the whole world.

Jesus insisted on revealing the Creator’s paternal dimension. He taught his disciples to invoke Him as Father: “You should pray like this: Our Father in Heaven, may your Name be held holy…” (Matthew 6,9). God’s Name is sanctified in us by the discovery of his affectionate feature of a Father towards his faithful children… yet terrible towards infidels.

This is how his Holy Name is sanctified! Let him understand who can!

By Jesus, the Creator’s paternity becomes accessible to believers of all races and nations, contrary to the Jewish pretension that YHVH is the monopoly of the Israelites. Jesus, and his disciples after Him, opened up the paternity of the Creator to the whole world. In fact, Paul says: “Is God the God of Jews alone and not of the pagans too? Of the pagans too, most certainly!” (Romans 3,29) And so, Ezekiel’s prophecy is fulfilled: “The nations will know that I am YHVH”.

However, the revelation of this Holy Name does not stop at the time of Christ. Jesus had said: “… and I will re-reveal It to them”, in the future therefore, as mentioned above. In a heartfelt cry, Jesus had already asked: “Father, glorify your Name!” The response was immediate: “I have glorified It (by Jesus) and I will glorify It again (at the Apocalyptic times)” (John 12,28).

It is in our Apocalyptic era of the end of times that Jesus reveals, again, like a reminder, the Father’s true Name. This reminder of the Divine Name is due to the fact that believers from all sides –Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc…– have disfigured the Face of the Creator and the purity of faith by their actions. To the purity of faith, they mingled politics, fanaticism, material worship, laxity, ignorance, immorality, spiritism, etc… Jesus had foreseen all this. It is the reason for which He had said that He has to reveal it, again, in the future, this Holy Name.

Throughout the past, the Father’s Name was tarnished. Today, so-called Christians have tarnished the Son’s Name. Today, it is a question of sanctifying, anew, both these Holy Names.
This Holy Mission is conferred to the Apostles of the Book of Revelation. They already accomplish this by denouncing the various betrayals of the faith according to the apocalyptic command: “You are to prophesy AGAIN, this time against many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.” (Revelation 10,11). The resumption of this witnessing will allow many to see the Father through the face, also sanctified, of his Christ: “It is He who is coming… everyone will see Him, even those who pierced Him… (Revelation 1,7) … The deaf, that day, will hear the words of the Book and, after shadow and darkness (prevalent by false believers), the eyes of the blind will see.” (Isaiah 29,18)

Indeed, the Book of Revelation reveals that, in our days, the Messiah carries a new Name, sanctified, which only true devotees will recognize. In fact, the name of Jesus is no longer found today in the traditional churches. True believers will discover it and deserve to have it engraved in their hearts, forever, the true Name of the Father:

“Those who prove victorious I will make him into pillars in the sanctuary of my God… I will inscribe on them the Name of my God… and my own new Name as well.” (Revelation 3,12)

“I saw Heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider… is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were flames of fire (of wrath)… the Name written on Him was known only to Himself…” (Revelation 19,11-12)

“The angel harvested the whole vintage of the earth and put it into a huge winepress, the winepress of God’s anger! (Revelation 14,19) … The seven plagues that are the last of all, because they exhaust the Anger of God… (Revelation 15,1) … The nations were seething with rage and now the time has come for your own anger, and for the dead to be judged, and for your servants the prophets, for the saints and for all who worship you, small or great, to be rewarded. The time has come to destroy those who are destroying the earth.” (Revelation 11,18)

Thus, the Creator’s Apocalyptic Name, besides that of Love, is: severe Judge and fiery Wrath towards the wicked against whom “He is a warrior in Justice”.

The Creator’s Name has a double sense: “Father of Love” to his faithful children and “Pitiless Judge” to rebels. He has an eye of infinite love towards his children, and an eye of ardent fury towards the enemies of his Messiah, the enemies of virtue and faith. It is to us to choose between the love of God and his just Anger.

However, God’s Name is multiple: He is also “the Eternal”, “the Merciful”, “the Almighty”, “the Omniscient”, “the Creator”, “the Unique”, “the Terrible”, etc… The Qur’an gives Him 99 Names applicable to His Essence. All these qualifying Names, unlike those of “God”, “Allah”, “Dieu”, etc… –which are proper names (like Robert, etc…)– are translatable in all languages, to give a meaning, a quality of its multiple character which define a particular personality of this Uncreated Being, and Creator of everything.

To better deceive the believers, the Devil begins by giving them a false image and different names of the Creator. These names and conceptions are the premier cause of division amongst believers. This is how he acts when he fails to convince them with atheism. This false image also necessarily carries a false name that deviates believers. In our times, the Apocalyptic Beast is the satanic weapon of choice to distort the true Name.

The greater part of humanity has a false image of Jesus. They only see His gentle and humble aspect, even as a point of weakness vis-a-vis his enemies. They think that this attitude should be that of every Christian, even in facing injustice. This is largely due to what Jesus had said to the Jews: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, etc…” (Matthew 5,44 / Luke 6,27)

These people forget which audience Jesus was addressing himself to: “But I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies…” (Luke 6,27). So, He was addressing himself to the Jews who were listening to Him and who were expecting Him to assemble them for war against the Romans, to these Jews who maltreated the locals of the land (Samaritans and others: see the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’, Luke 10,29-37). For the Jews, all non-Jews, the “Goyim”, were enemies against whom they practiced violence. It is this unjust violence that Jesus accuses, condemning those who practice it.

This exhortation of also presenting the other cheek, is not addressed to the disciples of Jesus as long as they do not fall into injustice. The person who commits an injustice deserves the slap and should even offer the other cheek, grateful to have been made aware of his fault for his salvation. Jesus Himself took the whip to the middle of the Temple and applied it without measure on those who were exploiting the faith (John 2,13-17). Did He not also command his disciples of the End of Times: “As for my enemies, who did not want me for their King, bring them here and execute them in my presence” (Luke 19,27). Jesus did not lend the other cheek, not even, to the one who struck Him at his trial: “If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offense in it, why do you strike me?”, replying dryly to the guard (John 18,23).

On the cross, Jesus, in saying: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Luk 23,34), was addressing this prayer in favor of the poor Roman soldiers “who knew not what they were doing”, and to whom they were doing it. Their ignorance was justified and pardonable because they knew not the prophecies of Scripture concerning Him. And yet, this was not the case of the Jews and their religious leaders at the top who knew the prophecies, to whom Jesus addressed these words of condemnation: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…” (Matthew 23,13-32). Here are the enemies of Jesus who refuse His Kingship and whose slaughter He demands.

A young girl, Joan of Arc, Saint Joan of Arc fought for justice until martyrdom. She understood the Spirit of Jesus, which the majority of Christians, religious leaders included, understand nothing of. It is time to restore the authentic image of Christ, to discover his real, his “new Name”, as expressed in John’s Revelation. It is a grace accorded by Christ to all those who recognize the real name of the Apocalyptic Beast and who fight it:

“Those who prove victorious… I will inscribe on them the name of my God… and my own new name as well (Revelation 3,12 / 19,11-13) … if anyone is clever enough, he may interpret the number (identity) of the beast.” (Revelation 13,18)

Blessed are the combatants against the Apocalyptic Beast! They understand the Spirit of Jesus, which is a Spirit of Justice, and of combat when need be! They will discover, even more profoundly, the Name of Love of the Father and of the Son:

“The rightful inheritance of the one who proves victorious: I will be his God and he a son to me. But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word… is the second death in the burning lake of Sulphur.” (Revelation 21,7)

On the contrary, the Father says of the faithful who triumph over Evil in this world:

“I will be his God, and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21,7)

In order to discover, closely, the true Name of the multiple faces of the Father, his diverse Face, all his wonderful Qualities, let us put into practice this precious advice from James:

“Resist the devil (by resisting, today, the Beast and his works), and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer He will come to you…” (James 4,7-8)

The nearer we approach God, the more we discover how much “God is Love” (1 John 4,8). But also, those who move away from Him discover, according to the expression of Thérèse d’Avila, that “Love is terrible when It is not loved”.

Finally, let us remember that Jesus recommended us to first ask the Father above all: “Hallow be Thy Name”, because from this sanctification, which helps us to truly know the Creator, all graces flow:

“And Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17,3)

Father, that Your Name is hallowed and glorified… within us! Amen!

Prayer of Charles de Foucauld

“MY FATHER
I abandon myself to Thee,
Do with me what you will.
Whatever you do with me,
I thank you,
I am ready for all, I accept all.

As long as Your Will is done,
In me, in all your creatures,
I desire nothing more
My God.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you, my God,
With all the love of my heart,
For I love you, and it is
My need of love, to
Give myself, to surrender myself into Your
Hands without reserve, with an
Infinite confidence, for You are
MY FATHER.”