The inner court 40:28-47

This section includes descriptions of the three inner gate complexes, the rooms and implements used for preparing sacrifices, the rooms for the singers and priests, and the inner court itself.

 The inner gate complexes 40:28-37 

40:28-31 Ezekiel discovered that the south inner gate complex was the same as the outer gate complexes. All the vestibules of the three gate complexes totaled 25 cubits across and each of them was five cubits deep (rather than eight, v. 9). Also there were windows or niches on all four sides and eight steps leading up to it from the outer court (cf. v. 22). However the vestibule of this gate complex, as well as the other inner gate complexes, was facing the outer court.

40:32-34 The eastern inner gate complex was exactly like the southern inner gate complex. Palm tree representations adorned its door frames too.

40:35-37 There was also an identical inner gate complex on the north side.

 The rooms and implements used for preparing sacrifices 40:38-43

40:38-41 Ezekiel also saw a room outside each of the three inner gate complexes close to its doorway. There priests would rinse animals brought as burnt offerings.⁵¹⁹Within each inner gate complex, in the vestibules, there were four tables where priests slaughtered animals brought as burnt, sin, and guilt offerings. Two tables stood on one side of each vestibule and two on the other side. There were also four tables on the outside of the northern inner gate complex, two on each side of the entrance. The north gate then had eight tables, four in the vestibule and four just outside the gate.⁵²⁰

The presence of animal sacrifices in the millennial system of worship has troubled many readers. The Book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus Christ was the superior sacrifice who replaced the sacrifices of the Old Covenant (Heb. 7-10). The best explanation seems to be that in the Millennium there will be animal sacrifices but they will be memorials of Christ's sacrifice even as the sacrifices of the Old Covenant anticipated His sacrifice. They will be like the Lord's Supper is for Christians, a memorial of Christ's death (1 Cor. 11:24, 26). The millennial system of worship will follow the restoration of Israel to her land and the resumption of her prominence in God's plan (Rom. 11:25-27). These sacrifices will appropriately reflect Israelite worship (cf. 45:18-25), though there will not be a reinstitution of the Old Covenant (cf. Rom. 10:4).⁵²¹Sacrifices under the Old Covenant never took away sin; they only covered sin temporarily and pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice to come (Heb. 10:1-4, 10). The purpose of sacrifices under the Old Covenant was to restore the Israelites to fellowship with God, not to provide salvation. Salvation was always by faith. Even after the church began, Jewish believers did not hesitate to participate in the sacrifices of Israel (cf. Acts 2:46; 3:1; 21:26). They viewed these sacrifices as memorials of Christ's sacrifice. There are several other passages that refer to sacrifices in the Millennium (cf. Isa. 56:7; 66:20-23; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21; Mal. 3:3-4).

40:42-43 In addition to these four tables outside the inner gate complex, Ezekiel saw four tables of dressed stone, each one and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits high, and one cubit high.⁵²²These were evidently near the other tables outside the entrance to the northern gate complex and held the utensils used in slaughtering the sacrificial animals. He also saw double hooks about three inches long hanging on the walls of the vestibule. Animal flesh was on the tables, animals that were being offered in sacrifice. Undoubtedly the hooks would hold the sacrificial meat.

 The rooms for the singers and priests 40:44-46

There were two rooms for singers in the inner court. One of them stood beside the north inner gate, and its door faced south. It also accommodated the needs of the priests who were responsible for the care of the temple. The other room stood beside the south inner gate, and its door faced north.⁵²³It was for the use of singers and the priests in charge of the altar (cf. 43:13-17). These priests were descendants of Zadok, the faithful high priest who served during David and Solomon's reigns (cf. 44:15; 1 Sam. 2:31-33; 2 Sam. 15:24-29; 1 Kings 1:5-26, 32-35; 2:26-27, 35; 1 Chron. 6:3-8; 24:3).

 The inner court itself 40:47

The inner court, bounded by the three inner gates and the temple itself, was a square 100 cubits (166 feet) on each side. An altar stood in this square in front of the entrance to the temple proper.