“Another mistake is to dismiss such possibilities out of hand.”
No.
1) After all you could only make that mistake once if at all. Every other time you would be right.
2) As long as you have faith in Christ, embrace correct doctrine, and live as you should, you will lose exactly nothing no matter how often you misunderstand a fulfillment of any particular prophecy from the Old Testament.
Why would God see fit to include details regarding the end times in Sacred Scripture if not to prepare the Church to recognize the signs?
Only one who ignores the warnings of Our Lady at Fatima would have such a pollyanna attitude.