Although we have heard many different characters explain that the future cannot be altered by changing events in the past, I don't believe this is a hard and fast rule. We have already seen that Desmond falls "outside of time" and as such has the power to alter the course of events. I think there may be other characters who can do that as well. Namely, the Oceanic 6.
While we still don't really know anything concrete about Jacob, it can be safe to assume that he is in some form of danger on the Island - which is why he asked Locke to "help him" at the cabin. I think that Jacob has drawn the 815ers to the Island knowing that they will eventually end up separated through time. By doing so, the 815ers are now altering the course of events on the Island. The best example of this is how Jin met the French expedition in the past. If we refer to the account that Rousseau gave Sayid in season 1, it does not relate at all to what happened this week with Jin. I believe that the 815ers are causing rifts in time that will eventually change the course of the future. This is the reason why they "all have to come back".
After Locke puts the Donkey wheel back in order, I believe he will be sent to the future, sometime after Ben arrived in the desert in 2005. The Island meanwhile, will be sent back to the past and will stop time jumping. As such, when the Oceanic 6 do return, they will return to the past, meaning their actions on the Island will influence how the future turns out.
As for what Ben's connection to all this is, I can only speculate. I think any true fans of the show have long suspected that we really cannot trust what Ben does or what he says. He has his own agenda with respect to the Island and we are still unclear as to what it is. I think the Others found out about this hidden agenda which is why they were so willing to banish him and follow Locke. The Henry Gale connect in this regard will go a long way to showing us what's up. Theory by Mojo Green
While we still don't really know anything concrete about Jacob, it can be safe to assume that he is in some form of danger on the Island - which is why he asked Locke to "help him" at the cabin. I think that Jacob has drawn the 815ers to the Island knowing that they will eventually end up separated through time. By doing so, the 815ers are now altering the course of events on the Island. The best example of this is how Jin met the French expedition in the past. If we refer to the account that Rousseau gave Sayid in season 1, it does not relate at all to what happened this week with Jin. I believe that the 815ers are causing rifts in time that will eventually change the course of the future. This is the reason why they "all have to come back".
After Locke puts the Donkey wheel back in order, I believe he will be sent to the future, sometime after Ben arrived in the desert in 2005. The Island meanwhile, will be sent back to the past and will stop time jumping. As such, when the Oceanic 6 do return, they will return to the past, meaning their actions on the Island will influence how the future turns out.
As for what Ben's connection to all this is, I can only speculate. I think any true fans of the show have long suspected that we really cannot trust what Ben does or what he says. He has his own agenda with respect to the Island and we are still unclear as to what it is. I think the Others found out about this hidden agenda which is why they were so willing to banish him and follow Locke. The Henry Gale connect in this regard will go a long way to showing us what's up. Theory by Mojo Green
