Why The Sixth Sense Is the Key to Reading the Bible

Most people are reading their Bible in the wrong direction.

Not wrong like sinful. Wrong like watching a mystery movie with spoilers muted, trying to piece together the plot without knowing whodunit. You'll get facts. You'll miss the point.

A TikTok from Bible teacher Josh Howerton just hit the algorithm with a frame that's making people rethink everything they thought they knew about Old Testament reading plans. The hook? The entire Bible is structured like The Sixth Sense. There's a twist ending. And once you know it, you have to go back and watch the whole thing again.

@howertonjosh

When you start reading your Bible like THIS, you will see the entire Old Testament in a completely different light. Just be prepared to have your mind completely blown 💥 #christiantiktok #christianity #Jesus #bible

♬ original sound - Josh Howerton

Why this is hitting a nerve

Howerton's video is doing numbers because it names a frustration most Christians feel but can't articulate: the Old Testament often feels like a slog. You read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and by Numbers you're wondering what any of this has to do with your life. The impulse is to read chronologically, front to back, like a novel. That's how books work, right?

But Scripture isn't a novel. It's a revelation with a narrative structure built backward from the climax.

The comment section is full of people having lightbulb moments. "This just changed my entire quiet time." "I've been reading wrong for 20 years." "Wait so Abel's blood is a preview of Jesus?" The video works because it takes something people already know intellectually (Jesus fulfills the Old Testament) and gives them a mental model for how to actually read that way.

The Sixth Sense analogy is brilliant because it's universally understood. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know the shape of a twist ending. You know what it feels like to rewatch something and see details you missed the first time. Howerton is teaching hermeneutics without using the word hermeneutics. He's making typology accessible to the TikTok generation.

Notice what he does: he doesn't just assert that the Old Testament is about Jesus. He shows you. Animal skins in Genesis 3. Abel's blood in Genesis 4. He traces the thread, names the theological term (proto-evangelion), then connects it to Hebrews. It's catechism at 1.5x speed.

The entire Bible is a revelation with a narrative structure built backward from the climax.

Where the frame needs precision

Here's what Howerton gets right: you absolutely should read the Old Testament through the lens of Christ. Jesus himself says this in Luke 24:27, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (ESV). The apostles do this constantly. Peter at Pentecost. Paul in Romans. The writer of Hebrews. The entire New Testament is a masterclass in Christotelic interpretation.

But here's where the TikTok format can flatten something that needs texture: reading the Bible "backward" doesn't mean the Old Testament has no meaning in its original context. This is where some Christians overcorrect and turn every verse into a Jesus allegory, flattening the richness of Israel's actual history, poetry, and wisdom literature.

The Reformers called this the analogy of faith: Scripture interprets Scripture, and the clearer passages shed light on the more obscure. Yes, Abel's blood points to Christ. But Genesis 4 also has something to say about anger, envy, and the human condition in real time. The Israelites really did need a sacrificial system for atonement in their covenant context. That it points forward to Christ doesn't erase its immediate function.

The risk of the Sixth Sense analogy is that it can make the Old Testament feel like a puzzle where nothing matters until you solve it. But the Old Testament mattered intensely to the people who lived it. God was revealing himself progressively, not playing a 4,000-year game of hide-and-seek.

Reformed theology holds this tension well: God's plan was always Christ (Ephesians 1:4, "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world"). But that plan unfolded in real time, through real people, in real covenants. The Old Testament is not a riddle. It's a love story told in stages, and every stage has integrity even as it points beyond itself.

The Old Testament is not a riddle. It's a love story told in stages, and every stage has integrity even as it points beyond itself.

What this means for you

If you've been grinding through a chronological reading plan and feeling nothing, this reframe might be exactly what you need. Try this: read a Gospel first. Spend time in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John until you know the shape of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Then go back to Genesis.

You'll see the garden and think about the new creation. You'll see the Passover lamb and think about Good Friday. You'll read about the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 and remember Jesus' words in John 3:14, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

But don't read like you're hunting for Easter eggs. Read like you're watching a story unfold where every chapter matters, knowing that the Author has been setting up the finale since page one. The Old Testament saints didn't have the full picture. You do. That's not a license to skip their context. It's an invitation to read with both historical empathy and theological clarity.

And if you find this overwhelming, that's normal. This is why the church has teachers, commentaries, and 2,000 years of people smarter than us working this out. You don't have to see every connection on your first read. But once you see the pattern, you can't unsee it.

The Bible really is about Jesus. All of it. But that truth doesn't flatten the text. It deepens it.

Read Edifi's guide to Bible reading plans that actually work for your brain.

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Editorial note: This article was drafted with AI assistance from Claude (Anthropic) using a structured editorial brief based on the source post above. The Edifi editorial team reviewed and edited the final text. Read our AI policy.

Edifi articles are written from a Reformed Christian perspective at the intersection of historic faith and modern mental and emotional health. This article is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological care. If you are in crisis, please contact 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or your local emergency services.