THE PROMISED MESSIAH HAS COME .... A Serious Examination

The Promised Messiah Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1883-1908)

During the last decade of the 19th century, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) of Qadian, India, claimed that his advent was the fulfillment of the metaphorical prophecy of the second coming of Jesus of Nazareth. It was only natural that people of his time who were awaiting the imminent return of the original Jesus, son of Mary, would raise objection to his claim because his advent did not take place in the manner of their expectation.

Now, the question is: did they know how the prophecy regarding the second coming of the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) was fulfilled during the first advent of Jesus (peace be upon him)? How about you the reader, do you know how the prophecy regarding the second coming of the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) was fulfilled at the time of Jesus (peace be upon him)?

Two thousand plus years have passed since the advent of the Prophets John the Baptist (peace be upon him) and the Christ (peace be upon him), and yet the Jews have yet to accept and believe that the second coming of the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) mentioned in their scriptures is figurative speech. For thousands of years now they have been striking their heads against the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem beseeching the Christ to come. Though, at the advent of Christ (peace be upon him), their eyes were fixed to the skies in anticipation of the imminent return of the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him), to be followed by the Messiah Jesus (peace be upon him). Never did they realize that both Elijah and the Messiah had come and gone, but not in the way they had expected, nor in the manner and style they had assigned to the second advent of the Prophet Elijah. This event is from the account given in the Gospel of John Chapter 1, verse 19-25.

The Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) had appeared during the time of Ahab and Jezebel (1st King 17). His ministry came to a mysterious end when he was (supposedly) bodily raised up to heaven by a chariot of fire, and horses of fire as stated in 2nd Kings 2:9-11: 

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee… behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”.

It was prophesied in Malachi 4:5, that the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) will reappear before the coming of the Messiah (i.e. Jesus): 

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”.

This Book of Malachi is the last Book of the Old Testament. After which, by the advent of Christ Jesus (peace be upon him) four hundred years later, it had become common belief that the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) would descend bodily from heaven just as he was lifted up – in a chariot of fire. So when Jesus (peace be upon him) began his ministry, some Jews mistook him for Elijah (Matthew 16:14). When Jesus (peace be upon him) proclaimed himself to be the awaited Messiah, the question naturally arose: WHERE IS ELIJAH—because, it is written that the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) must return before the coming of the Messiah. So in Matthew 17:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus (peace be upon him), saying: 

“Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?”

Jesus (peace be upon him) answered and said unto them: 

“Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they desired. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he speak unto them of John the Baptist”.

It is very important to note that the prophecy of the second coming of the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) was metaphor just as the second coming of Jesus (peace be upon him) is also metaphor, and that John the Baptist (peace be upon him) in the time of Jesus (peace be upon him) was not the same person as the prophet Elijah (peace be upon him). He did not descend from the sky in a chariot, as was commonly expected by the Jews of his time. He was brought into this world by his parents – the Prophet Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth (peace be upon them) – like any other ordinary human being. However, the Prophet John the Baptist (peace be upon him) was identified as the one who fulfilled the prophecy of the second coming of Elijah in power and spirit by no other court than Jesus (peace be upon him) himself (Luke 1:13-17).

The Problem—what about the original Elijah (peace be upon him)…? Did he actually ascend to heaven bodily? If he had actually bodily gone up, then we should also have expected the same person to descend from heaven to fulfill the prophecy of his second advent. The fact that somebody else was appointed to represent Elijah indicates that the ascent of the Prophet Elijah to heaven should also be taken in a spiritual or metaphysical sense, not literal. Most of the Jews expected a literal descent and so many did not accept the divine office of John the Baptist (peace be upon him). By that they also rejected the claim of Jesus (peace be upon him) as their Messiah. Over two thousand years have passed and the descendants of all those who reject Jesus (peace be upon him) are still waiting for Elijah (peace be upon him) and their Messiah. They have not yet understood simple reality-the established laws of nature and wisdom despite their claim of being God’s chosen people. For them there is nothing but weep and wail beside a stone wall, beseeching the advent of Elijah and the Messiah who can never come. They can keep on waiting till the end of the world but no other Elijah or Messiah will ever come to fulfill the mission that John the Baptist and Jesus (peace be upon them) have fulfilled—to that, all Muslims and Christians are in agreement.

But still, today, the Jews are not alone in the inconsistency of being stupid and wise all at once. Though history has repeated itself, many Christians and Muslims apparently are not willing to learn from history.

There are many parallels in the stories of the return of Elijah the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the return of Jesus the Messiah (peace be upon him). It is commonly believed that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was bodily lifted to heaven (like Elijah) and he will return from heaven in great glory (like Elijah was supposed to come in a chariot of fire). But Elijah (peace be upon him) did not return as expected, so many Jews rejected John the Baptist (peace be upon him). The same people had no choice but to reject Jesus, the Messiah also. Now pause and reflect for a moment. What if the return of the Messiah (Jesus of Nazareth) is similarly different than common expectations; would you also reject as John the Baptist (peace be upon him) was rejected by most of his contemporaries? Suppose the Messiah does not return in a cloud with power and glory. Suppose he comes very quickly, unobserved by most people. As the Bible says: 

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10). 

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:42-44).

SO, DID HE COME AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT? YES he did! The one whom many looked heavenwards with sighs and longed that he should appear in their lifetime that they might be blessed by the sight of his advent came in the last decade of the 19th century. For Christians of that period, the event was a “Great Disappointment” because the Second Advent did not take place in the manner in which they expected. It came to pass that the Messiah came quietly, unobserved by the world while all the signs of his advent were fulfilled (as given in Luke 21, Matthew 24, Mark 13, etc.). He did not make a grand entrance with power and great glory. He came as a thief in the night. 

THE GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT AND TRIBULATION OF 1844
Fulfillment of prophecies which pointed to the coming of Christ in the late 19th century took hold of the minds of many Christians of that time. By the pen of many eye witnesses testimony was written; the following is an example: 

“As the message went from state to state there was everywhere awakened widespread interest. Many were convinced that the arguments from the prophetic periods were correct, and, sacrificing their pride of opinion, they joyfully received the truth. Some ministers laid aside their sectarian views and feelings, left their salaries and their churches, and united in proclaiming the coming of Jesus…” says Ellen G White, Author of The Great Controversy, p. 204.

From this eye witness account, it is not at all difficult to imagine what it must have meant for Christians of the last decades of the 19th century who were convinced beyond a shadow of doubt of the imminent return of Jesus. Encountered by signs which were clear and convincing, Christians could not have been mistaken as signs pointed to the fulfillment of prophecies of the second coming of Christ. Preaching the imminent return of Jesus was a joy to the ears of listeners whose eyes were transfixed to the sky anticipating the descent of Christ. “Liquor dealers abandoned their traffic and turned the shops into meeting rooms; gambling dens were broken up; infidels, deists, Universalists, and even the most abandoned profligates were reformed, some of whom had not entered a house of worship for years. Prayer meetings were established by the various denominations, in different quarters at almost every hour, businessmen assembling at midday for prayer and praise. There was no extravagant excitement, but an almost universal solemnity on the minds of the people says Ellen G White, Author of The Great Controversy p. 183.

However, the Second Advent of Jesus was to be a time of mourning as foretold in Matthew 24:30; “and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn.” What can be more convincing of the fulfillment of this prophecy than the testimony of those who themselves experienced both the joy of waiting and the pain and suffering of being disappointed. Hiram Edson, in reminiscing, described the feelings of his experience and wrote: 

“Passing over the other like manifestations of the power of God, we glance at our disappointment at the tenth of the seventh month, 1844. Having the true cry, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, on the tenth day of the seventh month, and having been early taught by modern orthodoxy that the coming of the Bridegroom to the marriage would be fulfilled in the personal second advent of Christ to this earth, we confidently expected to see Jesus Christ and all the holy angels with him; and that his voice would call up Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the ancient worthies, and dear friends which had been torn from us by death, and that our trials and sufferings, with our earthly pilgrimage would close, and we should be caught up to meet our coming Lord to be forever with him, to inhabit bright golden mansions in the golden home city prepared for the redeemed. Our expectations were raised high, and thus we looked for our coming Lord until the clock tolled 12, at midnight. The day had then passed and our disappointment became a certainty. Our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted, and such a spirit of weeping came over us as I never experienced before. It seemed that the loss of all earthly friends could have been no comparison. We wept, and wept, till the day dawn. I mused in my own heart, saying: My advent experience has been the richest and brightest of all my Christian experiences. If this had proved a failure, what was the rest of my Christian experience worth? Has the Bible proved a failure? Is there no God, no heaven, no golden home city, no paradise? Is all this but a cunningly devised fable? Is there no reality to our fondest hope and expectation of these things? And thus we had something to grieve and weep over, if all our fond hopes were lost. And as I said, we wept till the day dawn”. [Cited to: George Butler S. N. Haskell – 1844 Re-Examined Syllabus / 1979 Present Truth Magazine, Inc.]

Frederick Douglass, in reminiscing about his experience during his moments of waiting says: 

“I witnessed this gorgeous spectacle, and was awe-struck. The air seemed filled with bright descending messengers from the sky …I was not without the suggestion at the moment that I might be the harbinger of the coming of the Son of Man; and in my then state of mind I was prepared to hail Him as my friend and deliverer. I had read that ‘the stars shall fall from heaven,’ and they were now falling.”’ [Life of Time of Frederick Douglass, 1941 ed. P. 117. Bible Reading For The Home]

For years, says the World Encyclopedia; “Miller studied the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament Book of Daniel and the New Testament Book of Revelation. After many calculations, he announced in 1831 that the Second Advent would occur in 1843 or 1844. Thousands of people believed him, and many sold their possessions. His followers waited for the coming of Christ and the end of the world. When the world did not end in 1844, many of Miller’s followers were bitterly disappointed. They abandoned his Adventist movement to form new ones. The largest one—the Seventh-day Adventist Church.” [World Encyclopedia, p. 60]. 

Ellen G White, founder of the Seventh Day Adventist Church tells in her writings of herself dissolving into tears and remaining so for months when the time had passed at which she expected to see Jesus (peace be upon him) descending from the sky. In her famous book, The Great Controversy, she tells the experience of her Christian brethren in the following words: 

“When the time passed at which the Lord’s coming was first expected–in the spring of 1844 – those who had looked in faith for his appearing were for a season involved in doubt and uncertainty. While the world regarded them as having been utterly defeated and proved to have been cherishing a delusion... Many continued to search the Scriptures, examining anew the evidences of their faith and carefully studying the prophecies to obtain further light. The Bible testimony in support of the position seemed clear and conclusive. Signs which could not be mistaken pointed to the coming of Christ as near. The special blessing of the Lord, both in the conversion of sinners and revival of spiritual life among Christians, had testified that the message was from Heaven. And the believers could not explain their disappointment…” [The Great Controversy, p. 218].

Having read these testimonies, the metaphorical prophecy was fulfilled nevertheless. The disappointment experienced by Christians does not mean that their calculations were totally wrong—because the prophecy found fulfilled in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) of Qadian, India. In the last decade of the 19th century; when the time for the fulfillment of prophecies drew near, through revelation, God informed him of his mission. No doubt, if Jesus (peace be upon him) had descended bodily from heaven and had appeared among Christians just as they had anticipated, this would have proved Christianity as true and that Jesus (peace be upon him) had ascended bodily to heaven. Moreover, it would have proved Islam as false and this would have been its death blow while it was at its lowest state of decline. Instead, and in fact, the second advent of Jesus was to mark the revival of Islam as prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Regarding the fulfilment of the prophecy of Matthew 24:30; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) wrote: 

“ …The statement that all nations of the earth would mourn suggests that all those people to whom the term ‘nation’ applies would mourn on that day; they would beat their breasts and cry, and great would be their mourning. Christians had better study this verse a little carefully and consider. When the verse prophesies that all nations would beat their breasts, how then is it possible that Christians shall stay away from this mourning? ‘Are they not a nation? When in accordance with this verse, they are part of those who shall beat their breasts, why then are they not concerned about their salvation? Anyone who says that his people will not mourn denies Jesus (peace be upon him). Only those who are yet a small minority cannot be the people hinted at in the prophecy, as a nation. These people are none but us. Ours is the only community, which is outside the sense and scope of this prophecy, for this community has yet only a few adherents to whom the term ‘nation’ cannot be applied. Jesus (peace be upon him), on the authority of divine revelation, says that when a particular sign appears in the heavens all the people of the world who, on account of their numbers, deserve to be described as a nation will beat their breasts, there will be no exception but those who are small in number and to whom the term nation cannot apply. Neither Christians, nor Muslims, nor Jews, nor any other denier, can keep out of the purview of this prophecy. Our community alone is outside its scope for God has only just sowed us like a seed …The group which has not yet attained the size of a nation is in any case an exception, and that is our community. This prophecy has been clearly fulfilled in this age, for the truth, which has now been revealed regarding, Jesus (peace be upon him), is undoubtedly the cause of mourning for all these nations, because it has exposed the error of their thinking. The hue and cry of Christians over the divinity of Jesus (peace be upon him) turns into sighs of grief; the insistence of Muslims day in and day out that Jesus (peace be upon him) has gone up to the skies alive, changes into weeping and wailing; and as for the Jews, they stand to lose everything. [Jesus in India, pp. 43-45].

Many have not learned form history. The original Elijah (peace be upon him) did not return, John the Baptist (peace be upon him) appeared in the power and spirit of Elijah. In exactly the same manner, the same Jesus of Nazareth did not return. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) of Qadian, India came in the power and spirit of Jesus (peace be upon him). But many have not learned from history. The Jews rejected John the Baptist (peace be upon him) because he was not the same original Elijah (peace be upon him), and so the world rejected the new Messiah because he was not the same, son of Mary of Nazareth. Jesus (peace be upon him) himself is reported to have said: 

 
“Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).

The Messiah of the age says that he has been appointed in the name of Jesus (peace be upon him), but he has been rejected by a majority, as predicted.