By the time they reached the Mount of Olives the sky was ablaze with the colors of the setting sun. Jesus sat down to rest. Across from Him was the temple complex bathed in light. Peter, James, John and Andrew came to Him privately and asked, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to take place” (Mark 13:4)? They were not only Jesus’ disciples, they were His friends. All day Jesus had been speaking to the crowds but now He was speaking privately to those closest to Him.
“Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:6,7). When Jesus had responded to their admiration for the temple complex by telling them that not one stone would be left on another that would not be thrown down, it was as if the sound of alarm had been trumpeted by the watchman in the city. Jesus had revealed to them the secret plans of the Sovereign Lord, and so they asked Him when these things would take place and what sign they should be looking for so they would be prepared.
Jesus answered both questions, but He began with a warning, “Watch out.” This call to vigilance is given four times (cf. vv. 9, 23, 33, 35) as Jesus speaks of the future. The sound of the trumpet blast spoken of in Amos was to warn those who were in the city that danger was approaching. What should the response be when Jesus tells His disciples to take heed and be on their guard? Another way to ask this is, how much attention do we pay to prophecy?
In Amos we see that the Sovereign God does nothing without first revealing His secrets to His servants the prophets. However, in John 15:15 Jesus makes it even more personal, “I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.” Amos speaks of God revealing His secrets; Jesus draws His disciples into an intimacy of knowledge, and in so doing changes their status from servants to friends.
What should we do with the information we are being given through prophecy? I look at very recent events about insider trading. What is insider trading? It’s the illegal practice on the stock exchange to use confidential information for one’s own advantage. Yet, we have access to the very secrets of God! Jesus has called us friends and has revealed to us everything He has heard from His Father! He has sounded a trumpet call to “Watch out.” This leaves me with a question. "How should we respond?”
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