Why did many early Pentecostals expect the End Times to be near?

Early Pentecostals expected the End Times to be near primarily because they interpreted the recurrence of speaking in tongues—which they viewed as the "initial evidence" of being baptized with the Holy Spirit—as a prophetic sign of the imminent last days.1

This belief was deeply rooted in their interpretation of the "latter rain," a reference to Joel 2:23. In this biblical context, the "former rain" was associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the first Christian Pentecost, while the "latter rain" was understood as a second, final period of spiritual outpouring that would immediately precede the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment. Imbued with this sense of urgency, early leaders like Charles Fox Parham and his students viewed these charismatic experiences as confirmation that the end of the age was at hand, which motivated their evangelical missions.21