The Loophole/The Bet

I think that the loop is based on the bet. The loophole is that Jacob’s enemy/smokie is only able to kill Jacob if he takes over the body of someone who Jacob chooses to come the island. Jacob intends to “save” John Locke, therefore smokie is able to imitate john locke and kill jacob, through Ben. He was not able to do so through Christian, perhaps because Christian would not have been able to convince Ben or anyone, or because Christian was not intended to be saved by Jacob, as part of the game where Jacob believes humanity deserves second chances.