Acts 1:5 (KJV)

Passage

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Nearby Context

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "john", "truly", "baptized", "water", "shall", "holy", and "ghost". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "john" and "truly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And being assembled together with them commanded..." into verse 6's "When they therefore were come together they...", so "john" and "truly" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "john" and "truly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.