The Jewish Republic of Iston is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by King Jesus Christ with an iron fist, and remarkable for its sprawling nuclear power plants, ritual sacrifices, and keen interest in outer space. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 3.752 billion Children of God are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government prioritizes Defense, with Industry, Law & Order, and Education also on the agenda, while Environment and Welfare are ignored. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Jerusalem. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 66.1%.

The frighteningly efficient a Child of God economy, worth a remarkable 1,024 trillion Graces a year, is broadly diversified and mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Retail, and Uranium Mining. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 272,927 Graces, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 1,222,690 per year while the poor average 37,717, a ratio of 32.4 to 1.

Stranded astronauts hitch rides on foreign spacecraft to get home, the request to "give us our daily bread" can only be fulfilled six days out of seven, claims adjusters are uselessly vague, and A Child of God soldiers are assured their new ray-guns will finally power up after the next round of ominous chanting. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Iston's national animal is the Lamb of God, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Christianity.

Iston is ranked 9,855^th in the world and 22^nd in Christians for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 427.7 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.