Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

When node operators attempt to start their node from block 1 they get an unclear error message like

panic: json: cannot unmarshal array into Go value of type map[string]json.RawMessage

Example Issue: #2682

Describe the solution you'd like
Instead, if someone attempts to start at block 1 it should give them an informative error message like
You cannot sync testnet or mainnet from block 1 using this version. You should sync your node from a snapshot

Motivation and Context
Many node operators run into this problem, get confused, and ask for help in Discord.