It is strange. Mormons believe that early Christians apostasized shortly after Christ was crucified. The apostacy was so complete that Christianity was taken from the earth.
BUT there were twelve apostles chosen on this American Continent....AND they also apostasized through wickedness, so that Christ’s Church was completely lost from the earth.
THEN Christ appeared to a boy, and brought back the fullness of the Gospel after 1700 years. I wonder why Mormons don’t believe the Gospel can be lost again?
God promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church, yet Mormons believe it has happened at least TWICE before. Just another twist in Mormonism. It is curious, that’s all.
A change was wrought in the bodies of the Three Nephites, so that, while they remained in the flesh, they were exempt from the usual effects of physical vicissitude. .......Though they lived and labored as men among their fellows, preaching, baptizing, and conferring the Holy Ghost upon all who gave heed to their words, the enemies to the truth were powerless to do them injury. Somewhat later than a hundred and seventy years after the Lord's last visitation, malignant persecution was waged against the Three. For their zeal in the ministry they were cast into prison; but "the prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain." They were incarcerated in underground dungeons; ........Mormon avers that in answer to his prayers the Lord had made known unto him that the change wrought upon the bodies of the Three, was such as to deprive Satan of all power over them, and that "they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them; and in this state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; ........
IIRC 116 pages of the "restored gospel" was lost and Joseph Smith was unable to restore it (because he was just making it up as he was going).