One's deeds prove one's faith. Faith without deeds is a dead faith. Since faith is a personal relationship with Christ, we must act on that relationship.
Christ, when asked what would be signs of the last days, did not admonish or criticize his disciples for looking/thinking about such events.
There is a difference between meditating on the Scriptural account of the endtimes and becoming obsessed with predictions.
Additionally, I find your use of the phrase "arcane clues" to be rather telling.
I don't know why it would be. There is a long history of charlatans who "find" in the Scriptures things that were never there to begin with and who use fanciful interpretations that bear no discernible relation to the actual text. The "Bible Codes" ridiculousness comes to mind.
The best preparation, as Christ teaches, is to go about our daily business in a godly way - not to draw up fanciful timelines and dodgy predictions.
Endtime obssession is a spiritual disease that distracts Christians from the real work they are called to do.
Obsession may be a disease in the Body of Christ, but legalism is the lethal cancer that draws men away from God's grace and mercy and imposes the works-based piousness that kills faith and burden's men with impossible standards to live by that originate from the flesh of man, or the pit of hell, and only serve to exhalt man and his pride.
Legalism can quickly be sniffed out when we hear statements sounding such as this..."REAL Christians dontchaknow ALWAYS do this...", or, "REAL Christians dontchaknow NEVER do this...". Which is what you implied in your post. That is what I was addressing to you.
So your comment; "...mark of a serious Christian is that he doesn't have an elaborate endtime scenario..." lends itself to a legalistic prespective as you attempt to burden other believers with how they are to think and act...according to YOUR self-styled standards.
For cying out loud, THE BIBLE CONSISTNETLY TEACHES A "SERIOUS ENDTIME SCENARIO"...and Jesus taught a "SERIOUS ENDTIME SCENARIO"!
By your personal lofty standards of legalism, even John, Paul, Timothy, & Titus weren't SERIOUS CHRISTIANS. You come across sounding as though anyone who seriously studies end time prophecy is somehow less SERIOUS of a Christian than you are. THAT my friend is legalism in black and white.
Any other self-designed laws that you have made up that the brethren must adhere to in order to be "serious Christians" in your eyes?
Thankfully, we don't have to live by the rules of men (as the Pharisees imposed, when they burdended men with so many countlees rules that they stumbled men from seeing God's grace), but we live by the Spirit of God Who lives in us and by His grace and mercy. Legalism was vanquished at the cross.
I give thanks and agree with Paul when he wrote; "By the grace of God, I am what I am...".
So please be careful, lest you stumble someone.
Peace