ISB ~ James 5 v7

the coming of the Lord:The return of Christ as Judge (5:9). Perhaps James is referring to the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of history (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess 4:16-17). It is also possible, given his stress on the nearness of judgment (Jas 5:8), along with the image of Jesus “standing at the doors” (5:9, alluding to Mt 24:33 and Mk 13:29), that James is referring to the coming judgment of Israel and Jerusalem within the first Christian generation (A.D. 70). If so, this may suggest that the “suffering” (5:10) endured by readers was caused by the unbelievers of Israel. Suffering at the hands of others is also a possibility. the early …

the late rain:The fall and winter rains that were necessary to make the spring (grain) and summer (olives, grapes) harvests abundant in Palestine (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24; Joel 2:23-24).