Oh Ronald, God told Abraham this in Genesis 15:16,
Genesis 15:16: - "But in the fourth generation/age they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
Which is found among the following recorded five prophetic words given to Abraham: -
Genesis 15:13-21: - First prophetic Word concerning Abraham’s descendants
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Second prophetic Word given over Abraham
15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
Third prophetic Word concerning Abraham’s descendants
returning to the Land of Canaan in their own strength.
16 But in the fourth generation/age they shall return here,
Fourth Prophetic Word given to Abraham
concerning the Amorite people/nation
for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
[1]
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
Fifth Prophetic Word given to Abraham as a sign that will confirm
that Abraham and his descendants will inherit the whole earth
in the distant future.
"
To your descendants I have given this {entity portion of} the earth, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates — 19
the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
[2]
Here is the interlinear for Genesis 15:16: -
View attachment 88332
Another important passage that you have overlooked is this: -
Genesis 28:13-15: - 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the earth on which you lie I will give this entity to your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; they shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families inhabiting My fertile soil shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to my fertile soil; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
The question that this passage raises is the duration of, "
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you?"
There are other prophetic words that tell us that God will not be done with His servants, Israel, until such time as the renewed Heaven and earth is completed, after which time all who have chosen to live planted in His fertile soil have entered through the final judgement.
As for your regurgitating the false reformation understanding of some 500 years ago, it is obvious that your understanding is blinked and that you cannot see that the five kingdoms that have had and still have dominion over the Land of Babylon are:-
- Babylon
- Medes and Persians
- Greek
- Iraq and finally
- USA led coalition of 2003.
The seventh bowl judgement in Rev 16 tells us that Babylon will be remembered once more, after a period of around 2,048 years, to receive once more God's wrath for what they had done against Israel, when France and Britian divided up the Otterman empire after WW1 in 1926 AD.
Oh well let us not allow historical facts to get in the way of our understanding of Biblical prophecy.
Shalom
[1] It should be noted that the Amorite people had, at the time of some of Abraham’s descendants returned to the land of Canaan in 1948 AD, that they had fully embraced the Islamic Religion which proclaims that Jesus is not the “Son of God” which is the iniquity, among others, that they have committed.
[2] Verses 17-21 is the same entity parcel of the earth which God had previously spoken about to give it to Abraham’s descendants which is used as a sign covenant to confirm that when they had possession of the described land for a period of time, that they would then know that God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants.
Genesis 13:14-17 –– 14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "
Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward;15 for
this entity portion of the earth which you see I give this entity to your descendants
for a period of time where the end point of this period will be beyond their ability to comprehend. 16
And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17
Arise, walk throughout this entity portion of the earth, its length and its width, for Me to give this entity."