(AgapePress) - A Wisconsin pastor says America has reached a point where preaching the gospel can land you in jail.

Pastor Ralph Ovadal, pastor of Christ the King Church in Monroe, Wisconsin, is appealing a conviction that could lead to a 90-day jail sentence. His crime? Preaching the gospel to a woman who was mocking Christians with filthy language and a lewd dance in the parking lot near a state-run nude beach in Wisconsin last May.

Ovadal says he preached a short message to the woman which, officials say, included calling her "a harlot" and "a Jezebel." He was found guilty of disorderly conduct last week, with the judge claiming Ovadal lost his free-speech rights when he verbally attacked the woman in the parking lot.

Ovadal says law enforcement, the prosecutor, and the judge openly displayed their hatred for him and all Christians, and convicted him for simply preaching God’s Word.

"This judge has just displayed a hatred for me. It’s obvious," Ovadal says. "My lawyer sees it, too. And also, the district attorney has not only shown a hatred for me, but for all Christians who preach the full counsel of God’s Word. In his closing remarks in the case, he said that warning someone of hell is a threat and it can’t be allowed."

"So, here we go. It’s 2002 in America, and now they’re going to try to put a pastor in jail for preaching the gospel," he says.

Pastor Ovadal says he was given little chance to make his case. "This judge throughout the case showed so much bias. He allowed the prosecution to talk about how this woman was so frightened by me, which she obviously wasn’t," he says. "When my attorney tried to bring in evidence that she’s not frightened by preaching, the judge wouldn’t let any of that in. He interrupted us a number of times [and] basically mocked our defense."

Ovadal believes these events are just one example of biblical prophecy coming true. He believes that Christians will continue to suffer persecution in the last days.

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