Frequent watchtower argument against the trinity

Does the holy spirit know when Jesus will return?

The question is based on the following scripture verses where Jesus is speaking of the time of His return:

Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Jehovah's Witnesses initially used this verse to attempt to defeat the doctrine of the Trinity by asserting that if Jesus was truly God, then He would know what God knows. However, the Bible teaches that Jesus emptied Himself of His deific qualities when He came to earth:

Philippians 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

So it makes sense that at the time Jesus was speaking He did not have the same knowledge the Father had.

Jehovah's Witnesses have now created a very curious argument that essentially argues that if the Holy Spirit truly could "know" anything (i.e. if the Holy Spirit had a personality) then He would know the day and hour of Jesus return. Since the Holy Spirit is not mentioned by Jesus, JW's conclude that the Holy Spirit is incapable of "knowing" anything.

Evaluation

1. Right from the start, we must recognize that this is a logical fallacy known as an argument from silence. An argument from silence essentially asserts that something must be mentioned in order to be valid, or is invalid if it is not addressed. Such is the case here. We must consider the point the person is trying to make to determine whether or not it is necessary for the speaker to address it. In this case, Jesus is speaking to an audience well aware of the Holy Spirit - Jews familiar with the Old Testament who equated the Holy Spirit with God. It would be redundant for Jesus to include the Holy Spirit in the list of who knows what.

2. This is further developed in 1 Corinthians 2:11 where it is confirmed that the Holy Spirit knows what God knows:

1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

If the Holy Spirit knows what God knows then it is redundant to include it. Furthermore, this verse indicates the Holy Spirit KNOWS something - an act the Watchtower's "impersonal active force" cannot accomplish!

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