by Reb Aharon, author of Eye to the Infinite @ Mystical Paths

The real greats of yesteryear, i.e. Rabbi Noftoli Zvi of Robschits, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, both said [amongst others whom I can't recall right now] that people would be doing their day-to-day activities, the tailor his mending, the cobbler his shoe making, etc, and suddenly Moshiach would arrive.

So it also says in the [real] Novi "SUDDENLY the Master will enter His Palace" - i.e. Moshiach will come and G-d's Glory revealed when the world was agog [pun intended].

With the Gulf War and the Lubavicher Rebbe's associating it with the words of the Midrash (via Yalkut Shimoni Yishayahu Remez 499), Rabbi Elchonon Halpern of London [very venerable Talmid Chochom, a remnant of the last generations] said Moshiach would not come then as Chazal say he will only come at a time when nobody is thinking of him [hesach hada'as].

I dare say one could counter-argue that we are all in a state of hesach hadaas anyway.