At some point in season six, we will be witness to the arrival of the crew of the Black Rock. I believe this episode will begin with the survivors of the wreck waking up confused in the jungle, most of them unaware of how they got their. However, one crew member will be seen making his way in to the jungle. This survivor will purposely walk into the camp of the indigenous inhabitants of the island. As he is taken prisoner, the camera will show the identity of the man. To know one's great surprise, that man will be shown to be Richard. At this point, he will speak the words, "what lies in the shadow of the statue." As his captures appear puzzled, a man will step out of the shadows and give the correct response. This man will be, of course, our MIB. Cue the Lost logo and begin the episode.
As others have proposed, I believe Jacob is a time traveler from the future who has traveled back in time to attempt to change the past and prevent the still unknown event that will mark the end of humanity. It is very possible that in doing this, he has inadvertently caused the event he is attempting to prevent, but that is a theory for another time.
For the sake of this theory, we must assume that when physically traveling back in time, one's body does not age until he reaches the point in time from which he is traveling. I am also assuming that Jacob has recruited others to follow him into the past to assist him in his quest. MIB was one such person, Richard followed him, and Ilana will be shown to be a third.
A problem for the time travelers is that the exit point in the time machine is not on the island. Therefore, they have to find passage to the island. Luckily for them, they are aware of the island's history. Therefore, once Richard arrived in the past, he simply signed as a member of the Black Rock, knowing it was destined to wreck on the island and reunite him with Jacob. When he arrived on the island, he eventually would replace the MIB as Jacob's right hand man and his liaison with the others. MIB was then freed to seek the loophole that lead to the season five finale.
I believe the scene in the finally with Jacob visiting Ilana actually takes place in the future. Ilana has been injured in the upcoming war and was approached by Jacob, prior to his time traveling. The favor he asked of her was to travel back in time and join him on the island. Like Richard, she was given the question regarding the shadow of the statue so that she too could identify her fellow confederates. Like Richard, she was aware of the island's history and knew Ajira Flight 316 would crash on the island.
As others have proposed, I believe Jacob is a time traveler from the future who has traveled back in time to attempt to change the past and prevent the still unknown event that will mark the end of humanity. It is very possible that in doing this, he has inadvertently caused the event he is attempting to prevent, but that is a theory for another time.
For the sake of this theory, we must assume that when physically traveling back in time, one's body does not age until he reaches the point in time from which he is traveling. I am also assuming that Jacob has recruited others to follow him into the past to assist him in his quest. MIB was one such person, Richard followed him, and Ilana will be shown to be a third.
A problem for the time travelers is that the exit point in the time machine is not on the island. Therefore, they have to find passage to the island. Luckily for them, they are aware of the island's history. Therefore, once Richard arrived in the past, he simply signed as a member of the Black Rock, knowing it was destined to wreck on the island and reunite him with Jacob. When he arrived on the island, he eventually would replace the MIB as Jacob's right hand man and his liaison with the others. MIB was then freed to seek the loophole that lead to the season five finale.
I believe the scene in the finally with Jacob visiting Ilana actually takes place in the future. Ilana has been injured in the upcoming war and was approached by Jacob, prior to his time traveling. The favor he asked of her was to travel back in time and join him on the island. Like Richard, she was given the question regarding the shadow of the statue so that she too could identify her fellow confederates. Like Richard, she was aware of the island's history and knew Ajira Flight 316 would crash on the island.
