The Greek phrase "ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν" (behold, the Judge has stood at the doors) uses a perfect tense verb, implying He had already taken His position to begin judgment.

This mirrors Jesus' words in Matthew 24:33, "So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door." That was said in the context of the judgment on Jerusalem, which happened in 70 AD.

James, speaking to the "twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad" (James 1:1), was warning Jews under the Old Covenant system that their time was running out.

Since James was likely written in the early to mid 60s AD, the judgment was less than a decade away.

When James said the Judge was "right at the door," he meant judgment was imminent. This aligns perfectly with the fulfilled view that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was the judgment Jesus and the apostles warned about.