I would suggest that any scholar of the Bible, would never have thought the end time was near, because Israel had ceased to be a country, however Prophecy predicted that it would be again. The 1948 partition of Palestine, started a new clock, which advanced in 1967 when Israel reclaimed their Capital City Jerusalem.
You either believe the Bible or you don't
I believe the Bible. Like many other orthodox Christians who believe the Bible, I outgrew the apocalyptic hysteria as I grew in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the age of 20, I was unable to think more than a week or two ahead -- apocalyptic hysteria has a way of cauterizing your common sense, if you take it seriously. Today, as I approach my 58th birthday, I'm wrestling with a doctoral dissertation -- and it's a slithey tove, indeed -- or maybe a fruminous bandersnatch. I believe God has called me to complete said project at this, the beginning of the 2nd half of my adult life, so that I can have more influence for His glory over the next 30 years.