The Counterfeit King Called “Me”

Kevin Ball created his own country in his three-bedroom house outside Dayton, Nevada. He called it Melasia, issued passports, minted currency, and declared himself ruler of a republic with a population of six — himself, his two sons, and three dogs. A Nevada newspaper called him a “micronationalist,” part of a “wacky band of do-it-yourself nation builders.” But according to this episode of Ten Minute Bible Talks, Ball’s joke touches something universal. “We all want to build a kingdom of me,” the host says. “A kingdom in which we are king or queen over our own lives.”

That kingdom — built on meeting your own needs, seeking your own comforts, achieving your own goals — is the central problem the episode addresses. The question is what happens when the true king shows up.

The King They Didn’t Expect

Rome crucified Jesus, the host argues, not because he preached love but because he claimed to be king. Other itinerant preachers existed in that era, and Rome didn’t crucify them. The sign Pilate ordered above the cross made the charge explicit: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Rome could tolerate many things, but not someone claiming authority that belonged to Caesar alone.