Lesson Five: The Everlasting Covenant — Commandments Established from the Beginning

Lesson Five

Let us move forward with our study in Jubilees chapter six.

I want to reiterate why I am taking us back to these accounts from the beginning. The purpose is to help you understand the commandments, laws, and statutes of the Most High. These laws — including the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai — did not originate at Sinai. They were established from the beginning of creation. Even the feasts listed in Leviticus 23 did not begin there; they existed long before.

The reason these commandments were later given specifically to the children of Israel is twofold. First, they are a chosen nation. Second, after the deaths of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel), whose descendants became the twelve tribes, their children strayed away from the commandments of the Most High. These commandments had been taught to Abraham by Noah, then passed to Isaac, Jacob, and his twelve sons. Once those generations passed, their descendants abandoned the laws and turned to idolatry.

Because of this disobedience, they were led into captivity and became slaves under the regime of Pharaoh. This captivity was not random — it was foreseen by Abraham before the children of Israel were even born. This was their first captivity.

If you have read or watched Lessons One through Six, you have already seen:

• The creation of the calendar

• The establishment of marriage

• The first murder, where Commandment Six (“You shall not murder”) was broken by Cain

• Commandment Nine (lying) broken by Cain

• Commandment Ten (coveting) broken by Cain

• The law of purification for childbirth, later stated in Exodus 12

• The disobedience of Adam and Eve, who violated the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing death, sorrow, pain, and suffering upon mankind

• The beginning of idolatry, when the fallen angels descended and committed fornication with the daughters of men

• The introduction of magic, sorcery, and divination, passed down through generations, continually destroying mankind and shortening human lifespan

This traces back to Adam and Eve, when the Most High said, “In the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Death was both spiritual and physical. Adam was not created to die; death entered only after disobedience. Adam lived 930 years and then died, and from that point human life steadily declined until we reach “threescore and ten” as stated in Psalm 90:10.

The observance of new moons, sacrifices, and offerings began with Adam, passed to Noah, then to Abraham, and continued forward. The new moons are clearly referenced in Jubilees, especially chapter six, and were also observed by Abraham. The Sabbath, however, was practiced in heaven until the Most High chose the seed of Jacob to keep it on earth. That is why Israel is called a peculiar people and a chosen nation, and why the Sabbath became the fourth commandment.

The new moon and the Sabbath are feasts — eternal ordinances — and they will continue in the return of the Messiah, in the new heaven and the new earth.

The Feast of Firstfruits began with Noah. The Day of Atonement also began with Noah, performed for the earth after the flood.

All of this is to say: the commandments should never be taken lightly nor considered done away with. Everything the Most High commanded Moses to relay to the children of Israel still stands, with one exception — blood sacrifices for sin, because the Messiah fulfilled that requirement.

Lesson Five Continued

Now, without further delay, let us proceed with Lesson Seven.

Once again, the focus is on the commandments, laws, and statutes of the Most High, because they are essential to:

• Having a close relationship with Him

• Surviving what is coming

• Having a chance to reign with the Messiah on the new earth

Some details will not be emphasized, not because they are unimportant, but because our focus is on the core foundation that keeps us close to the Most High.

1. The Days of Noah and the New Moons

We stopped previously at Jasher 5:7–11, where the Most High gave the people 120 years to repent. They did not listen to Noah; instead, they mocked him. This mirrors today, when people are taught the commandments and respond by saying they are “done away with” because of grace.

The Messiah warned us that His return would be just like the days of Noah.

Let us go to Jubilees 5:20–32 (see also Genesis 8 and Jasher 5–6). In verses 22–24, we see repeated references to the new moons:

“And Noah made the ark in all respects as He commanded him… on the new moon of the first month… and he entered the ark on the new moon of the second month…”

From the beginning of the flood to its conclusion, every major event occurred on a new moon, meaning the beginning of a new month.

2. Jubilees Chapter Six — The Covenant Renewed

In Jubilees 6:1–38 (Genesis 9, Jasher 6), Noah, his family, and the animals exit the ark. Here we witness the first burnt offering made as atonement for the guilt of the earth. This practice continued through the Levites until the death of the Messiah.

Only clean animals were offered. There were specific woods, oils, blood sprinklings, and procedures — all carried out exactly as Noah had done.

In verse 4, the Most High accepts Noah’s offering and establishes a covenant that He will never again destroy the earth by flood. He declares that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

In verse 6, the Most High instructs Noah concerning food, later clarified in Leviticus 11.

Verse 7 is critical:

“But flesh, with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, ye shall not eat.”

The life is in the blood. Noah and his sons swore a covenant never to eat blood, forever, throughout all generations (verses 10, 12–14). This law has no expiration.

As stated in Leviticus 17:11, the blood represents the soul. Life departs when blood is shed. Ultimately, salvation required the shedding of the Messiah’s blood. Before that, animal sacrifices carried the guilt of sin.

This connects again to Commandment Six:

“Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”

This principle began with Cain and was later reinforced through Moses as “eye for an eye”, because bloodshed defiles the land (Numbers 35:33). There is, however, an exception for accidental killing (Numbers 35), which will be addressed in a separate study.

The Sign of the Covenant — The Bow

In verses 15–17, the Most High establishes the bow (rainbow) as the sign of the eternal covenant. Each time the bow appears, it is a reminder to the Most High not to destroy the earth again by flood.

This should humble us. The rainbow is not for decoration or pride; it is a warning and a mercy. When you see it, you should give thanks and ask for forgiveness.

The Feast of Weeks and Firstfruits

The Feast of Weeks, also known as Firstfruits, is ordained in the third month, once a year (Leviticus 23). Though we no longer perform blood sacrifices due to the Messiah, the feast remains an eternal statute, observed as a memorial.

Jubilees 6:17–22 explains that this feast was celebrated in heaven from creation, observed by Noah, forgotten by later generations, restored by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and eventually re-established at Mount Sinai.

The book of Jubilees was given to Moses on Mount Sinai during the thirty days and nights he spent with the Most High. These instructions explain why the feasts exist and why they must be kept.

Closing Exhortation

Do not be deceived into believing the Torah is done away with.The Old Testament is the foundation; the New Testament reveals and fulfills it. The Torah contains the instructions we need to walk closely with the Most High and prepare for the new Jerusalem, where the Messiah will reign.

Closing Prayer

I will stop here.

My prayer is that the Most High grants you wisdom, understanding, and opens your eyes to see the secrets of the Torah.

Be blessed.