Having departed from the temple, Jesus said, "Do not the guests assemble in the antechamber before entering the feasthall?

There, the hands and feet are washed, the head anointed, and small foods to whet the
appetite are eaten.

Even so is the Earth the antechamber of the Kingdom of Heaven."

mid 17th century (as antichamber ): from French antichambre, from Italian anticamera, from anti- ‘preceding’ + camera (see chamber).