You walk between two huge golden tablets. Scripture verses cover them. You’re stepping into Washington, D.C.’s newest museum. This museum isn’t all about U.S. history, even though it’s located in the U.S. capital. It’s all about the Bible.

The Museum of the Bible opened this November. What’s inside? A huge electronic ceiling display in the lobby will give you a hint. Images of items found in the museum flash overhead. Visitors can see more than 1,600 Bible-related objects inside! Some of these items have been loaned to the museum from Israel. Many are Bibles and biblical manuscripts.

As you enter, reach for a digital tablet. This will help you explore the museum. The museum tablets have internal GPSs. As soon as you get up close to an exhibit, the tablet will show information about what you are looking at. It will also keep track of which exhibits you have already seen. That way, if you return to the museum, you can pick up where you left off. And you probably will have to visit more than once to get the whole story. It would take nine eight-hour days to see everything in the museum!

Why put a Bible museum in Washington, D.C.? The museum’s designers had a purpose. They wanted to show that the Bible is a big part of the religious history of the United States. Hop into an exhibit called “Washington Revelations.” This motion simulator will make you feel like you’re flying over Washington, D.C. It will show you Bible inscriptions and references in buildings and monuments throughout the city.

The new museum was mostly paid for by the owners of the Hobby Lobby arts and crafts stores. The president of that company, Steve Green, is a Christian. But he says the new museum isn’t just for people who believe the Bible. It’s for everyone who wants to learn about it.