The spirits, the living creature, consisting of 4, and the 4 chariots called spirits transporting the horses that Zechariah saw in his vision, are all one and the same. The difference being they were given and seen by each prophet in different forms and ways. In order that their meanings or descriptions given would reveal to us their ultimate meaning of what they were and represented. Ezek. 10-20, "This (is) the living creature (representing the final kingdom to come seen in Rev. 4-6-8) that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar, and I knew that they (were) the cherubim. (And) they went every one straight forward" (to the fulfillment of the Lord's word). Ezek. 11-22-23, "Then did the cherubim lift up their wings and the wheels (also) beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel (was) over them above"(had departed from them). And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which (is) on the east side of the city."
Ezekiel later sees the glory of the Lord returning from where he had seen him depart in Ezek. 11-22-23-from the temple. He sees him returning in Ezek. 43-1-5 to the house that Ezekiel had been brought to in his vision given us in chapters 40-48, that which concerned the end times. There Ezekiel was brought to the gate that faced east. The very direction where he had seen the Lord depart in Ezek. 11-22-23. Here he sees him returning from that same direction (Ezek. 43-25). "And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east;---. And (it was) according to the appearance of the vision which I saw when I (he) came to destroy the city; and the visions (were) like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar (1-4-28;3-23;10-1-22); and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect (faces) toward the east. So the spirit took (lifted) me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house."
In Ezek. 43-6-8, the Lord tells Ezekiel that "the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile,---.(v.8)---by their abominations that they have committed; wherefore (the reason why) I have consumed them in mine anger." In that end time of the prophecy's fulfillment of Ezekiel chapters 40-48, he sends out a blessing. "Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them forever." For it would be at that time when these prophecies would come to pass that the Lord says; "Behold, I come quickly; blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." (Rev. 22-7).
We see that each prophet that saw a vision of the 4 living creatures, were given and seen by them in different forms and ways. These visions that Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah saw, was what John would see "in their completed form" in chapter 13 of Revelation. In chapter 4, John sees these 4 living creatures very similar to how Ezekiel saw it, where they "stood before the throne" in Ezek. 1-25 and 10-19. In chapter 4 of Revelation, they stand before the throne of God awaiting the command, at the prophecy's fulfillment, to mount their horses, as they would command the horse to "Go!" seen in those verses. The horses that were transported by the spirit chariots seen in Zechariah. When the Lamb would open the seals to fulfill the end time prophecy, this would represent the Lord's command for the living creatures to go forth.
Zech. 2-8-13 speaks of the fulfillment of Christ's first and second coming, once the prophecies are fulfilled. We are told in Zech. 3-8-10 that Joshua and his associates are men to come, and the Lord would bring the Branch, the stone, which represents Christ at his first coming. These associates the Lord would bring to build the temple or house of the Lord.
Zech. 4-6-10 speaks of what the Lord would have Zerrubbabel fulfill in his service to the Lord. Verses 11-14 is what the two olive trees and two lampstands seen in chapter 11 of Revelation would be called to service for. They would be called to fulfill what they are seen as representing there. Zechariah asked, "What are these two olive branches (trees-v.11) beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil? He said, these are the two anointed ones (lit. sons of fresh oil), that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Lev. 24-2-4 tell us what the oil represents that the two anointed ones bring. "Command the children of Israel that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light to cause the lamps to burn continually" (daily). And these anointed ones are they that are seen in Rev. 11-4 when that prophecy would come to fulfillment. All the prophecies given the prophets in the Old and New Testament would come to their fulfillment when the prophecy of Revelation would come to pass. This in turn would bring to an end at the prophecy's fulfillment, the end of the final age.
Now before returning to the living creatures in Rev. 4-6-8, we need to realize that this prophecy when given to John, Rome was the dominant kingdom at that time. The prior beast kingdoms had come and gone. So before we go to the description of the 4 living creatures in Rev. 4-6-8, the beast to come; we first need to go to Rev. 17-9-10. "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." And we are told in verse 10, they are seven kings. Therefore the seven kings also represent the seven heads and mountains. Mountains in scripture is a term also used for "kingdoms." And we see this to be the meaning in verse 10. "---five are (have) fallen, and one is, (and) the other is not yet come;---." Now since we know that these verses speak of "kingdoms," and we are told that five have fallen, one is, that one that "is" would be Rome at the time this prophecy was given to John. Scripture only speaks of kingdoms that at one time or another dominated over Israel. Therefore these spoken of here would be; 1. Egypt, 2. Assyria, 3. Babylon, 4. Medo-Persia, 5. Greece, 6. Rome, who dominated at the time the prophecy was given. The 7th, the beast that John saw was yet to come. And these seven mountain kingdoms would be that on which the woman-called the whore-the great city called Babylon-sitteth.
Going to verse 11 we read, "And the beast (the 8th) that was, and is not, even he is the eighth (kingdom-king), and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition" (destruction). Now who is this "beast" that was and is not, and yet is of the seven kingdoms, called here the "eighth" kingdom or king? Our answer is found in Gen. 3-1, "Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." The indication here is that the serpent, Satan, is considered also a "beast" of the field which the Lord God had made. For there is "nothing" that the Lord God had not made. Satan not only has a kingdom as scripture tells us, but all earthly kingdoms have been given him since the fall of man (Matt. 4-8-9;12-26; Luke 4-5-6;11-18). This 8th king Satan, is seen in Rev. 9-11; "And they had a king over them, (which is) the angel (Satan) of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue (is) Abaddon (lit. destruction), but in the Greek tongue hath (his) name Apollyon" (lit. destroyer). Certainly no "human" king could be of the seven kingdoms down through the ages and still exist as an 8th king in these 7 kingdoms when that 7th kingdom would come to exist. Only Satan could as scripture confirms. Now he cannot be called an 8th king unless he had a kingdom in which to rule, and these verses speak of only seven kingdoms. With the seventh kingdom said as being the last to come. So where do we find this 8th king in which he would sit and rule? It could only be found in the 7th kingdom, and final kingdom that was prophesied to come. That kingdom that he would sit and rule in is seen in Rev. 13-11-18, the beast kingdom of the earth. Though Satan also rules in the beast kingdom of the sea (Rev. 13-1-10) which he gave all authority to. The beast kingdom of the earth is religious in its nature and makeup, and Revelation calls her the whore, the great city Babylon.
Now we look to the description of this final 7th kingdom to see who that kingdom to come in its final form seen in Revelation chapter 13 would be. We read in Rev. 4-7, "And the first living creature (was) like a lion,---." We shall see that the description being given here is when this kingdom was in its early birth as a young nation in its making and growth. This description "like a lion" represents its qualities and nature at that time. It was Christ-like, Christian, it had the qualities like "the lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5-5). "---and the second living creature like a calf,---." As we know in its maturity it is called an ox-beast. But here we see this creature as being "like a calf"-young in age and growth. Representing here its body, this kingdom had yet to reach its full growth; it was young and began small. The beginnings of the U.S. nation had only 13 colonies when they declared their independence as a nation. "---and the third living creature had a face of a man,---." Here this represents mankind-one though many, banded together as one in declaring their independence in 1776. "---and the fourth living creature (was) like a flying eagle." Our U.S. history shows that our ensign, standard, stamp-mark for this nation is called the Great Seal of the United States. It is seen on our currency and in many governmental institutions. The front of the seal shows an American bald eagle with "its wings spread out" as if in flight. With a ribbon in its mouth bearing the words "E pluribus unum," to mean "one of many", though many "we are one."(united). This depicts the description given above of the 3rd living creature; one in nation, one in being, one in mind. In its talons are the arrows of war and an olive branch of peace. On the reverse side it shows an unfinished pyramid with an eye, which represents "the eye of providence" above it. Under the pyramid the words "novus ordo seclorum." This in essence is to mean "a new world/age order."
We read in Rev. 4-8, "And the four living creatures (zoe) had each of them six wings about; and (the wings were) full of eyes within;---." The "wings" the six, represent their "extensions" gone forth throughout the earth, from which they came to become "one", and from which their power would later extend to, as the context of chapter 13 reveals. That being the 6 continents of the world; "full of eyes within, peoples"--"and they rest (cease) not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." This is the description of the living creature, the 7th kingdom in its birth and infancy as a nation, worshipping the Lord. But in its full growth it would become the beast (therion) in its final form seen in chapter 13. The beast (therion) of the sea, and the beast (therion) of the earth.