The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 58
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI. This metaphor has been used in the Old Testament about other prophets as well. . As we have already written that the prophecy about the second advent or the second coming of Jesus has been fulfilled by. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India. This is what he claimed. All the signs about the second coming, as foretold by Jesus in the New Testament, have already appeared. A Christian reader may have difficulty in understanding the concept that the prophecy about the second coming of Jesus being fulfilled by a spiritual reformer or. Messiah who was a Muslim. Moreover his manner of coming was not like what most Christians have expected. In answer to this, we should remember that many prophecies in scriptures are not fulfilled in a literal fashion and there is usually an element of unknown, which requires interpretation. For example, among Jews there was a prophecy that Prophet Elijah who had ascended into heaven in a chariot drawn by horses (II Kings, 2:11) would return to earth preceding the coming of Messiah -- promised to them (Malachi 4:5). . Elijah never appeared in the manner the Jews had expected. Jesus, when confronted with this prophecy, said that John the Baptist was indeed Elijah. In other words, John the Baptist had come in the power and spirit of Elijah. He had not descended literally from heaven or the sky but had spiritual resemblance to Elijah and thus fulfilled the prophecy. . Many Jews were also expecting a king Messiah or a warrior. Messiah who would deliver Palestine from Roman rule. We know well that Jesus was not what the Jews expected. Thus in this age,. Hadhrat Ahmad claimed to fulfill the prophecy of the second coming of Jesus. He had come in the power and spirit of Jesus. His personality, his mission, his spirit, his history all had close resemblance to Jesus. Whereas mission of Jesus was as the Messiah for Israelites only, Hadhrat Ahmad claims to be the Promised Messiah for Muslims, Christians and indeed all mankind because he is a deputy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) whose message is universal. 58