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.
(James 5:7)

James, writing to the Church, tells us to be patient.

What should we be patient for? Unto the coming of the Lord! During the last 2000 years, all kinds of theological discussions and doctrines about the Second Coming have floated through the Body of Christ.

However, in James' day, they didn't question whether Jesus was returning. They knew Jesus was coming back; in fact, they were ready for Him right then. That's why James' first point was: Jesus is coming back. That was important doctrine in the Church.

Every author in the New Testament said Jesus is coming back. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you..." (John 14:1-2).

Jesus goes on to say, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3).

So Jesus said, "I'm leaving. I'm going to get a place ready for you, and when I get done, I'm going to come back for you." That's good news!

What Is God Waiting For?
So why hasn't Jesus returned already? James 5:7 says, "...the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth...." Notice God calls Himself the "husbandman."

You can find whole books that are based on the many names God has given Himself in the Word. Every name God has given Himself describes a part of His nature, character, ability, redemptive plan, and dealings with man so we can better understand Him.

He is Jehovah-Rapha, Jehova-Jireh, and El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough.

Then James calls God "the husbandman" or "the farmer." In the middle of all those wonderful, eloquent names, God calls Himself "the farmer," putting the term in light of the Second Coming.

Why is this? Because there's something He wants us to understand.

James says, "Behold, the husbandman waiteth...." You don't have to know a great deal about farming to know that any good farmer takes time to prepare the soil, obtain the best seed available, plant that seed, and wait for the rain to fall.

Everything the farmer does is geared toward one all-important moment in time—harvest.

No good farmer would ever work right up until harvest time and say, "I'm tired of this! I'm quitting and going home."

The Bible says that God the farmer is waiting for something. What is He waiting for? Is He waiting for Russia to attack Israel? No. Is He waiting for the signs of the times? No. They will be fulfilled just like He said.

God is waiting for one thing: He is waiting for the harvest from His seed!

Earth's Best Seed
God "planted" the best seed this Earth has ever seen: His only begotten Son. Jesus Himself said, "...Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone..." (John 12:24).

Jesus called Himself a seed. As Peter said in 1 Peter 1:23, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

We can see from this that Jesus is the seed. God planted that seed in the earth, raised Him from the dead, and elevated Him to sit at His own right hand, where Her ever lives to make intercession for us.

God is not going to allow the end of the age until He receives the harvest from His seed (Matt. 13).

It's hard to prepare for this harvest. We don't know what harvest looks like, because we've never seen one before. We simply have to follow the Holy Spirit and stay with God's Word.

Source: Blood, Fire and Vapor of Smoke by Mark Brazee
Excerpt permission granted by Mark Brazee Ministries