The sacrificial animals were killed and prepared in rooms beside the gateways that led into the inner courtyard. This detail shows the main purpose of the new temple. It was a place for sacrifice.
The animals had to be washed and cut into pieces before the priests offered them on the altar. These steps prepared the animals for worship.
In Ezekiel’s vision, this new temple strongly focuses on sacrifices that atoned for sin. These sacrifices dealt with sin and restored the relationship between God and humanity that sin had broken. By contrast, the temple in Jerusalem was both a place for sacrifice and a house of prayer (see 1 Kings 8:27–30, 52–53; Isaiah 56:6–8; Matthew 21:13).