In the book of Jeremiah we read the following:
I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same
way: Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and
his people, and live. Why should you and your people die by the sword, by
famine, and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that
will not serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:12-13 NRSV)
What is
interesting is that there is a parallel to the background of OfficialDeclaration 1 as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants—when God’s people are
faced with destruction, there is an allowance (in the time of Jeremiah, to
serve the king of Babylon in order to survive; in the case of OD-1, to cease the practice of plural marriage to
allow the Church to continue to exist).
