The details of Daniel 12 are a continuation of the message of the angel who has spoken in the previous chapters. His message was given in answer to the prayers of Daniel and his friends, so we can safely assume that the details in the message were given for their spiritual benefit.
The idea of a book in which God records the names of those who trust in him is found throughout the Bible. Moses refers to his name being written in a book (Exod. 32:32); Malachi talks about a book of remembrance in which God records activities of his people that please him (Mal. 3:16); Paul writes about the book of life in which names of his friends are recorded (Phil. 4:3); and Revelation 20 refers to several books that will be opened on the Day of Judgement. We should note that the reason why the Jews mentioned in verse 1 are delivered – it is because their names are written in God’s book.
Some of us have address books, others have birthday books, yet others have diaries with important dates recorded in them and so on. We can imagine God’s book as a combination of all of them. In this book, he has recorded our names before we were born, he knows our address at every stage of our journey, and he records all the details of our lives. All those whose names are written in God’s book trust in Jesus for salvation.
Sometimes a person asks, ‘How can I know if my name is written in God’s book?’ The answer to that question is simple: ‘Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus?’ With that answer, you do not need another one. So the first item of comfort given to Daniel by the angel is that God knows his name and everything about him and has recorded it all in a permanent form.
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