James 5:7-8

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

patient (v.7) = long-suffering

establish (v.8) = strengthen

at hand (v.8) = close at hand, approaching

Remember that James is a Kingdom epistle written to Jews, so the “coming of the Lord” refers to His Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 24), not His return for the Body of Christ at the Rapture before the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). — Grace, page 2201.

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James addresses in these words the believers, the suffering remnant amongst the unbelieving masses which attended the synagogue. They are to be patient and suffer in patience, without resisting. The coming of the Lord, which is mentioned twice in these verses, is His visible and glorious manifestation, the same which our Lord speaks of in Matthew 24:30-31. The first Epistle to the Thessalonians, which contains that unique revelation of the coming of the Lord for His saints, the resurrection of the holy dead and the sudden transformation of the living saints, to be caught up together in the clouds to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) had not yet been given. The mystery “we shall not all sleep but be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52), was then unknown. And let us note here, that this is one of the mysteries nowhere made known in the Old Testament.

The coming of the Lord, we repeat, is that coming which is so many times announced in the Prophetic Word of the Scriptures. That the destruction of Jerusalem, and the judgment of the nation was predicted by our Lord is known to all, that the event when it came in the year 70 is the coming of the Lord, is not true.

James exhorts his suffering brethren to be like the husbandman who has to wait between the sowing time and the harvest. But here is another wrong interpretation. The latter rain of which James speaks has been foolishly interpreted as meaning a spiritual latter rain, another Pentecost. This is one of the star arguments of present day Pentecostalism with its supposed revival of apostolic gifts. The former and latter rain of which James speaks has no such meaning; it is purely the rainfall in nature. In Palestine there are two distinct rainy seasons, one in the spring, the other in the fall (See Deuteronomy 11:14). — Gaebelein, pages 1135-1136.

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These dear brethren [believing Jews] had suffered so many abuses and injustices at the hand of the rich that James was concerned they would become despondent and possibly try to retaliate. While this would be the fleshly response to those who mistreated them, the Scriptures are clear that it is not given to the believer to retaliate under any circumstances. This is divine ground and they were to rest assured that it is a righteous thing with God to repay those who trouble them (2 Thessalonians 1:5-7). — Sadler, pages 129-130.