Pastor Andrew Brunson has predicted that hostility toward Christians in the United States will intensify.
The 52-year-old American missionary who was imprisoned in Turkey for two years made the comments during a Facebook event called 'Global Prayer for US Election Integrity'.
Brunson, who was charged with being involved in leading a failed coup in Turkey in 2016, among other far-fetched claims, said he felt a "new urgency" for the US.
"For the first time in my life… I have an urgency for this country, for the United States," he said.
"And not just with this election. It's not precipitated by this election, but it has been growing in me these last two years."
"I believe the pressures that we're seeing in our country now are going to increase, and one of these pressures is going to be hostility toward people who embrace Jesus Christ and his teaching, who are not ashamed to stand for him.
"My concern is that we're not ready for this pressure. And not being prepared is very, very dangerous on a number of levels."
The event had other prominent Christians including broadcaster Eric Metaxas and politician Michelle Bachmann, praying for "election integrity and against election fraud".
President Donald Trump has continued allegations of election fraud to explain his defeat by President-elect Joe Biden. Even his Attorney General William Barr said that the Justice Department had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and had seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Brunson said no matter what comes out of President Donald Trump's legal challenges, Christians in America should prepare for increased persecution.
"If President Trump prevails, it will delay persecution at a government level, but this will not keep us from the hostility that's rising in our society toward followers of Jesus.
"And I want to mention here that Jesus was the most loving, kind person in history, and yet he was called evil and people are not going to just disagree with us.
"They will say that we are evil and they will justify everything they do to us because they will paint us as evil people. What is heavy on my heart, is that we need to prepare ourselves to prepare our own hearts."
