James 5:7-8 – The Coming of the Lord

by | Updated February 18th, 2023

James is dealing with the coming of the Lord. It’s interesting he says “the coming of the Lord” and not the return of the Lord. This is multifaceted. It has many applications that are pertinent to believers then and now.

He’s encouraging the people of God to remain steadfast, continue praying, and laboring in the harvest fields, don’t give up, and look for the “the coming of the Lord.” He’s dealing with waiting, endurance, and expectation.

Watch the Message

James 5:7-8 – “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

James gives us an example of a farmer. The farmer plows the fields, plants the seeds, and then patiently awaits the harvest. He “hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” He plants in the spring and harvests the crop in the fall. Months go by before the harvest is brought in. It takes patience and endurance but it will come.

He patiently waits for “the early and latter rain.” The early rain is what germinates the seed and the latter rain is what brings in the harvest. There was a long season between the two. This requires patience, endurance, and perseverance. As the farmer, we too much be patient, faithfully laboring in the harvest fields until the Lord germinates the seeds we sow, and then causes what we have planted and labored for to blossom so it can be harvested.

Water, in scripture, is a type of both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Rain here refers to both. Both the Word and the Holy Spirit is required for any type of harvest. The Word must be planted in the hearts of men and in the spiritual realm, along with the the work of the Holy Spirit for the seeds we plant to be germinated and ultimately harvested. The Word alone isn’t sufficient. It must be presented under the unction of the Holy Ghost.

2 Corinthians 3:6 – “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”

Threefold Application

  1. The coming of the Lord in your situation. This is at least in part dealing with those who are going through a time of testing, trial, and oppression. Both the preceding and following context bears this out.

    James 5:4 – “Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabbath.”

    James 5:9-11 – “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth 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. Ye 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.”

    Some are reading this who have been going through a time of difficulty, trial, and affliction. God is about to intervene on your behalf. He will set things straight. He’s about to move in your particular situation and bring victory. Once Job had gone through his test the Lord came into his life and situation and gave him back twice what he had lost.

    Job 42:10 – “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

    Hang in there, don’t give up, and rejoice, your deliverance and victory is imminent!

    2. Isaiah 35:10 – “The ransomed of the Lord will return, they will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

    Isaiah 44:3 – “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.”

    Isaiah 43:19 – “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

    Isaiah 52:9 – “Break forth into joy, sing together – shout for joy together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath redeemed Jerusalem.”

    Isaiah 60:5a – “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.”

    Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty – A victorious warrior; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will quiet you in His love, He will joy over thee with singing – with shouts of joy.”

    Micah 5:9 – “Thine hand shall be lifted up upon (against) thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.”

    Isaiah 10:27 – “It shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”

    Exodus 14:13-14 – “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you to day: for the Egyptians (your enemies) whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

    Deuteronomy 20:4 – “The Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you – to give you victory.”

    Psalms 40:1-3 – “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”

    Psalms 60:12 – “Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies.”

    Psalms 68:1-3 – “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them rejoice exceedingly.”

    2 Kings 6:16 – “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

    Hebrews 1:13-14 – “But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

    Joel 2:11 – “The Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth His Word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”

  2. The coming of the Lord in the end time harvest and revival. I’m speaking to some of you who have been planting and laboring for a long time and seeing little results from your toil. You’ve become discouraged, disheartened, and fainthearted. I’m here to encourage you to be patient, keep at it, don’t quit or give up. Your harvest is nigh at hand. Begin rejoicing with expectancy! “The Lord draweth nigh!”

    1 Corinthians 3:7-8 – “So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”

    Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

    1 Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

    Joel 2:23 – “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

    This in connection with and context of the latter day outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Until now any fruit has been moderate at best. Notice the promise, “He will cause to come down for you the rain.” Praise the Lord! “There is a sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41).

    The rain is forthcoming. There’s coming a time when we will see it all happen nearly simultaneously, “the former rain, and the latter rain in the first (same) month.” No sooner than we plant the harvest will come in. It will come suddenly as on the day of Pentecost. Glory be to God!

    John 4:35 – “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

    Joel 2:28-29 – “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.”

    Acts 2:1-4 – “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

    John 4:14 – “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

    John 7:37-38 – “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

    Isaiah 44:3 – “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.”

  3. The return of the Lord. This can and indeed does apply to the return of the Lord. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (2 Thesslonians 1:7). We are seeing things happen in the world today the likes of which we have never seen or imagined. I’m here to tell you – “The coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8).

    Revelation 1:7 – “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

    At His first coming Jesus came as a conquering servant to bear the sins of many. This time, His second coming, He’s coming as a warrior and conquering King in triumph, power, and glory. He is our soon coming deliverer!

    Hebrews 9:28 – “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

    Matthew 24:29-30 – “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

    Zechariah 14:3-4 – “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

    2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 – “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.”

    Watch When Will the Rapture Happen?

    Watch Signs of Jesus’ Return

    Titus 2:13 – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

    More articles and guides...