 Like the term Messiah which, among other meanings, in essence means being "anointed" by God or "appointed" by God the term "Mahdi" means "guided" by God, thus both imply a direct ordination or commissioning and a spiritual nurturing by God of a divinely chosen individual.According to Ahmadiyya thought the prophesied eschatological figures of Christianity and Islam, the Messiah and Mahdi, were in fact to be fulfilled in one person who was to represent all previous prophets.The prophecies concerning the Mahdi or the Second Coming of Jesus are seen by Ahmadis as metaphorical and subject to interpretation.