Link to Prezi presentation:  http://goo.gl/cgvhYB

Satan is released from prison and gathers an army called Gog and Magog.  God then sends down fire and destroys them.

This is the destruction of Satan, but also of this other army.  This army has existed from the beginning of time.  They have always had a presence of shaping minds and influence.  But, they have had one primary purpose, to let those know that there is a Lord.  So the people will know that there is a God.

We will be looking into 3 areas.  Who are they?  How do they let people know there is a God?  Why are they lumped in with Satan and destroyed in the end times and have to be destroyed.

Gog and Magog have mostly been associated with Russia and China today.   The area originally was the asian steppe land.  This land originally was inhabited by nomads who at certain points coalesced into nations.  It was a very hard land to live on, they roamed it mostly on horses.  They did not build cities or farm lands.  They were known for two things.  They were known for riding horses, they were the first to domesticate horses and create chariots.  They were also experts with the bow for hunting and as warriors.  These were some of the most destructive people of mankind.

Dan. 2: → Prophecy of Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar.  What will happen of the great emperors of the day.

Reasons for this prophecy.  God is telling his people that He is control.  God is telling Israel that their existence is not in vain.  The third purpose is the God’s judgement is in His hands.

God used Gog and Magog to execute His purpose.

None of the Empires that Daniel mentioned existed in a vacuum.  These  empires do not exist without Gog and Magog coming down from the north and west.

The first empire mentioned in the vision was the Babylonians.  But, for Babylonians to come into power, the powerful empire before had to be destroyed - the Assyrians.  The Babylonians could defeat Assyria itself.

In 613, the Scythians who were one of these nomads groups came and sacked Nineveh.  This Assyrian empire was wiped out.

1 Samuel 15:

Gog and Magog didn’t take any prisoners, they wiped everything out.  They were a force that God used.

The next great empire was the Persians, who came into power in 536 BC.  But, King Cyrus had to defeat the Medes and have them assimilate into the Persian culture in 550 BC.  Once the Medes were defeated, Persia was strong enough to take care Babylon.

Isa. 13: 4→ Isaiah has a prophecy of this even.  God is calling this army and bringing them together.

Isa. 13:17 → Speaking of the Medes.

Later Cyrus is killed chasing another Nomadic tribe, the Massagetai in 530 BC.  Darius I becomes a great ruler of  Persia, but desires to defeat the Scythians.  The Scythians were so hard to defeat, because they are always moving.

While Darius is travelling, the become aware of the Greeks and decide to engage with them due to the rich land.  Before this, the two empires didn’t even know they existed.

The Persians battle with the Greeks for about 200 years.  The Greeks eventually raise a great army and defeat the Persians, and they become the next great power of the day at around 330 BC.

Alexander the Great becomes the next  ruler.  He also tries to go north, but doesn’t have great success with the nomadic tribes and then heads south.  When he Alexander the Great dies, his land is divided into 4 sections, the greatest being the Seleucid Empire.

Between 238 - 148 BC, these great Greek empires become defeated by the tribes from the northern Eurasian tribes representing Gog and Magog.  The next group of people are called the Parthians.  The Parthians in 148 BC take back all of the land in the Middle East, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates and the Holy Land ending the Greek rule.

This allow the Roman Empire to come down into the scene.  The tribes of Gog and Magog are always working behind the scenes.

The Roman Empire is established in 27 BC and last for hundred of years.  The Romans were always fighting Germanic tribes trying to keep them at bay.  But, in 300 AD, a new group of people come led by Attila the Hun sweeping in from the Eurasian area including the areas of modern day Romania and Hungary.  The Germanic tribes seek protection from the Romans due to these tribes led by Attila the Hun.

The Romans do not treat the Germanic tribes well, this leads to the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD.  

There are 10 Resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire that exist afterward, many dealt with these same Gog and Magog armies.

Charlemagne is established in 800 AD as the second resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.  Charlemagne was one of the Germanic people that were pushed there because of the Huns.  Rome goes from being an Italian state to a German state.

Another Gog and Magog army was the Seljak Turks that invade Constantinople in 1095.  This lead the ruler at the time to request help from the Pope which begin the Crusades.  

In 1258, another Gog and Magog army led by Genghis Khan sacks Baghdad which was the most powerful city at the time.  Baghdad was destroyed so thoroughly, that it didn’t regain its population until the 1950s.  Later we see Napolean invading Russia in 1812 and Hitler invading Russia in 1941.

We now transition to a time of Christ.

We are now at the beginning of Millennium.  Christ returns.
Isa 2:1 → The mountain of the Lord.  All nations shall flow to it.

There will be a lot of people will be shell-shocked.  People will have to learn.  People will have to find out who is God and what is His purpose.  There will be people who don’t understand.

Eze. 38:4 → God will establish these people of Gog and Magog, these agents of destruction.

Eze. 38:8 → Brought Israel back into Mount Sinai.  

Eze. 38:14 → People coming from the north riding on horses.  

Eze. 38:21-23 → God used these people so that people know that He is the Lord.  He can raise these people up, and he can destroy them.

Eze. 39:22 → People of Israel will know that He is the Lord.  God will be a redeemer of His people.  T

Eze. 39:23 → Not only will the nation of Israel now but the Gentiles as well.

Everyone will be on board in this restoration.  We then go through the new millennium 

At the end of the millennium, Gog and Magog are no longer needed for the new heavens and new earth.