Jacob, MIB, Locke and Christian - The Who's Who of LOST and how things work by ProgLOSTicator

Okay so here is what I think may be going on with Jacob and MIB and the island.

I believe we are dealing with two different smoke entities that became trapped on the island. Both are essentially the same but one is soon infected with the evil virus, putting them at odds with each other. Here's what happens next:

Both entities soon learn that they can't exit the island without a human flesh and blood form, which they don't have. SO they need bodies but not just any bodies, they need bodies of people that have died off island. They are unable to assume the flesh of anyone that has died on the island. Why? Because those people's souls become sort of stuck on the island with them. Those are the whispers that the Losties hear in the jungle. Those souls are still tied to their respective bodies. Therefor the smoke entities need a body whose spirit has already left this world and the only way to do that is to bring a corpse to the island (e.g. Christian, Locke). When a corpse finally washes up on the island MIB gets there first and takes its form. When Jacob realizes that the evil is about to leave the island he steals that body, kills the form that MIB took and assumes the identity himself. That corpse used to look like Jacob. That is why Jacob has a form that can be seemingly killed and ! Smokey is trapped back in his smoke form (until now). That is also why Jacob can travel off island. He has a flesh body.

SO in effect what MIB did by killing Jacob was to set him back a couple of spaces. He didn't kill Jacob's smoke form just his flesh form, thereby turning the tables on Jacob. His plan was twofold. First find a flesh body. Second take Jacob's flesh body from him. Now MIB is the one with a flesh form and Jacob is all smoke and hallucinations.

Hallucinations? That's right. Although the smoke entities are unable to assume the flesh of someone who has died on the island they can (if they scan them first) appear as them or people they know, BUT only as an hallucination they project into that particular person's mind. Notice that Locke and Christian are the only apparitions who have been seen interacting with more than one character at a time. At first Christian appears only to Jack. Dave only to Hurley. Yemi only to Echo. Black horse only to Kate and so on. It's obvious and it also explains why Flocke was so surprised to know that Sawyer could also see the little boy. He knows it means that there is another entity on the island who also has a flesh body.

So here's how it has played out and why there are 3 Christians:
Jacob has a body, MIB doesn't. Jacob brings the plane to the island and Christian's corpse is aboard. That creates a problem for him. He takes the body and hides it in the cabin and surrounds the cabin with ashes to keep out the MIB and to keep him from also getting a flesh form. Right now Jacob is leading the game because he has a flesh form and MIB doesn't.

1st Christian: After Jacob in his smoke form scans Jack we see Jack start to hallucinate his father's image. This is Jacob using Jacks memories to create his father and lead him to the caves.

2nd Christian: After the ash circle around the cabin is broken MIB walks in and takes Christian's form. He doesn't need Christian's real body, he just needs to use it to make a copy. Much the same way you need an original to make a Xerox copy. He then uses it to manipulate the Losties towards his ultimate goal. At this time Jacob and MIB both have flesh forms. Game tied. Now MIB has to take Jacob's flesh form from him in order to take the lead.

3rd Christian (This is the Christian that is on island the same time that MIB is stuck in Locke's body): MIB as Christian knows he can't get access to Jacob unless he appears as a candidate. He needs one of them to get off of the island and die, then have the body returned to the island so he can make another copy. Enter the story of Locke's death. Well after he dumps Christian's form for Locke's, he kills Jacob's flesh form. MIB in the lead. So Jacob simply reuses Christian's form to get a new flesh body. The same reason for which he was hiding the body from MIB in the first place. SO now MIB=Locke and Jacob=Christian. Both have flesh bodies again. Game tied agian.

That's the game. First Jacob is up. Then it's tied. Then MIB is up. Now it's tied again.

SO how will it all end? Well Jacob knows that he can't appear to MIB as Christian, he'll blow his cover. He must get one of the Losties to die off island (say in a sideways world, hint, hint)and return so he can use their flesh. Someone must make the ultimate sacrifice. Just as Locke, they too must die for the island and their friends. "For greater love hath no man..."

By series end only one candidate will be left alive and that person will be on the plane alone with Flocke, who will plan on killing said candidate once they get to the real world. It will seem that his plan has succeeded. About halfway home he will refer to that person by name and that person will say "You keep calling me (insert name here), but you really shouldn't..." Flocke's face cringes in fear as he realizes he is talking to Jacob.

Only thing I can't wrap my mind around is the little boy. If Jacob is Chrisitian and stuck in that form and MIB is stuck in Locke's form, who is the entity that has assumed the boy's form? A third entity not mentioned yet? Probably not likely but this whole theory hinges on him being flesh and not just an apparition.

Well this is long enough. I will try to explain how the island came to be and the debate between Jacob and MIB in another post.
I'm sure this theory is full of holes so have at it folks. Let er rip!