explanation of mib's motives by thetruthisoutthere

Ok, so I think I figured out some major things in lost. And while this theory might not explain everything it'll try to come close.

Ok so clearly there is a struggle going on between Smokey and Jacob. Jacob believes in progress and change and Smokey thinks that humans only come to the island to destroy it. So they play a game testing humanity. They're testing them and judging them throughout time.

Jacob chooses people through time that he believes can come to the island and show progress and change. He believes if given a second chance, the people that he brings will show redemption and prove that they are worthy.

Worthy of what? Worthy of living on the island, enjoying a perfect basic civilization. I beleive the island is a magical place created by God or whomever to be used to save humanity from itself. It's where the perfect civilization can exist.

Jacob has been trying to find the perfect candidates to lead the island, and use it in a positive way, to live peacfully and coexist in this idealistic society. However, before he can decide if they're eligible to be a candidate they must be tested.

And thus a game is formed to test humanity between him and the MIB. There are candidates (players), there are leaders, protectors, and of course there are rules to the game.

Now let me go back and show you what i am talking about.

Most people agree that Smokey has been around from the beggining. Confronting our characters in various forms. What's the purpose of this? To convince them to not change and stay the same or if he believes that they are a candidate to eliminate them. However, smokey nor jacob can ever directly kill our characters because part of the rules is that free will must exist for the players.

Now let's look back at smokey in the first couple of seasons. He appears to Jack as Jack's dad and makes him go on a chase through the island that almost kills him. That's smokey's first target: Jack, the main candidate, the leader, eliminate him and smokey has a good chance to win the game. So what does smokey do he appears as the person that makes jack most vulnerable. He also goes after Jack when Jack is most vulnerable when he is scared and doesn't know what to do and how to lead, smokey appears as Christian. Smokey feeds on people's insecurites and weaknesses. It's like smokey is pushing them to fail the test of believing in your abilities and yourself.

However, Locke appears to save Jack, after Locke himself claims to have a seen a white light (prolly Jacob influencing locke to go save Jack).

Next, we have the example Dave appearing to Hurley, when Hurley is at his weakest moment. When he becomes surrounded by food. Dave (smokey) appears to him and tries to get him to keep eating, which is Hurley's problem. He wants Hurley to not change and stay the same. He also tries to convince him to kill himself by jumping off the cliff (to eliminate another candidate). However, then Libby comes to convince Hurley not to jump. (now who do you think brought Libby to the island).

Next we see smokey appear to Eko as Yemi. He confronts him at Eko's weak moment as well. And even though Eko's probably wasn't intended to be a candidate, he was there helping the candidates survive. Eko represented a man of faith, who had strength and was aware of the island's properties. Smokey tried to test him and even tried to have him killed by the polar bear. But Locke came to save him (jacob guiding him to do so in his dream). Smokey then had no choice to appear as Smokey before Eko. He then "judged" eko as people are saying. But i don't think so, he was showing eko his whole life and how it was full of pain and loss. He was trying to make Eko feel guilt but Eko's says I am not sorry. He didn't repent, he didn't want to change. This allowed smokey to kill him. He tricked him into saying he isn't sorry for his past. And now, he could kill him or "claim him".

Now the whole buisness with Smokey being trapped in the cabin the whole time, (well i am not to sure what the deal is but there was a crack in the ash, so maybe he was only able to partially escape an roam around the island in smoke form or ghost. He couldn't physically manifest himself into a a real person because he was still trapped. He needed to create and find his loophole. That's what he was doing seasons 1-4. He realized that this was his chance to create a time loop and finally become a physical force again and maybe escape the island or take control of it. For the first 4 seasons he manipulates our losties to put them into situations that allow for his escape.

Then when John goes to see him in the cabin and Christian is there with claire (that is smokey)he and tells him to move the island, smokey knows this will create the time loop. He also insists that John turn the wheel and move the island because this will allow smokey to take over john's body.

When ben turn's the wheel it creates the begining of the loop. Then when John turns the wheel it closes the loop, this is the loop MIB speaks off. He created it by manipulating Ben and Locke. He also appears to locke b4 locke turns it and says your going to have to bring all your friends back and die. MIB says this to John so because he knows that when John dies, he'll be able to posses his body and then when he comes back to the island MIB will have a physical form and be alive again. Also he chose John because John became the leader of the others and according to the rules, was the only one that could be taken to Jacob.

Now MIB comes back to the island and make's sure that Ben goes to get "judged" , this is nothing more than smokey setting up ben to ultimately kill Jacob. This is part of the rules that the two can't kill each other, but the candidates can.

Now in the previous episode Illana says that MIB cant change form anymore, this is probably because he beat up Richard and nothing to do with jacob dying. He used this body to do physical things and once that happens he is stuck in this body he cant change forms anymore. He can only go to smoke or to Locke. Which MIB wanted because it allows him to manipulate the candidates better.

So now what happens and what is this all for?

Well since we know MIB wants to go home I think this season both the MIB and Jacob's people fight to gain control of the candidates. The candidates are the only ones that have the power to truly control the island. The MIB wants to convince everyone to destroy the island so that he can finally go home, wherever that is. Jacob believes the island needs to exist in order for humanity to exist and therefore it needs protecting.

Ultimately, I beleive that Jack is the main candidate he will become Jacob and fight locke (smokey) for control of the island and control of the world. They each will have their armies and fight on the island.

Also i think the side-flashways that we are seeing is what happens if the Man in Black or Jacob wins I am not sure, but I think what we are seeing is the end result of the war. I am thinking it's what happens if smokey wins because in the first scene of the first episode we are shown that Island has been sunk and never existed to interfere with our character's lives. And that's exactly what fake locke says to sawyer. He says that Jacob interefered in all their lives messing everything up. So what are MIB and Sawyer and whoever else is going to join them do? They're going to try to destroy the island and make it so that it never existed, just like what's going on in the alt-timeline. But in the end I think Jack will prevail and the only way to save everyone and the island will be to sacrifice himself. And that will be the end of the game, where Jacob wins and proves that humanity can survive and progress and learn from their past and when Jack does die, he will wake up on the! beach just like in season 1 and it will all start over.