Hey there guys I just finished rebuilding my 4.0 in my 97 xj and it turns over but wont cough or fire up.

I have just the bare minimum attached right now such as battery and intake manifold / exhaust manifold as well as all sensors but no accessories or rad. I have double checked all grounds ( 3 behind starter on coil studs, 1 on dipstick stud, and 1 on rear most headbolt stud) I tested the crank position sensor and found that it was faulty and replaced it with a brand new unit and still no bang. I get the smell of gas after a couple seconds of cranking so I believe I'm getting fuel and I have tried other cam sensors and coils I have laying around as I am suspecting I have no spark ( Haven't been able to confirm) when I stabbed the distributor in I used a screw driver to align the correct hole and ensured that the rotor was facing the 5 o'clock position once seated while the #1 piston was at TDC compression stroke. Is there something I'm over looking or something super picky about these 4.0 engines or possibly a ground / power wire I'm missing? When possible I'm going to get a helping hand to confirm whether or not I'm getting spark but I'm almost certain I'm not. Has anyone had a similar issue?

Thank you guys in advance this is driving me nuts!