Xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation

I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart. – Ezekiel 11:19

Ezekiel 36:26-27

 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

Heart disease is by far the number one cause of death both in the world and in America. In the US, the death rate from heart disease is approximately 700,000 people every year. One in four deaths is attributed to heart disease. Consequently, the medical community is continually searching for strategies to manage and perhaps eliminate it.

On January 7, 2022, David Bennett Sr., age 57, who was suffering from terminal heart disease, became the first person ever to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant. It was a historic, cutting-edge moment for medicine. It was a giant leap forward in the new medical discipline of xenotransplantation. The procedure was performed by a team of physicians working with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Xenotransplantation is derived from the Greek word xenos meaning foreign or strange. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another. The transplants are referred to as xenografts or xenotransplants.

Why did Mr. Bennett choose to receive the heart of the pig knowing that it was a shot in the dark? Is choices were slim. He could either receive the transplant or die. The operation was deemed a resounding success. His heart function was great. Things didn’t work out too well for the donor pig, however.

Nor in the end, did they work out for Mr. Bennett. In early March his condition began deteriorating and it became clear he would not recover. He was transferred to a palliative care unit until he died on March 9, 2022.

Because of the operation, millions of people throughout planet Earth became familiar with the plight of Mr. Bennett. The groundbreaking animal-to-human transplant surgery focused attention on the critical organ donor crisis which currently exists. More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant. On average more than 17 patients die every day while on the waiting list.

What is the number one cause of eternal death and separation for the Father? The answer is spiritual heart disease. Untreated, spiritual heart disease results in the eternal separation from the heavenly Father. Moved by love and compassion, the Father has already provided a cure. It has been available for centuries. The Father has made it available to all people at no charge to the recipient. People have only to accept it as a free gift from Him.

To coin a new word, the Father’s cure may be referred to as ouranotransplantation. Ouranotransplantation is derived from the Greek word for heaven, ouranos. His cure was conceived and developed in the heavenlies before the cosmos ever came into existence. The Father’s transplants may be referred to as ouranografts or ouranotransplants.

REFLECT & PRAY

“God does not want remodeled hearts, but brand new ones. He doesn’t want a reform in character, but a new spirit that loves to do His will. He wants transformation, not mere accommodation” (Stanley).

Father thank You for providing the ultimate cure for spiritual heart disease. Although it costs children of the King nothing, it cost you that which was most precious of all, the death of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSIGHT

Around 600 BC, 2600 years before modern medicine developed heart transplant surgery, the Father promised to perform spiritual heart surgery for those who become children of the King.

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

What do the words heart and spirit refer to? Ezekiel is not thinking on a physical plain. Rather, Ezekiel is thinking in spiritual terms. The heart is considered the seat of personality. It is our innermost core and nature. The heart includes the mind, the will, and emotions. It is pictured as damaged beyond repair. It is referred to as a heart of stone that is stubborn, rebellious, and insensitive. It must be replaced and renewed. A heart transplant is required.

The new heart that the Father implants allows people to become responsive to Him

Hearts of stone cannot be genetically altered or modified by modern medical science. The change required is so radical and extensive that only the Father could perform the spiritual, surgical procedure. The Lord Jesus Christ equates to this transformation to being born again.

John 3:3-7

 3 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.

 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

 5 Jesus replied, I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, You must be born again.

The apostle Paul likens it to a new creation, becoming a new person.

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

The human spirit is unresponsive to the Father’s initiative. It is not merely damaged, it is dead.

Ephesians 2:1 You were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

Consequently, such individuals are cold, hard, and dull of hearing.

“Human beings as sons and daughters of Adam enter the world spiritually dead. They have no inclination or responsiveness toward God and no ability to please God” (ESV Notes).

Such a concept is inconceivable to many living in the 21st century and angrily rejected.

However, through the miracle of regeneration, children of the King become spiritually alive and capable of interacting with the Father spirit to spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.

 16 For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ

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© Dr. H 2022