John’s Gospel the expression ‘living God’ is replaced by ‘living Father’ (as in John 6:57). ‘Living God’ occurs in Revelation only at 7:2. In this verse the protective activity of God towards the faithful and his true and eternal nature opposed by the agents of evil on earth are especially evident. He is the living God: life-giving, and therefore sovereign. The angel ‘cries aloud’ (see 6:10; 7:10; et al.) to the other four angels. They have already been mentioned in verse 1 (q.v.); hence the use