When Jesus was on the cross, He was carrying upon Himself the sins of the world and, most of all, the rejection of man towards God.  He bore the silence of God, which is what atheists experience, without God! Only when Christ was hanging on the cross and said, “into your hands I commend my Spirit” did the Holy Spirit take over the mission of our Lord and complete it through the ages.  The victory of Jesus was complete when the Father raised Him from the dead.  But the ultimate victory would be won by the Spirit of Jesus at work in us.  Only when we surrender our plans, our life and our vulnerabilities to the Father, will He then work in us and through us.