Not So the Wicked

Earlier this month, Sasha and I attended a conference in beautiful Croatia.  We visited the seaside city of Split and saw the massive palace of Emperor Diocletian.

Diocletian was Emperor of Rome in the late third and early fourth centuries.  He violently persecuted Christians in more extreme and terrible ways than any of his predecessors.    The ruins of his amphitheater, where many Christians would have been killed for sport, still stand in Split.

Yet now, centuries later, his empire has crumbled.  His palace still remains, but it has been converted into a city center.  Inside the great walls are little shops where tourists can buy souvenirs.  The upper levels of the walls have been converted to apartments.  People live in the palace of this evil man as if it is just another part of downtown Split, and right in the middle of the palace stands a large church.

Evil will not prosper.  All that evil people do will eventually come to ruin.  Even this great and terrible Roman emperor was eventually brought low and his palace turned into a place of commerce, dwelling, and worship.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1:4-6

The wall of Diocletian's Palace in Split Croatia, now used for apartments and shops.