Lots of periods have thought that they were in the end days; I learned in a literature class that architecture in Europe pretty much ground to halt in the 50 years or so preceding AD 1000; no point in building anything that won't last.
One thing keeps coming back to me, however. When I was in college in the late 60s, there was a spurt of enthusiasm for Nostradamus -- no tin foil hat flames, please.
I read a bit (very little), and was bemused by Nostradamus' notion that the the final battle would be against Islam; I sort of assumed at the time that Islam was a thing of nomads still wandering in the desert and wondered if it was meant symbolically (e.g., for the Soviet Union or Red China). As I say, it was a passing and casual interest, and I don't recall anything else; but for some reason, that stuck.
Yes, lots of periods have thought they were in the end days. For some reason, though, they felt comfortable ignoring certain prophecies that could not have been in play at the time, or else had some pretty bizarre interpretations on prophecies and their fulfillment.
There are many elements in play, of course, but the KEY one that sets our era apart is the re-formation of Israel nearly sixty years ago. That's a cornerstone of endtime prophecy that was always missing in past watches, and the one IMO that set the clock ticking.
Very interesting on the Nostradamus Islam thing. I didn't know that. Very interesting. I must look into that. Thanks for sharing.
MM