Is the EU & AU & Mercosur the start of something even bigger and more global?

[eclipsenow]

[Opening post edited to include some ideas from the comments below.]
I'm wondering whether others have wondered about the EU becoming something that gradually expands over time? The EU appears to have an integration ladder with different countries at different stages of economic and political integration. As NombreGraciso described over at Reddit:-

1. Free trade deal: completely separate country which whom we have a trade deal. No EU integration.
   
   
2. Customs union and free trade area: EEA.
   
   
3. Single market, economic and monetary union: the EU, as all countries move to use the Euro.
   
   
4. Complete economic integration: European Federation.
   

Is there something we could add to stage 4 to make it even more enticing to new member states to integrate fully into a European Federation? What benefits or access would you add? A special tax discount? Something about the Federal military or Federal police? But whatever it is, something tempting. Something that would nag at the average citizen of Stage 3 countries.

Using a carrot rather than a big stick, once the first few countries Federate and show the benefits, would the rest soon join?

And back to my opening post question: where would this end? If you really can show a Federation where nations today become states tomorrow, but states that have their individual languages and cultures respected within the context of super-efficient Federal structures, could the EU one day become the seed of hope for a larger future union? How far would this go? Will the EU become a model for other economic zones like the AU, Asian and Pacific and South American Unions all gradually Federating until the "United Nations" is a very different organisation co-ordinating the efforts of a handful of super-states rather than the hundreds of member states of today?

 

[Nithavela]

Yeah, it's the one world state that will usher in the apocalypse.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I'm wondering whether others have wondered about the EU becoming something that gradually expands over time? The EU appears to have an integration ladder with different countries at different stages of economic and political integration. Currently terms like "Customs union" and other (typically Brexit) terms are being thrown around. But I'm imagining a lot of these terms eventually being replaced with a more public-friendly nick-name convention where various rungs on the ladder have nicknames like Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper, etc.

For our purposes I would prefer 'Platinum' members to be full and permanent integration into the EU Federation. 'Gold' members be roughly where they are now, and the other categories describing other lower rungs on the ladder.

Once this ladder was defined and easy to grasp, the EU might add special benefits at the Federal Platinum level. What benefits or access would you add? A special tax discount? Something about the Federal military or Federal police? But whatever it is, something tempting. Something that would nag at the average citizen of Gold countries. They're enjoying all the benefits of today's level of EU integration, but a bit irked that they're not platinum yet. "Wow, they get platinum benefits. What must that be like?"

Gradually this ladder should hopefully attract countries up the rungs until they go that last, permanent, final step: Platinum.

Using a carrot rather than a big stick, once the first few countries Federate and show the benefits, would the rest soon join?

And back to my opening post question: where would this end? If you really can show a Federation where nations today become states tomorrow, but states that have their individual languages and cultures respected within the context of super-efficient Federal structures, could the EU one day become the seed of hope for a future World Union?

It would not have to be soon. It might take generations, with nations having referendums every 30 years or so on going Platinum. But the temptation would always be there. The possibility, tempting over time. What do people think? Could it grow over other continents? Or would the AU and EU and Asian and Pacific and South American Unions gradually merge and meet in a supra-parliament? Could having a defined ladder like this help negotiations in some of those would-be-unions as well?

Sounds like a plan from the Antichrist.

 

[eclipsenow]

Nah, I'm amil. I like the idea of larger, more stable democratic Federations taking some of the tension out of geopolitics.

Most Sydney Anglicans are Amillennial, meaning that Revelation is largely symbolic of the Roman persecution that was just about to break out. Revelation is not a timetable of the future, but a symbolic sermon about staying faithful even under Roman persecution, and the final victory of those who do stay faithful when the Lord returns (whenever that is). But this is *not* a timetable of the end-times. If this whole book were some kind of "Omen" (yes, I'm looking at you Hollywood) then it would have been utterly confusing and irrelevant to the first century Christians John was writing to. In Chapter 1 he even says "the time is near" and it was going to happen "soon" and that he already "shared in their tribulation!" Indeed, if it he had been some kind of Last Days horror story about terrible things to come on the world in 2000 years, it would have been patronising to John's audience. "You think you guys have got it bad, wait till I tell you what's coming in 2000 years!"

No. That's not the intention of John's letter at all, and not some futurist framework to bend OT prophecies around either. Generally, Protestant evangelical Christians do believe the Lord will return one day. But not all invent their own silly, always-wrong end-times schemes. He could return in 5 seconds or 50,000 years, we just don't know!

One of the better commentaries on Revelation is by Dr Paul Barnett, "Apocalypse Now and then". Paul was both the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney and taught Ancient History at Macquarie University. He ran historical tours of the bible lands, and is uniquely qualified to speak of John's historical references and apocalyptic symbolism in Revelation.
Apocalypse Now and Then : Paul Barnett : 9781875861415