Has there ever been a time in history when signs of the “end times” were not in play? Jesus mentioned the signs as things going on as usual. The signs he singled out were the stars falling, etc.
I don’t think he meant that the end time was a period of time longer than the period of time it was supposed to be the end of.
Very clever. I like it.
That said, there are some things about our times that provides good reasons why now might be the real "End Times."
One, for the first time in the history of the world, we have the capacity to complete destroy human life on the planet (and not just with nuclear bombs, but also with lab designed bugs). And given the nature of human beings, some nuts--scientists, military generals, or both--are going to try.
Two, we are on the verge of being able to transform humans into an entirely new species via genetic manipulation. Toss robotics/cybernetics into the mix and we get an even more complicated array of species.
None of this is mentioned in the Bible except for perhaps the "times of Noah" comment (when it is thought by some Biblical scholars that the Fallen Ones were creating hybrid humans and animals).