In the final chapter of his epistle, James addressed the troublemakers, the false teachers who had arisen and divided the churches. He foretold their judgment (James 5:1), because they held back what they could have offered to help their brethren (James 5:2-3). James implied that these false teachers worshiped among the brethren for some time, because he claims they held back the “hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields.” In other words, they had been helped by true leaders of the churches. Their lives were better, because of the Gospel that was preached to them, yet they held back the “wages” (whether material or spiritual) of those who labored on their behalf (James 5:4-5), and not only so, but they had lifted up their voices against the very ones who had labored to make their lives better (James 5:6).
Using encrypted language, James said the false teachers had condemned and killed the just (or the true leaders of the churches) and their victims had not resisted. That is, the real leaders had not responded in kind, but had prayed to the Lord (cf. Jude 1:8-9). While the false teachers slandered the true leaders of the churches (cf. James 4:7 where devil really means slanderer—then compare this with Jude 1:8). The leaders, whom the Lord had set up in the churches through Paul, Timothy or one such minister of the faith, didn’t respond in kind against the false brethren. Instead, they prayed that God would rebuke the evil workers, knowing the Lord is the true Ruler (Jude 1:9)
James then turned to the brethren for the remainder of his letter, advising them to be patient, because the coming of the Lord was drawing near. Thus, James referred to the time in the first century AD, when Jesus would take the reins of government away from the enemy, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and rule from his office as Messiah. Jesus spoke of his coming in the Olivet Prophecy and implied it would not be a visible event for those on earth. Indeed, he gave believers a sign that would reveal he had come into his office as Messiah and reigns. That sign was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (cf. Matthew 24:30), which ended the Old Covenant and established the New.
James mentioned the time was short, a reference used by John in the Apocalypse (Revelation 13:5-8). The false prophet or mouth of the beast had 42 months (3 ½ years) to perform all his wicked deeds against the Messianic believers, before the coming of the Lord. The time refers to Annas’ final attempt to destroy the Messianic faith, and it ended not only with James being murdered but also each one of those men who wrote what we know today as the New Covenant text. When the Lord’s Two Witnesses i.e. the Lord’s valid witness (Deuteronomy 19:15)[1] was destroyed, then the Lord would take the reins of his office as Messiah and reign (Revelation 11:3, 7, 11, 15). That occurred at the very beginning of the Jew’s war with Rome in 66 AD. Thus, judgment fell upon the persecutors in the form of war that ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. In the very beginning days of that war the high priest, Annas was slain by Jewish zealots in the sixth day of the sixth month of the year 66 AD,[2] after being high priest for 60 years, and this event was told Annas, when he thought to judge the Lord, Jesus (Matthew 26:64).
Therefore, James encouraged the brethren to be patient and wait for the reward (good or evil), which would be reaped (judged) at the Lord’s coming (James 5:7-8). Murmuring against others must not be done, because this would cause the persecuted to partake of the coming judgment (James 5:9). Indeed, the record of Scripture shows that those who have endured trouble rejoiced in the end, though they had to go through great difficulty (James 5:10-11).
Guarding one’s tongue was necessary, because complaining or murmuring are passive methods of striking out at one’s persecutors. Neither should one make hasty promises that would attest to one’s right behavior in order to secure his needs (James 5:12). God is trustworthy. He will both protect and provide for his people.
Pray! James tells his readers that prayer will relieve affliction, and the prayer of the righteous will even heal disease and bring forgiveness, if, indeed, it was sin that caused the disease (James 5:13-16). Prayer is powerful, and James’ advise implies a contrast between two prophets (James 5:17-18). Elijah was accused of troubling Israel (1Kings 18:17), because he prayed, and there was no rain for 3 ½ years. Similarly, the false prophet was to trouble the saints for 42 months (3 ½ years) before he was judged by God (Revelation 13:5-10). Prayer was the key to the power of God during Elijah’s ministry, and prayer would be the key to his power during the days of the false prophet, Annas, the high priest in Jerusalem. If through prayer one would convert anyone who had been taken in by Annas’ false teaching, that one would be responsible not only for saving his brother from death but for covering a host of sins (James 5:19-20; cf. Jude 1:22-23). Truly God is interested in saving all and not letting anyone needlessly perish (2Peter 3:9).
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[1] That is a valid witness is two or more. In the case of the New Covenant text, there were seven witnesses. All were killed in this final persecution by the Jewish authorities. With the Lord’s valid witness (i.e. the “two witnesses) destroyed, he came to judge the persecutors and reward the faithful.
[2] See Josephus: Wars of the Jews 2.17.6-9.
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