God on our behalf. ‘If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law’ (8:4). ‘They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven’ (8:5). Jesus has entered the heavenly original. Jesus, our priest and mediator, appears in the presence of God, bearing our names, as a memorial to God. He is the sign, the reminder, the pledge, the guarantee that we belong in the presence of God. Our presence before God is as certain