No one could actually see that Christ died for all sinners. Only God could actually see this fact. Man can see that Christ was crucified on the cross, but only God can see that His death was FOR sinners. He just informs us through the Bible that this is what happened. So, the best way to view the atonement is not through the limited, linear, and sequential perspective of man, but through the eyes of the eternal God.
First off, the Lord Jesus Christ was already ordained by God in eternity past, yes, before the foundation of the world, to be the sacrifice for man's sins (1 Peter 1:19-20).
Though the atonement was offered here in time, it went out to God in eternity. From God's eternal perspective, He could see the atonement of Christ on the cross of Calvary right smack dab at the center of all time. In one sweep of time, God could see the past, present, and future, and right at the center is the cross of Christ --- the all-sufficient sacrifice for all.
To Him, Christ's atonement was as good as done, an ever-present reality. He could speak of the work of atonement in the past tense even before Christ came to actually die for our sins! Seven hundred years (give or take) before Christ, God inspired the prophet Isaiah to say such things about Christ's atonement:
Isa 53:4 Surely He HAS borne our griefs And CARRIED our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him STRICKEN, SMITTEN by God, and AFFLICTED
5 But He WAS WOUNDED for our transgressions, He WAS BRUISED for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace WAS upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
So, prior to the cross, men already had an atonement that was as good as done and after the cross, men had an atonement that was actually accomplished. The value and benefits of Christ's atonement would be readily applied to anyone who repented whether before or after the cross.
Turning the tables
These guys say that Christ could not have died for all since many already passed on to hell when Christ died on the cross, so He could not have died for them.
Well, many saved sinners already died and passed on to Paradise when Christ died on the cross of Calvary. People like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and many others. So did this mean that they went to Paradise without being atoned by Christ? Of course not!
