Is Jacob Really Christian Shepard? Who Are the Rescuers?

It's only the beginning of the season and there seem to be more and more questions and less and less answers. Here are some more theories and questions. POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

Is Jacob really Christian Shepard?

In the first episode of season 4, it seems as though we get our first glimpse of who we assume is Jacob. And to our surprise, even though it is a very quick glimpse, it looks as if Christian Shepard is sitting inside Jacob's hut. So, many are saying Jacob is Christian Shepard, but I'm not so sure I believe that - at least not yet.

Christian Shepard was dead before they crashed on the island. Since this island seems to have some sort of mysterious powers, I guess you could call them, could it be possible that the island can bring people back to life if they died off the island? Jack has seen his dad on the island, but only briefly. But why wouldn't Christian go to find Jack and stay with him? Maybe because their relationship was sour before Christian died, or maybe he had a previous connection with the island, maybe he has all along, and knows he cannot find his son.

I think it is more likely that Jacob is kind of like an island spirit. He seems to be the boss. And at first we couldn't see him, and it didn't look like John Locke could either. Since, Christian Shepard's coffin was found empty on the island, could it be possible that Jacob has taken the body and is using Christian Shepard's body so he can have a human form? - Just another thought.

But, remember in the season finale of season 3 in Jack's flash forward, he mentions that his father is upstairs, and that if he is anymore intoxicated than his father is, they can fire him from the hospital. So, does that mean Christian Shepard is a live? Has he come back to life? Or maybe Jack was just so intoxicated that he was just spitting things out, not really knowing what he was talking about?

How come Hurley could see Jacob's hut and possibly Jacob?

Hurley definitely saw Jacob's hut. It seemed to just appear in front of him. When he mentioned seeing the hut in season 4 episode 2, Locke questioned him - in what almost seemed like a warning way not to say anymore - and of course Ben looked extremely suspicious. Is it possible that Hurley has a similar gift to Locke, where he can see Jacob, and possibly hear him speak like Locke can? Could it possibly be Hurley's imagination since he had an imaginary friend, Jacob's hut popped up in two different places and the just disappeared, and in his flash forward he sees Charlie who died in the season 3 finale? Or did it just show up in Hurley's time of need? Could he possibly start to understand the island is very special, like Locke and that is why he saw Jacob's hut? In the flash forwards it seems as if Hurley knows they need to go back before anyone else does from the "Oceanic 6" at least to our knowledge so far, maybe Hurley does realize how magical and special the island is.

How did Walt appear? Why did he appear?

Is it possible that Walt was meant to crash on the island? He seemed special before he was even put in full time care under his father. It seems as though he and Jacob also have talked, or that he has the ability to hear Jacob too. So, could Walt have some connection with Jacob or the island that makes him appear and disappear, that makes him doing things regular people can't do?

Who is in the coffin in the season 3 finale flash forward?

The person in the casket apparently had no friend or family around, or wasn't well liked. So, who could it be? Someone we already met? Jack was the only one to go to the funeral home. The funeral home director told him no friends or family showed up, and Jack makes sure to mention that he isn't a friend or family to this person. Also, some say if you look closely to the newspaper clipping of the obituary, it isn't a name we recognize. Does this mean we have yet to meet this character? Or has the person changed their name since they left the island? Jack asks Kate about it in the flash forward, but she obviously didn't go to the funeral. So it has to be someone she knew too. Could it be Michael? He and Walt supposedly left the island, even though Walt has shown up on the island, but could Walt have the powers to just appear? But why wouldn't Walt have been at his father's funeral? I can see why Jack would say he wasn't a friend since Michael betrayed them to get Walt back and to get off the island. Who would take care of Walt then? What would happen to him? Maybe the island will take care of Walt.

Many say the name on the obituary is not one we recognize, but the person could've had a name change. Possibly the secret that the "Oceanic 6" is keeping is that there are still others alive on the island, and they can't tell. So, maybe when Michael and Walt left, they had to change their names. So, it could be very possible that Michael is the one in the casket. But once again, why wouldn't Walt be there? Even though Walt is special, you think he'd still be at his father's funeral. So maybe it is Michael, maybe it's not.

Maybe it is possible that one of the Others gets off the island and didn't have any friends or family since they had been on the island for so long - that could explain why no one was there. Maybe somehow they get Ben off the island - he wouldn't be friend or family. He wouldn't have any that he would know off of the island. Possibly Ben's tumor came back after he left the island. The rescuers are after Ben - that is what they are there for. Maybe they took Ben off the island. He would be one who would have no one show up at the funeral. And Jack would definitely say that he was not a friend or family to him. But Ben is an important character now; he has a lot of information, and has been on the island longer than any of the Losties. He knows more about the island too. But now that we know that Locke can hear Jacob, maybe Ben isn't as important anymore.

Who are these rescuers?

They say their primary objective is not to rescue the survivors of Oceanic flight 815. They admit they are there to find Ben Linus. Ben knows they are there for him, but for what? He said he has a man on their boat, but why?

Each of these rescuers comes from a different background - a very different background that doesn't seem to be very relevant yet. How did they get together to do this? Was one of Ben's men there before they set off on whatever their mission was? Was there a mission before finding Ben Linus? Since Ben said he had a man on their ship, what was the ship doing before?

Who is this man from Oceanic Airlines who wanted Naomi to lead this group? What is her background for her to lead it? What is the purpose of leading them on this mission? And why is Oceanic Airlines involved? It isn't like they are looking for the plane since they "found" it. Or maybe they planted the plane and are looking for what really happened.

Why is there an Oceanic flight 815 on the ocean floor? Why are their bodies in it?

So, they think the found Oceanic flight 815, and have confirmed all the passengers dead. How could this be? We know they are a live on an island. My guess is that it was planted there, because someone knew something was up. They want to hide something from the public, but why are they hiding it? What about this guy from Oceanic Airlines who popped up to see Hurley at the mental institution? He is the same one who wanted Penelope to take the crew on the mission. Is it possible that Oceanic Airlines planted the fake plane and bodies?

Why was a polar bear skeleton with a DHARMA collar found in Tunisia?

Maybe years and years ago before DHARMA moved to the island, they were in Tunisia. Or maybe Tunisia was another location that DHARMA was doing experiments with. But really this leads us to more questions about DHARMA and what they are (or were) doing with polar bears.

Just some food for thought - theories, questions, and other things. Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, theories, questions, etc. There will be much more to come.