The Snake Oil Kingdom

Prologue

The world was teetering, a fragile shadow of its former self. Distrust was rampant, and faith—true faith—was scarce. People had become desperate, clinging to any glimmer of hope offered by the myriad voices calling out from the wilderness. But not all voices were trustworthy. Many were merely the croaks of snakeskin salesmen.

These were not the carnival barkers of old, with their potions and tinctures. They were the modern prophets of self-deification and easy fixes, selling lies cloaked in hope. From alternative media to wellness gurus, from slick-talking entrepreneurs to self-proclaimed spiritual guides, they thrived on the people’s yearning for healing and meaning without accountability.

The KJV Believer

Among them was Jonathan, a quiet man of unshakable conviction. He was a rarity, a King James Version (KJV) believer who held fast to the truth of God’s Word in a world that had forgotten it. Jonathan walked in the ways of the Lord, trusting in His commandments and promises. He understood the warnings of Deuteronomy and Leviticus: blessings for obedience, curses for rebellion. He lived with the knowledge that God’s laws were as relevant now as they had been in ancient Israel.

Jonathan watched as the world fell further into deception. He saw the rise of men like Mike Adams, who denied the existence of viruses but sold supplements to combat them. Alex Jones peddled fear alongside his shelves of overpriced vitamins. Zara declared herself a god and charged exorbitant fees for enlightenment sessions. Even Ethan Cain, who claimed to follow the narrow path, offered fake healing to those willing to pledge their loyalty.

Each of these figures drew in masses with promises of power, health, and salvation. But Jonathan saw them for what they were: merchants of despair. They didn’t introduce people to the truth of the Bible; they fed the people’s desire for quick fixes and easy answers, leaving them spiritually empty and further estranged from God.

The Masses and The Broad Way

The people wanted miracles, not truths. They wanted blessings without having lived a life of obedience to God, healing without God, and salvation without being fully persuaded. They rejected the hard truths of the Old Testament—that the Lord is righteous, that He blesses the obedient and curses the rebellious. Instead, they turned to snake oil salesmen, hoping to buy their way to happiness.

Jonathan would often stand in the town square, Bible in hand, calling out to anyone who would listen.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse, he would say, quoting Deuteronomy 11:26.

But his words fell on deaf ears. Most scoffed at his message. Some even mocked him, accusing him of being a relic from another age.

The Great Deception

As the years passed, the deception deepened. The healthcare system became another vendor in the marketplace of lies, offering cures that never addressed the root cause: mankind’s estrangement from God. Big Pharma profited from the same fear that drove people to buy from the snake oil salesmen of the alternative media. Even the government got involved, creating solutions that were nothing more than gilded chains.

Then came the ultimate lie: the mark of the beast. It was sold as the answer to all the world’s problems. Health, wealth, and security would be guaranteed to those who accepted it. The masses flocked to it, blinded by their desperation. They didn’t see that the mark was the culmination of every deception that had come before it. It was the final snake oil, the ultimate rejection of God.

Jonathan stood alone in those days, watching the darkness close in. He knew the Great Tribulation had begun, the darkest time in human history. But even as the world burned around him, he held fast to his faith. He remembered the words of Joshua 1:8:

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

Jonathan knew that true success was not found in worldly riches but in being fully persuaded at some point during one’s lifetime that Christ died on the cross for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day and putting your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your eternal life. Jonathan also understood that blessings in this life did not come from acquiring material possessions or trusting snake oil salesmen but from fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments.

As the world gave itself over to the snake oil kingdom, he clung to the promises of Scripture, waiting for the day when the Lord would return and set all things right.