The reign of Antichrist will be a totalitarian state that makes a cult, or religion, of evil. The idea that the state is supreme, popular in the days of absolute monarchies, when the power of the state was vested in the ruler, has been emphasized by communism. Our governmental bureaucracies are accum-ulating more and more power. The state's control over industry, commerce, and business gets stronger and stronger. Taxes have long since passed the upper limit regarded by economists as safe.
Governmental regulation gets more exten-sive and more complete.
The false prophet will induce men to make an image of antichrist, and by some trickery or demonic power he will give life to this image and enable it to speak. This image will probably be set up in the new, reconstructed Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Those who will not worship the beast or receive his mark will not be allowed to buy food or engage in business, and many of them will starve. Others will be ma-rtyred. Such a situation is far from impossible today.