Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), in accordance with the revelations from Allah the Almighty, claimed to be the Promised Messiah. He claimed that Jesus (as) of Nazareth had passed away and  is not alive in Heaven. He said that the prophecy for the return of the Messiah mentioned in the Ahadith and even in the Bible was a metaphor for a man who would resemble and reflect the condition of Jesus (as). Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) did not say he was the reincarnation of Jesus (as), rather he reflected him in spirit and condition. As Jesus (as) was the Messiah for the Jews, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was the Messiah for the Muslims and the whole world. He proved that the prophecy for Jesus’s return was metaphorical just like the prophecy of Elijah’s return (mentioned in the Torah) was metaphorical. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) through powerful proofs from the Holy Quran,  ahadith, the Bible and historical proofs showed that Jesus (as) had died a natural death on this earth in Kashmir, India and was not going to literally return.

Hazrat Ahmad (as) stated:

“I have mentioned previously that I have come in the spirit of Jesus, son of Mary, for the reformation of this Ummah in the same manner Jesus (as) was sent to reform the Jews. For this very reason I have appeared in the likeness of Jesus, son of Mary (as) and I have been commissioned with the same task that was assigned to him. After his advent, the Messiah (as) removed the harmful innovations and erroneous beliefs held by the Jews. One of those beliefs was that the Jews believed that Elijah would appear in this world again. In the same way, the Muslims of today believe that Jesus, son of Mary (as) would descend from the heavens. Thus, the Messiah (as) stated that Elijah would not descend from the skies and instead, John [the Baptist], son of Zechariah was Elijah [in spiritual form], those who wish to accept him should do so. The Messiah (as) removed the misconception of the Jews and as a result of this was declared to be a heretic and an infidel, yet, he explained all that what was true. The same is the case for his spiritual manifestation, in that this humble one has also been declared a heretic like the Messiah (as). Is this not a similarity of the highest order?” (Izala-e-Auham, Part II, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 394)

Hazrat Ahmad (as) did not only state that his advent was for the Muslims, but his advent was significant for every religion and every nation. At one instance, he stated:

“Finally, let it be clear that my advent in the present age is not for the reformation of the Muslims alone, but I have come to reform the people of all the three religions: Muslims, Christians and Hindus. Just as God has appointed me the Promised Messiah for the Muslims and Christians, so too am I the Avatar for the Hindus. For the past 20 years or so, I have been proclaiming that just as I have appeared in the spirit of the Messiah son of Mary (as) for the purpose of removing sins which have filled the earth, so too have I come as Raja Krishna – one of the greatest Avatars of the Hindu faith. In other words, I am the same person by virtue of spiritual reality. This is no fancy or speculation on my part. The God of heaven and earth has revealed to me, not once, but a number of times, that for the Hindus I am Krishna and for the Muslims and Christians I am the Promised Messiah. I know that the ignorant Muslims, on hearing this, will immediately say that by assuming the name of a kafir [disbeliever], I have openly accepted disbelief. But this revelation is from God and I have no choice but to proclaim it. Today it is for the first time that I am announcing it before such a large gathering, for those who are from God are never afraid of the reproaches of faultfinders.” (Lecture Sialkot, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 20, p. 228)