1) Incredibly arbitrary. Many people thought the days the bible was in were 'the latter days', heck jesus said it would be in their lifetime. Or it could be a hundred million years from now. Even if I did believe that the writers of the bible had any sort of psychic powers.

2) I think the people who 'generally accept' that are doing the same thing you're doing an finding things in history to make it fit.

3) poo! feces and poo!