Mathew, I think you might be confusing some lines with the movies. I know in the movies Gandalf says he can not yet take a physical form, but I don't remember that being in the books.
Raynor mentioned Gollum's remark (in
The Black Gate is Closed) where Gollum remarks that Sauron had
'four fingers on his black hand; but that is enough.'
Also there are several instances where there is a reference to Sauron coming...Legate mentioned Pippin's encounter with the palantir...
'Then he came.' Another one that comes to mind is when Denethor says
'He will only come to triumph over me when all is won.'
And...
Quote:
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'But that of course did not destroy the spirit, nor dismiss it from the world to which it was bound until the end. After the battle with Gilgalad and Elendil, Sauron took a long while to re-build, longer than he had done after the Downfall of Numenor (I suppose because each building-up used up some of the inherent energy of the spirit, which might be called the 'will' or the effective link between the indestructible mind and being and the realization of its imagination).'~Letter 200
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After Sauron was overthrown by Gil-galad and Elendil Sauron did re-build his body, it just took him longer than before. I guess you could read this as implying if you simply killed Sauron enough times he wouldn't have enough 'will' to build himself a new body.