I believe that John Locke, who pasted through time using the Donkey Wheel, is dead. But John Locke who landed on the island in the Ajira plane is alive. When could this John Locke have come to life? While Charles Whitmore had John Locke recuperating from his injuries, he pasted John through a Time Travel Machine that he and Eloise Hawking have possession of. and then pasted him through the machine a few short seconds before he pasted him threw the first time. John is unconscious so he has no knowledge that there are now two versions of himself. Whitmore now allows the first John Locke to continue on his way and keeps the other(Hey, wouldn't that explain who the Others actually are? Others of themselves.) John Locke on ice. The first John Locke eventually is killed by Ben. His body is placed on the Ajira flight. But, there is another box on that flight with the John Locke who has been on ice. When the plane lands ! on the island, the dead John Locke is discarded and the live John Locke is allowed to regain consciousness. He has all the memories of the dead John Locke and is an oracle of the future because he has died but his death no longer lies in the future. But he is not immortal. If he were to be sent back into the past again he would not go anywhere. He is dead in the past. He would cease to exist as a physical being. He would be in essence one of a number of wraiths that inhabit the island. That's the reason for the whispers. These are people who followed before John Locke in the path he is now leading. This may not make any sense, but I cannot accept the idea that John Locke did not die a mortal death.
