Given time to repent

<p>God had given the people of Palestine over 400 years to repent of their wickedness. The people of that land had every opportunity to turn from their wickedness. According to <a href="http://www.crossbooks.com/verse.asp?ref=Ge+15%3A16">Genesis 15:16</a>, God told Abraham that his descendants would return to inherit this land, but not yet, for the iniquity of the people was not yet full. This prophetic statement indicated that God would not destroy the people of the land until their guilt merited complete destruction in judgment.

Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.</p>