Re: Acts 1:2 Jesus promised that He'd come back (Jn 14:18) and came back on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2-3). Will His return on the cloud?

Religion is easy. Little mental work is required. It largely based on authority--either the written authority of the Bible, or more often, the authority of religious figures and parents. Little investigation is needed. You just buy it. Children are indoctrinated when their minds are still like wet clay.

I find most Christians haven't even read their Bible--or at least not all of it, and certainly not critically and thinking for themselves.

With science, it takes years of study. Parents don't teach it usually. And schools do a lousy job of teaching it. Most people don't even understand how the scientific method works. Science takes a lot of mental work. You have to be able to push aside your biases and preconceived notions. That's not easy. By the time a kid has their first lesson in science, often by a teacher who doesn't understand it herself, they have already been indoctrinated into their religion.

Science usually requires math--which the schools also do a lousy job of teaching. Science involves a lot of uncertainty, and requires the ability to withhold judgement until testing confirms a given proposition, and people lack patience, and want instant gratification, and they want conclusive answers now--not later after the evidence has been collected and tested and peer-reviewed.

So religion asks only for our credulity and obedience--which is easier for us to provide. Science asks us to work, think, do math, suspend judgement, push aside our biases, and be patient--all which are much harder for people.

That was the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, who Jesus sent.

But still, you could consider Christ's next coming His third. The first being when he was born until he died on the cross. The second when he rose from the dead. And he is coming again, which could be counted as at least his third.

Some appearances of God to men in the Old Testament are viewed by some people as being pre-incarnate appearings of Jesus. (example: Genesis 32:22-32) If that view is accurate, then the number of his comings exceed three.

The number is not what is of utmost importance. What is important is the realization that He will return again, for one final time to judge the world.

In John 14:18, Jesus said, "I will come to you."

After Jesus rose from the dead, Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them..." and in John 21:13, it says "Jesus came..." (Many other verses also speak about Jesus coming to and revealing himself to the Apostles after He rose from the dead!)

Jesus promised to come to them. Jesus came to them, fulfilling His promise!