James 5:7-11 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman wait for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be you also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draw nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stand before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
We are warned to have the right attitude – patience instead of moaning and groaning until the coming of the Lord, which refers to the rapture (not the second coming) when the Lord will come in the air to receive the saints to Himself (John 14:1-3; Luke 21:34-36; 1Cor.15:23, 51-58). The early and latter rains in Palestine, the early rain at seedtime and the latter rain at harvest time, are used here to picture the fruit of the harvest of souls. The early spiritual rain fell at the founding of the body of Christ (Acts 2:1-16) and the latter rain will be poured out at the end of this age when the complete harvest of this dispensation will be gathered (Acts 2:16-21; cp. Hos. 6:3; Zech. 10:1).
Many examples in the word are given to us for those who suffered in patience and of whom the world was not worthy of (Heb. 11:32-40). Job is given as an example as one who suffered because of that which he feared that did came over him as seen in Job 1:5 and his acknowledgement of this sin where he said: “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25). We are reminded in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God didn’t give us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Living the Word 