Serpent-handling pastor Mack Wolford dies - hours after he's bitten by a RATTLESNAKE

A Pentecostal reverend known for preaching with the help of a rattlesnake coiled around his arm lost his life when one of the creatures suddenly bit him.

Mack Randall Wolford, 44, pastor at the Full Gospel Apostolic House of the Lord Jesus in Matoaka, West Virginia, was killed hours after receiving the deadly bite on Sunday.

Wolford was holding a 'homecoming' service outdoors in Matoaka while handing the rattler, which is seen by his followers as a sign of faith.

Deadly bite: Mack Randall Wolford, pictured at a previous service, was killed hours after receiving the deadly bite on Sunday.

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported that Wolford had set the serpent down during the service when it suddenly jerked forward and bit him on the thigh.

Wolford had reportedly owned the timber rattlesnake for several years, taking care of it in his home and introducing it to his followers during his services.

Videos posted to YouTube show the preacher dancing while holding the snake.

Wolford’s father, who was also a serpent-handling pastor, died in the same way.

A young resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Telegraph: 'I know [Wolford] was really bad off before he died... it was really bad. He’s worshiped at that church all his life.

'His daddy passed away the same way, from a rattler. He knew the risks. All of us around here are that way.'

Wolford was 15 at the time, but later took on his father's mantle.

A nursing supervisor at Bluefield Regional Medical Center told the Charleston Daily Mail that Wolford was admitted to the facility at about 10:30pm on Sunday night.

The supervisor told the paper: 'He was a snake handler. It looked like it happened maybe during church, but by the time he got here, it was a bad situation.'

He is the subject of an upcoming documentary by filmmaker Kate Fowler that takes an intimate look at the snake-handling preacher called With Signs Following.

Neighbours told the Daily Telegraph that Wolford, like other snake-handling preachers, was fully aware of the danger posed by the reptile.

There are dozens of species of rattlesnakes, which are the largest of all venomous snakes in the U.S, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The timber rattlesnake, widely regarded as the most dangerous of the species, are common to deciduous forests as far north as Connecticut and as far south as Texas.

It is unlawful to kill a timber rattlesnake, as it is an endangered species.

While rattlers are behind the most common snakebite injuries in the United States, they are rarely fatal if treated quickly.