Something wonderful is happening in Washington, D.C, and it has nothing to do with the election. On November 17, 2017, the Museum of the Bible opens at a cost of over a billion dollars, three blocks from the U.S. Capitol, and with more display space then the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It will take eight days to see every single thing housed in the museum, but interactive guides will be available to streamline your visit to the things you’re most interested in.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a briefing about the museum at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Nation’s Capital, and we toured the construction sight with a small group led by Steve Green of Hobby Lobby. The building is an old warehouse that once stored food and now will display the bread of life.
The Green Family of Hobby Lobby are behind the project. They purchased a building in the heart of governmental Washington and are renovating it into a seven-floor, 340,000 square foot introduction to the Greatest Book ever written.
- One floor will house and display all kinds of artifacts related to the Bible.
- Another floor will take you on a virtual tour of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, telling the story as it unfolds in Scripture. Some of the features will be Disney-like, and no expense is being spared to dedvelop the most exciting exhibits.
- Another floor will explain the impact of the Bible on world history, thought, science, culture, humanitarianism, and its role in the founding and establishing of our country. One whole section of the museum will chronicle the impact of the Bible on America.
“If there were only one museum in the whole world, shouldn’t it be devoted to the Bible?” asked Mr. Green, “the most published book in history, the foundation of Western Civilization, and the most important and impacting book in the world?”
The Museum of the Bible will become a key destination of many church youth groups. It will also be a place of scholarship and a training center for those wanting to know the Bible better. Every family should visit.
To see everything it would take a full week, as I said, but special digital guides are being planned to help you high the high spots, depending on your interest. The village of Nazareth will even be recreated as it was in the time of Christ, and you’ll be able to visit the land of the Bible and the very Bible itself in a way never before possible.
I don’t know when I’ve had a more exciting weekend. To help you start planning your trip, here are some pictures I took of the weekend. The opening date, again, is mid-November of next year.
McAfee and his wife Lauren
