The first thing a worshipper saw upon entering the court was the altar of sacrifice. Before any approach to God's presence — before the laver, before the holy place — was the place of blood.

The order matters. Sin must be atoned before fellowship is possible. The cross stands first in the New Testament as the altar stood first in the tabernacle. There is no way to God that does not pass through the place of substitutionary death.

Horns — symbols of power in the ancient world. The altar with horns represented the power of atonement reaching out in four directions. Fugitives could lay hold of the horns and find sanctuary (1 Kings 1:50-51).

Christ on the cross was lifted up in the four directions — His arms outstretched, His body the meeting place of vertical and horizontal beam. The altar with four horns was the geometric prophecy of His arms reaching out for the whole world.

Brass — the metal of judgment in the Old Testament. The serpent on the pole that healed the bitten Israelites was brass (Numbers 21:9). The brazen altar represents judgment endured — the place where the substitute bore wrath in the worshipper's place.

Wood overlaid with brass — Christ's humanity covered by the burning judgment He absorbed. Wood that would have been consumed by fire, protected by the brass that took the heat instead.

The court was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide — a large space for offerings, but enclosed. The hangings of white linen represented righteousness — the standard from outside which sinners could not pass without sacrifice.

The outer court had room for the people. The Holy Place had only priests. The Most Holy had only the high priest, once a year. The graded access points to the wider invitation in Christ — come boldly (Hebrews 4:16) — that opens all the way through.

There was only one gate. The court had one entrance. Christ said I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved (John 10:9). Even the architecture preached the exclusivity of the way.

The gate was wide enough for any sinner but narrow enough to forbid alternative routes. Same as the gospel — wide enough for all who will come, narrow enough that none enter who refuse the appointed way.

Beaten oil. The olives crushed to produce the light. A picture of Christ in Gethsemane — Gethsemane literally means oil press. The olives crushed there made the oil that lit the lamps; the Lord crushed there in agony produced the light of the world.

The lamp was to burn always. The Spirit's ministry in the church is continuous. The light is not produced by the lamp itself but by the oil — and the oil came at cost.