I think yours is a fine approach that I wish more Christians held... I do my best to set aside pre conceptions and biases, but I'm not always perfect at it... we all approach scripture with a certain paradigm.... I just think we have to be prepared to let scripture inform that paradigm , and not the other way around. and be prepared to embrace a paradigm shift when scripture illuminates one for us.
I'm curious when you say:
"In contrast, as one reads, the 'lawless' one seems to be alike to the AntiChrist or the spirit that is the AntiChrist. While of course at least they'd be connected, they also seem the same entity."
Can you point me to the scriptures that lead you to make this assumption?
Which of the scriptures that teach of the attributes and identity of antichrist in 1st and 2nd John, do you believe to be synonymous with the scriptures that teach of the attributes and identity of Paul's Man of Sin/lawless one of 2nd Thessalonians?
Can you do a side by side comparison so we might examine the correlation that you are seeing?
I've usually not sought very much to figure out details of future events, but have
listened more for spiritual choices we are to make, as I read. (sort of like reading in the old testament prophets -- often it's about our spiritual/heart relationship with God) So, the following is not detailed. Also, it's more some older thoughts from further back in time, and I'm not recently read in Thess 1 and 2. But notice here the word 'mystery' --
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.
So, this is intentionally being kept in part mystery (intentionally not revealed to us)-- we are not told too many details, since that would cause other problems (such as us having too easy a time recognizing even without an active (doing actions) faith the situation when it comes, but we are instead to be enduring
because of faith and doing as Christ said, not because we could know and then recognize clear signs one day and then say 'whoa, now I'd better turn to God more fully', and just pragmatically choose to repent and do as God says at the last hour). These kinds of details cannot be revealed too fully or clearly.
In 1 John 4:2-3, where confessing to me would mean to confess that Christ rose from the dead, and that we will all face God, and thus that all Christ said is quite real, and none of it can be lain aside or discounted or ignored if one says one is Christian or following Christ. (ergo, there can never be justification then from the full faith view for breaking Matthew 7:12 even sometimes) From the verses we can think (could) that the antichrist is a spirit that can affect people, and then they will be more lawless (unloving, greed filled, idol worshipping, and so on). I don't feel at this time I should try to connect more pieces. I want to read and listen instead.
