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2 Sets Of 12 Apostles? - Page 2

If you add the First Presidency with the Twelve how many do you get total as special Witnesses currently on the earth?

Apostles Sets

Fifteen. But then we could also include John the Beloved, the Three Nephites and probably others. So why not two sets of 12 back then - or more?

2 Sets Of 12 Apostles? Studies Doctrine Mormon

That is 15 but I don't think that is the total on the earth. I remembered once someone telling me that a "Special Witness" was not only an apostle. I looked it up in the dictionary and didn't find anything so I went to Mormon Doctrine, under "Special Witness" it leads you to "Apostles." The first section tells about how

I read further and found this and it seems as if there were two sets at the same time according to Joseph Smith.


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Page 2 Apostles Sets

That is the way I interpret it. When reading in 3 Nephi it speks of the 12 the Savior called to minister to the people. So far I have not seen anything to convince me it was otherwise.

Apostles Sets

I agree with AlaskanLDS and alskann--it seems that 12 apostles were definitely called on the American continent by the Savior. The only question is the 'why.' I suppose the answer may be simply that the Savior organizes and directs His church how he sees fit. And if then it was prudent to call 2 sets of 12 (or more), then perhaps He did. As JB noted, there is some precedence for having multiple prophets simultaneously on the earth. And perhaps the modern-day analogy is the Quorums of 70 continuously growing as the church continues its growth.

2 Sets Of 12 Apostles?

The Quorum of the Seventy has more than seventy people in it, in the past there has been people that were counselors to the Prophet that could have been called one of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and like it has said before in the Bible there has, at times, more than one Prophet at a time, but if you remember, last Conference we sustained all the Twelve Apostles as "Prophets, Seers, and Revelators".

2 Sets 12 Apostles - Page 2

It is a simple answer. The Lord will call whomever and how ever many He needs to get the work done. It is, afterall, His Church.

Edited: alskann on 4th Oct, 2008 - 4:37pm

2 Sets 12 Apostles Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 2

There was absolutely not conflict in having two sets (or more if needed) of apostles during the first century A.D. How on earth could the Nephite disciples have received counsel and instruction from the prophet in the Middle East?

Don't forget, the Nephites had had prophetic leadership from the moment Lehi left Jerusalem-Lehi. After Lehi, Nephi, the Jacob, and so on. Even during the time of the judges, when the "chief judge" governed the people, there always was a "high priest over the Church."

On some occasions, the two roles (one secular government, the other religious) were held by the same person. Alma, the son of Alma, is a good case-in-point. You'll remember that he left the judgement seat to reclaim the wavering saints of his day in the first part of the Book of Alma, and Nephihah took over as the secular leader at that point.

So, while the organization of twelve apostles, as the highest governing body of the Church, did not occur until the Savior was personally ministering on the earth, there always had been more than one prophet, or "head," as needed by each respective "church." (I.e. the church in Palestine and the Church in the Americas; and maybe even the Church established among the lost tribes, if there was such an organization)

The bottom line is, in no case was there ever more than one "head" for any given "church." The was one fold-Christ's-and one shepherd-Christ, and one "head" or mouthpiece for each respective "church" or body of saints.

Isn't the gospel awesome!