Art history sometimes asks disturbing questions. Certain works seem to transcend the limits of their own era and touch the imagination of the future. Dutch painter Aert de Gelder’s approximately 1710 painting The Baptism of Christ is precisely such a work. Today housed in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, the painting initially appears to depict a conventional scene of the baptism of Jesus. Yet the dark circular celestial form in the upper portion of the painting and the intense beams of light descending from it inevitably trigger another association in the modern mind: the impression of a “flying saucer” or an intelligent celestial craft.
What matters here is this: the painting is real. The artist is real. The museum record is real. The debate begins with the question of what exactly we are seeing. Since the twentieth century, modern humanity has increasingly interpreted disk-shaped luminous forms in the sky through the aesthetic framework of UFOs. For this reason, De Gelder’s painting has attracted the attention not only of UFO researchers but also of philosophers of religion.
The painting depicts the baptism of Jesus. From the dark, disk-like celestial form above, rays of light descend directly toward Jesus and John the Baptist. What makes the image striking is that this structure differs from the traditional forms commonly found in Christian art, clouds, angelic hosts, or the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The form appears almost material, centralized, and controlled. For the modern eye, the resemblance to a “flying saucer” is difficult to ignore. Even today, the use of keywords such as “flying saucer” and “UFO” in digital archives associated with the artwork demonstrates the interpretive framework through which contemporary audiences read the painting. Of course, this does not mean the museum claims the painting literally depicts a UFO; rather, it reveals how the work is perceived in modern discourse.
The truly fascinating question is this: why and how would a painter in 1710 imagine such a form? At this point, the religious and iconographic dimension becomes essential. In Christian tradition, the baptism of Jesus is associated with “the opening of the heavens,” the voice of God, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the use of heavenly light is not surprising. Yet De Gelder’s approach is anything but ordinary. He portrays divine intervention not as an abstract glow but as a concentrated, centralized, almost physical structure. That is precisely what makes the painting so compelling to modern interpreters.
Moreover, Aert de Gelder was no ordinary painter. He is regarded as one of Rembrandt’s last students and worked in his Amsterdam studio between 1661 and 1663.
In ancient religious traditions, motifs such as clouds, the opening of the heavens, light, sound, fire, and the descent of angels frequently converge within the same scene. De Gelder’s painting belongs entirely to this symbolic universe. Modern UFO interpretations, however, effectively translate this ancient symbolic language into the technological language of today. What earlier ages described as “divine manifestation,” modern humanity may increasingly interpret as a “celestial vehicle.”
Medieval Frescoes and Celestial Vehicle Imagery
It is no coincidence that a monastery fresco painted in the fourteenth century would become part of twenty-first century discussions about spacecraft. The crucifixion scene found in the Visoki Dečani Monastery is especially remarkable. Dated to approximately 1350, the fresco depicts disk-like flying forms on either side of the crucified Jesus, each containing human-like figures moving through the sky.
To modern observers, these forms resemble “cockpit-like flying vehicles.” The orientation of the figures, the beam-like lines, and the aerodynamic shapes bear a striking resemblance to contemporary UFO aesthetics. But how could a medieval painter create images that centuries later would evoke science fiction imagery? This question draws us into a much deeper discussion about how the human mind imagines the celestial, how religious symbols transform over time, and through which mental filters modern humanity reads the past.
What is especially striking is that these figures are positioned inside forms resembling moving capsules. This is precisely where modern UFO interpretations begin.
Philosophically, the issue becomes even more intriguing. The human mind never reads the past in a completely neutral way; every era reinterprets ancient symbols through its own conceptual language. For the people of the fourteenth century, celestial powers were represented through angels, light, clouds, fiery chariots, and heavenly spheres. Modern humanity, however, tends to perceive the same imagery as vehicles, technology, pilots, or spacecraft. One of the deepest aspects of the UFO debate may lie precisely here: is humanity beginning to express the divine itself through a technological language?
The Cloud Motif and Celestial Transitions
From a religious perspective, such frescoes suggest that heaven was not imagined as a closed realm but as a domain in constant interaction with the earthly world. In Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions alike, heaven is portrayed as a realm through which angels move, revelation descends, divine intervention occurs, and reality itself sometimes “opens.” Expressions such as “the heavens opened,” “coming with clouds,” and “appearing in light” appear repeatedly throughout the Gospels.
For this reason, it is not entirely accidental that UFO researchers attempt to connect the “cloud” motif in sacred texts with unidentified aerial phenomena. In ancient religious texts, clouds often symbolize the boundary between the visible and invisible worlds. In the Judeo-Christian tradition especially, the cloud signifies the manifestation of divine presence, the appearance of celestial authority, and contact with realities beyond ordinary human perception.
Modern UFO literature frequently describes “luminous mist,” “radiant clouds,” “shape-shifting celestial masses,” or “objects emerging from clouds.” The parallels between these modern narratives and ancient symbolic language are therefore difficult to ignore.
Indeed, the cloud motif also appears in the account of Jesus’ ascension. In Acts of the Apostles 1:9 we read:
“He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.”
In the Qur’an, the ascension of Jesus is described in Surah An-Nisa 157–158:
“And because of their disbelief and their uttering against Mary a grave false charge, and their saying, ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’—yet they neither killed him nor crucified him, but it was made to appear so to them. Those who differ concerning it are in doubt thereof. They have no knowledge except conjecture. Certainly they did not kill him.
Rather, Allah raised him unto Himself. And Allah is Almighty, Wise.”
The Qur’an notably does not describe the physical details of the ascension. Unlike the Gospel narrative, there is no visual scene in which “a cloud hides him from sight.” Yet the statement that “Allah raised him unto Himself” has traditionally been interpreted in Islamic thought as indicating that Jesus was protected and elevated into another level of existence.
Similarly, in certain passages the cloud symbolizes the fear and mystery that the sacred evokes within the human mind. In Gospel of Luke 9:34, the disciples are described as:
“afraid as they entered the cloud.”
The Mi‘raj, Buraq, and Celestial Journey
In the Qur’an and Hadith literature, the Mi‘raj of Prophet Muhammad revolves around themes of celestial journey and ascension through the heavens. While the Qur’an recounts in Surah Al-Isra that the Prophet was taken by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, the detailed descriptions of the journey appear in Hadith narrations. These traditions describe the Prophet traveling upon an extraordinary mount called Buraq.
The etymology of the word Buraq is particularly noteworthy. Many scholars connect it to the Arabic root barq, meaning lightning or a flash of light. Thus, classical interpretations often describe Buraq as radiant, luminous, and lightning-fast. In this way, themes of light, speed, celestial transition, and ascension converge within the Mi‘raj narrative.
In modern times, theologians and researchers such as Ömer Atilla Ergi have compared aspects of the Mi‘raj narrative to technological imagery because of its extraordinary speed, luminous characteristics, and ascent through the heavens. In particular, Buraq’s association with lightning and the Prophet’s transportation via a “vehicle” have become focal points in such discussions.
Clouds, Apocalypse, and Cosmic Transition in the Qur’an
In the Gospel texts, the cloud motif carries metaphysical meanings associated with revelation, celestial authority, sacred mystery, and transitions between dimensions.
In the Qur’an, clouds also appear in apocalyptic scenes. The Qur’an portrays the Day of Judgment as the unveiling of the unseen realm, the visible manifestation of the angelic order, and the dissolution of the cosmic structure familiar to humanity.
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:210 states:
“Are they waiting for Allah and the angels to come to them in the shadows of clouds?”
This passage is particularly striking because of its imagery of “Allah coming” and “cloud shadows.” A literal reading could imply a God moving within time and space—an interpretation difficult to reconcile with the Qur’anic conception of divine transcendence.
Viewed within the broader theological framework of the Qur’an, the passage appears to employ powerful symbolic and representational language. The “coming of Allah” may signify the inevitable manifestation of divine judgment, while the “coming of the angels” may symbolize the visible emergence of celestial forces fully aligned with divine will.
Surah Al-Furqan 25:25 paints an even more dramatic cosmic scene:
“On that Day the heaven will be split apart with clouds, and the angels will be sent down in successive descent.”
This verse may likewise be interpreted as describing the unveiling of the unseen world, the visible appearance of angels, and the collapse of the existing cosmic order. Here again, the cloud symbolizes divine power, celestial intervention, and cosmic transition.
Surah Ghafir 40:15 states:
“Exalter of ranks, Lord of the Throne, He sends the Spirit by His command upon whom He wills of His servants, to warn of the Day of Meeting.”
The phrase “Day of Meeting” may be interpreted as referring to the meeting between the inhabitants of heaven and the inhabitants of earth. In this reading, the apocalypse represents the lifting of the veil separating the celestial realm from humanity. Thus, the Qur’an depicts the eschatological process not merely as destruction, but as a vast unveiling, encounter, and revelation of hidden realities.
The preceding description of God as the “Exalter of ranks” is also significant. Because this phrase appears immediately before the “Day of Meeting,” it may imply not only hierarchy, but also an ontological and conscious elevation of human perception itself.
Modern Ufology and New Cosmic Interpretations
The United States government has gradually begun breaking decades of silence regarding extraterrestrial life and unidentified aerial phenomena. One striking aspect of this process is the radically different ways in which the same phenomenon is interpreted within different ideological and psychological frameworks. Political figures such as J. D. Vance and Donald Trump have at times approached the subject through the lens of their own religious and cultural backgrounds.
In many American conservative circles, the UFO/UAP phenomenon is discussed in relation to sacred texts, angels, jinn, and end-times narratives. Retired American military and intelligence personnel, however, tend to view the issue primarily as one of national security. Meanwhile, Steven M. Greer interprets the phenomenon as a positive, highly conscious civilization or guiding presence beneficial to humanity.
There is little doubt that reinterpreting phenomena once considered “metaphysical” as technologically advanced and organized beings would carry profound philosophical and theological implications.
At the center of this discussion lies the famous statement by Arthur C. Clarke:
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
If humanity begins to reinterpret some of what earlier generations called “miracles” as forms of advanced technology, then the beings ancient peoples understood as “angels” may increasingly be described by modern humanity as technologically superior guiding civilizations. Such a transformation would inevitably blur the boundaries between religion and science fiction.
This may also explain why people readily accept the existence of angels, jinn, and other metaphysical beings, yet remain more skeptical of the word “alien.” Logically speaking, both involve accepting the possibility of intelligent beings beyond direct human experience. Yet while angels and jinn appear legitimate and familiar to many people, “aliens” are often perceived as marginal or fringe concepts.
One reason is that angels and jinn were introduced into human consciousness through sacred texts and religious traditions. Believers acknowledge that they do not fully understand the nature of these beings—their dimensions, modes of existence, or physical properties—yet their existence itself is rarely questioned because these beings possess theological and cultural legitimacy.
The modern alien image, by contrast, has been shaped largely by science fiction novels, Hollywood cinema, television series, popular culture, and conspiracy theories. As a result, the word “alien” evokes cultural fiction more than serious ontology in many minds. Green humanoids, flying saucers, and cinematic stereotypes have psychologically trivialized the subject.
Religious consciousness does not perceive angels as threatening because they exist within a divinely ordered system. The alien concept, however, evokes the possibility of uncontrolled, unknown, and potentially superior civilizations. This directly destabilizes humanity’s anthropocentric worldview. Angels are already integrated into established theological systems; aliens possess the potential to disrupt them.
Perhaps for this reason, modern humanity feels safer placing angels and jinn within metaphysical categories. The metaphysical realm remains invisible, intangible, and largely confined to belief. This allows the human mind to keep such beings at a certain distance from everyday physical reality.
But once these same beings are imagined as “aliens,” “extraterrestrial consciousness,” or physically manifest advanced civilizations, the issue moves directly into the realm of material reality. That shift is psychologically destabilizing. The carefully controlled disclosure process undertaken in recent years by the American government may therefore also be interpreted as an attempt to manage precisely such a psychological and cultural shock.
