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First of all, I appreciate all of the Biblical references you guys are making.

I only rant once every season… so here goes.

As I've mentioned so many times before, I think one of the most important scenes in Lost mythology is Locke explaining the two players, two sides, one is light one is dark bit to Walt. I think what the interaction that we saw between Jacob and The Man in Black during the opening of the finale may be the most telling of all. Let's break it down:

The Man in Black: Morning
Jacob: Morning
The Man in Black: Mind if I join you?
Jacob: Please
Jacob: Want some fish?
The Man in Black: Thank you. I just ate.
Jacob: I take it you're here because of the ship.
The Man in Black: I am. How did they find the island?
Jacob: You'll have to ask them when they get here.
The Man in Black: I don't have to ask…YOU brought them here.
The Man in Black: Still trying to prove me wrong?
Jacob: You ARE wrong.
The Man in Black: Am I? They come…they fight…they destroy… they corrupt. It always ends the same.
Jacob: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that…is just progress.
The Man in Black: Do you have any idea how badly I want to kill you?
Jacob: Yes.
The Man in Black: One of these days, sooner or later…we're going to find a loophole, my friend.
Jacob: Well when you do, I'll be right here.
The Man in Black: Always nice talking to you, Jacob.
Jacob: Nice talking to you too.

Since the most of us are using biblical parables now in regards to Jacob (The Man in White) and Esau (aka The Man in Black aka "anti-Jacob"), lets take it one step further and assume…

The Man in White = God
The Man in Black = Satan

In the Bible, when Satan defied God, God did not destroy him. God's power had been challenged. All of the angels who were under His command had witnessed this defiance. Rather than destroy the one challenging Him, God gave Satan the "opportunity" to attract his own followers. When this happened, EVERYONE became free moral agents.

Choice vs. Persuasion
Through the course of time, the workings of God have been deemed to be "good" while Satan has been classified as "evil". Ever since God allowed Satan to act on his own, Satan has exploited the weaknesses and imperfections of humankind to get them to defy God, just as he originally did.

Take Eve for instance. In the book of Genesis, God gave Adam and Eve ONE command: Do not eat from one tree. However, Satan persuaded Eve to disobey God by lying to her telling her that she would be just like God. God did not interfere. He let Satan persuade her. He had already given her the commandment. It was up to her as to whether or not to remain faithful. While God has given humans the opportunity to CHOOSE their path (ie. Jacob telling Hurley and Ben they have a choice), Satan has been far more influential by using sickness, greed, desires of the flesh etc etc, and to turn people away from God. But more than anything, Satan has put DOUBT in the minds of humans that God actually cares about them. (I.e. - Un-Locke persuading Ben to kill Jacob since Jacob apparently didn't care about him…letting him get cancer, letting his daughter die etc)

The way Un-Locke handled Ben was very similar to the way the Devil attacked Job. (Read Job 2:2-6 to read the interaction between God and Satan). Job was a faithful, God-fearing man. But Satan wanted to prove that Job was just like anyone else and would ultimately defy and curse God. Satan just had to find Job's breaking point. He struck Job with a malignancy, killed his family, took all of his wealth and livestock. Yet, through that all Job remained faithful to God…and God rewarded Job greatly for his patience and faith.

Faith in Humanity
Satan's main challenge to God is that because of our imperfection, humans are too impatient and selfish to be patient and faithful to God commands, in order to receive his promised payoff. This coincides with what the Man in Black said "They come…they fight…they destroy… they corrupt. It always ends the same." and "Still trying to prove me wrong"

Proverbs 27:11 says "Be wise my son, and make my heart rejoice, so that I make a reply to him that is taunting me" as God holds out hope that there are some out there that will continue to obey Him and have faith in him despite the tactics of the Devil…which coincides with The Man in White replying "You ARE wrong".

What does God desire? What is the promised pay-off? We all know John 3:16 "…in order that everyone exercising faith in Him might not be destroyed, but attain everlasting life"

The END - The Final Battle of Good vs. Evil
In the Bible, it is referred to as Armageddon. This will be the end all war between God and Satan. After God has allowed ALL to make their choices as to which path they will take, and he finally wages war with Satan and eliminates evil once and for all.

Satan is aware of his fate. Revelation 12:12 says "Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time."

I believe the Man in White saying, "It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is progress" was essentially him telling the Man in Black that the WAR between them can only end once…and that whatever happens until that time is just progress towards the day when God will eliminate him.

The Payoff for Remaining Faithful = Life Everlasting
In order to obtain God's promise of life everlasting, one must make the choice to put aside selfish desires and faithfully be in subjection to God and His commands (1 John 2:17: "…he that does the will of God remains forever) John 17:3 refers to taking in knowledge of God in order to obtain everlasting life.

Richard is ageless. He told us in the finale that Jacob made him that way. So lets equate that to Richard being faithful to God and receiving his reward.

The Island itself may be symbolic of the promised life everlasting for those who are faithful. Look at how the island has healed those who believe and have faith.

Ben failed where faithful ones like Job succeeded. Through the persuasion of the Man in Black, Ben LOST his faith. The Man in Black found Ben's breaking point. Ben has always been a spiritually weak man. A liar. One who has been more apt to preach "do as I say, not as I do". Locke even called him a Pharisee…a hypocrite…in Season 3. Ben "killing" Jacob was a metaphor. He didn't kill Jacob. He simply gave up and abandoned his faith in Jacob.