The true story of how a stout faith and a ready knowledge of God’s Word prevailed to save one man from death and put several would-be criminals on the road to life.

By H.T. Marroquin

Colporteur Valentin Dorantes was sitting one day on a public park bench reading his Bible; to that same bench other persons would come and sit a while also. Thus the colporteur availed himself of the opportunity of inviting his bench mates to listen to the reading of some Scripture passages, to which he would add pertinent questions or comments. He sold a book or two in that way in a rather short while.

The man then told the colporteur that if he would go to his ranch on the edge of a nearby village, he was sure that he would sell six or eight Bibles. He gave Mr. Dorantes his name and exact address.

When that same afternoon Dorantes found the place, everybody was evidently expecting him; but to his surprise, with criminal intent. The man who had invited him now said to him, “This is exactly what I wanted, for you alone to be caught in the trap!” He then gave him a brutal kick and took him back to the barn, where two other men were waiting to help him to do away with Dorantes. The kidnapper had a pistol with him. His two companions had great knives. The chief plotter ordered two of his young boys to dig a hole in the ground in which to bury his victim. He then showed the colporteur the cartridge barrel of his pistol, loaded with bullets, and added, “You are going to swallow all of these bullets after a while.”

The colporteur replied, “If God permits you to do so; otherwise you won’t, because I am not alone.”

“You watch and see,” added the owner of the ranch in an angry manner, “for I am going to sink them all in your head!”

The ranchman’s wife and a young daughter were approving witnesses of all this and even added, “This disgraceful old man, when we went to town, gave us a little book which he said was the Word of God; we tore it into pieces and threw it in his face.”

After a good while the boys who were digging the grave came back to tell their father that it was ready. The ranchman asked his wife and daughter to go into the house, and at the same time he pushed the colporteur roughly towards the edge of the grave, hitting him on the head. The colporteur got hold of his bag of books, but the man angrily snatched it from his hands and pushed him ahead, saying that he was going to burn the books and put them in the same grave.

At this point Colporteur Dorantes, standing by the edge of the grave, said to the ranchman, “Any person who is sentenced to death for any reason is given a chance to say a few words to express his last will, and that is my petition now.’

The wife and daughter, who were still there, asked the ranchman to let him speak. And so he was given his chance.

With boldness and faith in God, Dorantes said, “You say that the books I have are false. No, Sirs, these books I have are true and contain the Good News of salvation. The Lord is having compassion on you. He does not want your souls to be lost; and that is why God permitted me to come, to tell you that there is no other name under heaven through which you can be saved, only Jesus Christ. Let it be clear in your minds and hearts what I have already explained to you, that only by believing in Christ can you be saved. But you do not want to hear me. You may accomplish your wish by killing me, but when we meet up yonder on the Judgment Day in the presence of Christ, of whom I have been speaking to you, you will have no excuse, nor can you allege ignorance. Really, it doesn’t matter if I die, if it is for His cause.” Just then one of them, who had a huge knife in his hand, said with a sneer, “Evidently this disgraceful man is not afraid of dying.”

Dorantes replied: “Why should I be afraid, if it is for Christ’s sake?”

He was then permitted to take one of the Bibles out of his bag, and to read from it. The Spirit of the Lord directed him to a few passages. He read John 3:14-18 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. He then made brief comments and exhorted the group to accept His salvation and to practice love instead of hatred, reminding them that they were despising the precious blood of God’s Son, who did in our stead, “My blood,” Dorantes added, “would only accuse you. You and I will meet sooner or later at the Judgment throne on that great day, God is here now seeing and hearing all of what you are doing, saying, and planning against one of your brothers, Repent, and He will forgive you. Otherwise you are lost. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Right then and there the daughter of the ranchman began to cry aloud, embracing her mother and asking pitifully, “Don’t kill him; see how beautifully he has told us about our dear God; see how it isn’t true what the priest has said, that these men are against God. Don’t kill him; let him go, poor fellow.” Then the woman, with tears running down her cheeks, embraced her husband, the ranchman, and the daughter did likewise, begging him to let Dorantes alone. Again and again the woman pleaded with Dorantes, “Keep on telling them, so that they may understand.”

Suddenly the angry ranchman became quiet. He put his pistol in its leather sheath hanging from his waist and took out of his pocket his handkerchief to dry a tear or two from his own eyes. Dorantes rad to them all from Ephesians 5:14-16, with a few simple explanations.

One of the men, who happened to be a nephew of the ranchman, said to Dorantes, “You don’t mean to tell us that you have already been to heaven and returned to tell us things from heaven.”

The colporteur replied, “Christ came from heaven to teach us the way; but it happens quite often that we are ungrateful.”

At this juncture the ranchman said to the colporteur, “Don’t worry; nothing will happen to you now. If there is anybody who would dare to molest you in any way, here I am to defend you; I really thought that you were one of those who go about here and there, cheating the people; but I am convinced that you speak the truth. Nothing will happen to you, and I wiil see that no one around here molests you.”

Dorantes replied, “If you have understanding, get yourself a Bible so that you will know the truth that saves.” The ranchman purchased one immediately. The woman and her daughter then took the colporteur to the kitchen and gave him a few corn cakes to eat when he would feel hungry on his way. Th whole group then accompanied Dorantes to the nearby bus stop, where they happily bade him goodbye.

Colporteur Dorantes gives the glory to God for this victory of His gracious protection, and for the power of His Word, which once again has not returned unto Him void.

—Bible Society Record.