On January 1, 2020, a man in Wales named Rhys Pleming snapped the photo of a lifetime—in a photo he took of a sunrise, there appeared to be a figure in the clouds.
Rhys Pleming’s Photo of the Figure in the Clouds
On that New Year’s day, Rhys Pleming was 30-years-old at the time, and he was determined to hike to the top of Mount Snowdon, and see the first sunrise of the year. So he and a friend gathered their hiking gear and set out to hike England and Wales’ highest peak. It was very cloudy out that day; so it wasn’t technically the best day to see a sunrise, but that didn’t stop Rhys Pleming even though he knew he might not even see the sunrise.
“There was only a 50/50 chance of seeing the sunrise,” Rhys Pleming said of the conditions and the cloud-cover on that January day. “But me and my friend decided to go up anyway.”
And thankfully they did because the very first photo Phys Pleming took of the sunrise was pretty amazing—a figure in the clouds appeared in the sunrise! Check it out here:
According to Rhys Pleming, he and his friends had hoped to see a beautiful sunrise from the summit of Snowdon, but they didn’t know what they were in store for.
They started their hike at six o’clock in the morning, knowing they’d be able to reach the summit by sunrise. From the top, Rhys Pleming’s view of the sunrise wasn’t especially clear because of the hazy mist that morning. Still, he snapped those pics and saw that figure in the clouds that many believe looks like Jesus standing in the sunset.
The catch wasn’t planned by Rhys Pleming, however. He said it was “pure luck” and he just happened to have “perfect timing” to catch that figure in the clouds.
Believe it or not, this is one of many phenomenons that science can explain, and it’s called Brocken Spectre. When the sun is low behind a person taking a photo, the sun rays can cast the person’s shadow onto the mist and create a light ring around that shadow.
But even though the figure in the clouds that Rhys Pleming caught in an image, that doesn’t mean God wasn’t behind the atmospheric phenomenon. He did after all create science, right? And let’s not forget that it was the first image caught by the hiker on New Years Day of 2020. Could the image have been a message from God about his presence in a tumultuous year for the whole world? Perhaps.
Verses about a Jesus and Clouds
Revelation 1:7 says of Jesus’ return to earth, ““Look, he is coming with the clouds,” [a] and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” [b] So shall it be! Amen.” Also regarding Jesus’ return, He said in Matthew 24:30, “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth [a] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”
There are also other verses about Jesus and clouds, as well. Such as Acts 1:9, which says “After he (Jesus) said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”
The gospels also refer to God speaking from the clouds about Jesus. Matthew 17:5 says, “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Mark 9:7 says, Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” And Luke 9:34 says, “While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.”
In the Old Testament, the Bible prophesies Jesus in the clouds in Daniel 7:13. It says, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, [a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”
And one day those who believe will join Jesus in the clouds, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:17. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
