Where is it written that we should not study prophecy? Because you look for prophecy in current events does not mean your looking for a way to act until one believes the end is near. The fact that the world is getting worse not better gives many people hope in prophetics words from the Bible....You make it sound like it's hokey pokey crystal ball stuff.
If GOd did not want us to know the future of things to come in the Holy Bible it would have been omited.
These are my words: "those that fix dates and scenarios about the future based on Revelation are dangerously delving into false prophechy and spread deception - even if they are well meaning."
So study away but don't look to use prophesey as a forecast to know when to go to your survivalist retreat.
Those that I single out are those like Hal Lindsey @ http://www.armageddonbooks.com/hal.html and his ilk who always seem to always get their predictions wrong.
There is a segment of the Evangelical community that seems to preach exclusively from Revelation such as "the world's foremost prophetic scholars - Dr. Jack Van Impe" @ http://www.jvim.com/about.htm.
What is most damaging is that these Evangelical beliefs were mutated through the prisim of the Cold War and clouded many judgements. The USSR must be the land of the anti-Christ - lets arm the jihadis - who are pius Muslims to fight for us. Then when the USSR collapses by itself this takes many in America by surprise - a whole industry built around the the USSR is the Beast because of the Cold War and Armaggedon already exists so any future engagement with Russia is not allowed - because the Russians are really the KGB and it was all a plot to sneak in a one world govt! Maybe this is why America did not carry out a Marshall plan the former USSR? Maybe the anti-christ will come from the EU? (few seem to think he will be an American - the world's only super power for generations to come that could actually enforce its mark on hand and head).
Currently we have to watch Evangelicals "test" the Lord and dare him into the Apocalypse by setting up events in the Middle East that they think will bring about the end times - breading the red heffers for sacrifice at the Temple - but first we must kick out the Muslims form the temple - which we want to do - but we only want to kick the Muslims out because it will bring out a holy war - which we want because that will create conditions for the final battle, etc.
That borders on human sacrifice by indirect means in the hope that this world ending war will push Jesus to return.