[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Ernst Mach observed that Newton's law of motion reduce, trivially, to a definition of time. Which does not mean they are useless, we can predict simultaneous events, like a rocket ship and an asteriod meeting in space.

The idea of the defintion of time is actually quite profound, and not at all easily answered. In physics, time arises from the observation of sequential events, the interval between them being "time". Up until 1967, time was defined by gravity, as reckoned from the observation of astronomical events. The timescale arising from these observations was called "Ephemeris Time" or ET. It was the most uniform and accurate timescale known. In 1967, time, or more properly, the second, was redefined in terms of a quantum electromagnetic phenomenon, specific the band gap energy of a certain transition of the Cesium atom, giving rise to a timescale now called TAI. (International Atomic Time or Temps Atomique Internationale)

The remarkable thing is, that within the accuracy of our ability to measure, there is absolutely no inconsistency between ET (now replaced by TD or TDB, for Dynamical Time or Barycentric Dynamical Time) and TAI. In other words, either the cesium atom "knows" what the planets are doing, or the planets know what the cesium atom is doing, or events associated with both are progressing in response to a thing called "time".

[MHGinTN]

In other words, either the cesium atom "knows" what the planets are doing, or the planets know what the cesium atom is doing, or events associated with both are progressing in response to a thing called "time". So how do we explain the 'null path/state' of a photon crossing the universe yet carrying the present time imprint of when the photon was emitted, arriving at an observer and giving the observer a reading on the state of the source way back when the photon was emitted? I would contend that dimension TIME has similar expressions to what dimension SPACE is fashioned (linear, planar, volumetric). Perhaps our soul exists in present temporal alignment (planar present?), so it can 'sense' what occurs and gets processed by the bodily senses tuned to record past (linear past) events? ... I know, I know, it's an awkward way to express a new concept, but my limitations are language based. My point is that dimension TIME may beimagined as a 'volume', but that volume is composed of 'linear' and 'planar' arrangement. To God the Creator, all of TIME is occurring at the same just as all of SPACE is 'in' the 'bubble' we call spacetime.