In fact the reverse is true. Since the apostles have been long gone He could not have been talking to them as individuals but as His Church. He started has not existed, then Jesus' promise of continuity and protection from the gates of Hell has failed and Jesus Himself failed, and He has lost all credibility on anything He has ever said. You see, Jesus led the church personally while here in the flesh, then transferred that leadership to the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and that leadership of the Holy Spirit still exists today. Jesus also gave His church the authority to continue His work on earth until He returns.
Life begets life.
This is happening all through the animal kingdom. Note the Dinosaurs for instance, every last one of them died off, and they can never be replaced because their continuity was cut off. The same as the church. If continuity is cut off, the church ceases to exist. It has no passed on authority and is acting on its own, without God's approval, and therefore does not have any promise of God of continuity and protection.