The New Jerusalem, as described in Revelation 21:9, is portrayed as a city of unparalleled magnificence, constructed with materials of extraordinary value. This exploration estimates the dimensions and costs of building such a city today, providing a modern lens through which to appreciate its scale and splendor.
The City’s Magnificent Scale
Overall Dimensions: The Holy City of New Jerusalem is envisioned to span 1,380 miles in every direction, equating to a floor plan that would stretch from the northeastern corner of North Dakota to Columbus, Ohio, down to Laredo, Texas, and across to Salt Lake City, Utah. This immense distance forms a perfect cube with a total land area of approximately 1.9 million square miles.
Vertical Scale: To comprehend its height, Mount Everest, the tallest peak on Earth at 5.5 miles, pales in comparison. Ascending to 1,380 miles would require 125 round trips up and down Mount Everest or an astonishing 2,500 trips up and down the Empire State Building.
The Estimated Costs
1. Gold Structure: The weight of the city—77.64 quadrillion gold ounces—would translate into an estimated value of $1.475 sextillion ($1.475 × 10²⁰) at today’s gold prices.
Jasper Walls: The walls of the city are described as being 144 cubits (216 feet) thick and constructed from jasper. You could fit approximately five full standard city buses (each 40 feet long) into 216 feet of space, with a little extra space left over. The amount of jasper required for the walls alone would weigh approximately 930.68 trillion tons, with an estimated value of $186.14 quintillion.
3. Pearl Gates: Each of the 12 gates is fashioned from massive pearls, standing 320 miles tall and 40 feet thick. Constructing these gates would require approximately 7.48 billion pearls per gate, weighing a total of 24,732 tons for all gates combined. At a valuation of $350 million per ton of pearls, the total cost would be approximately $8.66 trillion.
4. Precious Stone Foundations: The city’s foundation is detailed as comprising 12 layers of precious stones:
- Jasper: 1.35 trillion tons valued at $270 quadrillion
- Sapphire: 2.08 trillion tons valued at $2.496 quintillion
- Agate: 1.37 trillion tons valued at $20.55 quadrillion
- Emerald: 1.43 trillion tons valued at $5.005 quintillion
- Onyx: 1.35 trillion tons valued at $13.5 quadrillion
- Ruby: 2.08 trillion tons valued at $3.12 quintillion
- Chrysolite: 1.71 trillion tons valued at $102.6 quadrillion
- Beryl: 1.40 trillion tons valued at $70 quadrillion
- Topaz: 1.82 trillion tons valued at $45.5 quadrillion
- Turquoise: 1.35 trillion tons valued at $67.5 quadrillion
- Jacinth: 1.82 trillion tons valued at $273 quadrillion
- Amethyst: 1.37 trillion tons valued at $13.7 quadrillion
Total Foundation Value: Approximately $11.5 quintillion.
The Monumental Comparison
To put these figures into perspective, the global GDP for 2023 was estimated at $105.4 trillion. The projected total cost of building the New Jerusalem, including materials and labor, reaches $2.54 sextillion. This cost is approximately 24.1 million times the size of the current global GDP.
Labor and Total CostThe Cost and Scale of Constructing the New Jerusalem Today: A Modern Perspective
Assuming labor costs are roughly 60% of the total material expenses, the estimated expense for labor adds approximately $0.954 sextillion to the material cost of $1.59 sextillion, bringing the grand total to $2.54 sextillion.
The Sheer Impossibility
The construction of the New Jerusalem is not just economically staggering but also logistically unimaginable. The estimated total weight of 17.77 quadrillion tons for the foundations alone is 394.89 billion times the mass of the foundation of the Burj Khalifa. This vast and celestial vision underscores the symbolic and spiritual meaning of the city, transcending any real-world equivalent.
Conclusion
The New Jerusalem’s description in the Bible, when considered through a modern lens, reveals a project so grand that it would dwarf the world’s combined economic and material resources. The total estimated cost of $2.54 sextillion highlights the city’s unimaginable scale and value, embodying a divine ideal far beyond human capacity. This perspective deepens the awe-inspiring vision of the New Jerusalem, presenting it as an unparalleled testament to divine glory and grandeur.
The scale of 24.1 million times is almost incomprehensible when applied to the realities of our world. To put it simply, finding examples on Earth where one thing is exactly 24.1 million times bigger than another is exceedingly rare because of the sheer magnitude of that comparison. Such a scale is so vast that it stretches beyond what we typically encounter in our daily lives. It highlights that the New Jerusalem, as described, is not just grand—it transcends human experience and imagination. This helps to illustrate the extraordinary and divine nature of this biblical city, reminding us that its scale and value surpass anything that exists or could be built on Earth.
Additional thoughts:
The Contrast Between Human Ambition and Divine Design: The Tower of Babel vs. The New Jerusalem the Holy City
The Tower of Babel was humanity's ambitious but flawed attempt to build a structure reaching the heavens, driven by pride and the desire for self-glory. In contrast, the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21 is a divine and perfect city, descending from heaven with 12 jeweled foundations and four towering walls stretching 1,380 miles high, giving it the appearance of a magnificent tower. While Babel symbolized human effort and division—ultimately halted by God, leading to the scattering of people—the New Jerusalem the Holy City represents divine unity and fulfillment. It embodies what Babel could never achieve: an eternal, God-ordained city where the divine and the redeemed dwell together. This heavenly city surpasses human imagination and effort, illustrating that true grandeur and lasting unity come not from human ambition but from divine purpose and glory.
