Sorry for the comment. However, what I often see is texts quoted that have little relevance to the discussion. Sorry about making my reply to harshly though.

The Bible and Ellen White both plainly speak of the next appearance of Christ as the Second Coming.

To tell people we have already seen the Second Coming may only cause confusion in some people's minds. After all, there are those who do believe the parousia (presence or coming) of Christ has already occurred.

It is not called the Second Coming because Jesus has only been on this earth twice. The Second Coming is a reference to how many times he has appeared (or been manifested) to the world. It will be the second time in that sense, the first time being when he was born as a human. 1 Tim 3:16-- God appeared in a human body (Majority Text-- See Darby Trans.). Next, according to Acts 1: 11, "this same Jesus" will come back just as He went away, and this second time He will also have a glorified human body.

"Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear a second time, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently] waiting for and expecting Him." Hebrews 9: 28.

Christ upon the Mount of Olives rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: . . . Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" [Matt. 24:6-8]. While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 753 (1899).

The terrible reports we hear of murders and robberies, of railway accidents and deeds of violence, tell the story that the end of all things is at hand. Now, just now, we need to be preparing for the Lord's second coming.--Letter 308, 1907 (Last Day Events, p. 23).

Great points.

Bible Authors were not always good with Math. Just look at the accounts of how many people were in a crowd. So, it figures they could not keep track of how many times Christ has physically come to this earth.

I'm really not understanding what is being said about Jesus coming already in the 2nd Coming, and claiming that He has come several times. Where does this idea come from? The Bible does not say Jesus came different times than His coming to this earth as man, and then coming again for His people, and then coming the third time after the 1000 years with the New Jerusalem. Where does the idea come that Jesus has been here any more than this??

The pre-incarnate Christ, before He was born as a baby, came to this world during the time of Moses. He was the One who appeared in the cloud by day and in the fire by night over Israel in the wilderness. He's also referred to under the name of the Angel of Yahweh in Judges 2 and 9.

There are other instances where the second member of the Godhead came to this world.

However, all of those times are not relevant to the issue of the Second Coming. There is no evidence that the reason it is called the Second Coming is that the Bible writers were poor counters or were poor at math.

The reason it is called the Second Coming is due to the fact that it follows His first coming. His first coming was when he came as a baby, fulfilling all the prophecies about the Messiah, such as that in Gen. 3: 15. That is the key. All of those other times when the Son of God came-- such as in the time of Moses-- it was not as the Messiah, the descendent of David, etc. At His Second Coming, he will also come as the Son of Man, the glorified Messiah, who comes to take home His church. It has nothing to do with math but it has everything to do with the purpose of His appearing. Again see Hebrews 9: 28 where it refers to His coming to "manifest Himself the second time."

Jesus also came to earth evidently in the time of Paul, meeting him on the road to Damascus. Did that count as a "coming"? No, of course not. And the reason it doesn't is simply that it was not the coming that Jesus had in mind in Matt. 24: 3 and John 14: 3, 28, and that the church anticipates in Hebrews 9: 28, etc., when He returns for His glorified church.

Quite simply put, when Jesus talked about coming back for his friends, in order to take them home with Him, He was obviously not referring to His coming to talk to Paul on the road to Damascus. And when the prophets wrote about the Messiah coming to this world, they were not referring to the second member of the Godhead coming to talk to Gideon. They were talking about the Messiah coming to fulfill the Messianic prophecies.

Very well put. Thank you. :)

I don't believe He is waiting for a number. I believe He is waiting for Satans full character to be exposed.