Question 24
Total Apostasy

How could there be a total apostasy when there was at least one apostle, John (and possibly four, if one considers the 3 Nephite "disciples" as holding the office of apostle, as some in the Church do), when the current teaching is that as long as one Elder remains alive he has the power to reorganize the Church and all its structured systems?

Response: by Malin L. Jacobs

The questioner misunderstands the term “elder” as used by the LDS. “Elder” is both a title that may be applied to any holder of the Melchizedic Priesthood, and also a Melchizedic Priesthood office.  Therefore, an apostle surnamed Smith would be referred to as “Elder Smith.”  However, the priesthood office of elder does not have the requisite keys to reorganize the church.  Therefore it is not “current [LDS] teaching that as long as one Elder remains alive he has the power to reorganize the Church and all its structured systems,” unless that “elder” holds the office of apostle.

Now, to the Question:

What does the “one Elder [apostle] remain[ing] alive” who “has the power to reorganize the Church and all its structured systems” have to do with whether or not there was a total apostasy?  If that apostle did not reorganize the Church and all its structured systems, the church disappeared from the Earth.  As far as the inhabitants of the Earth are concerned, the apostasy was complete.

If the questioner is trying to make a technical point that the apostasy could not truly be “complete” if there was even one person on the face of the Earth who had the authority to reconstitute the true church, even if that person did not do so, then the questioner is merely engaging in nitpicking.  Faithful LDS do not use the word “total” that way when discussing the apostasy.  They understand that “total apostasy” means the church structure and priesthood authority (with the exception of that held by a few individuals, such as those listed in the question) was removed from the Earth.  This structure was not restored until 1830, through Joseph Smith.  An individual apostle exercising his authority for purposes other than reorganizing the church is irrelevant to the issue of whether or not the apostasy was total.

From the point-of-view of the LDS, the apostasy was total despite the presence on the Earth of those individuals listed in the question.