Anthony Pritchard
Well-Known Member
Time and Space: The Divine Structure of Creation
Time Series Part Five
Many people are confused about the nature of time. They treat time as if it were a physical substance, something that can be stretched or compressed like matter. This confusion becomes greater when they encounter ideas such as time dilation. The problem is not that time is complicated. The problem is that people assume time is material. Scripture presents time as something God created, something real but immaterial, something we can measure but never touch. The creation account in Genesis shows that time exists before the sun, that time is not defined by solar cycles, and that God’s definition of a day is rooted in His own ordering of light and darkness. These truths lead naturally into the larger reality that time and space are inextricable and that God is not bound by either.
Time Exists Before the Sun
The first words of Scripture establish the beginning of time.
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The phrase “in the beginning” marks the commencement of time. This occurs before the creation of the sun on the fourth day. Time exists because God created it. It is not a product of solar motion. It is not contingent upon the earth’s rotation. It is a dimension of created reality.
God Defines a Day Without the Sun
The first act of God within that dimension is the creation of light.
Genesis 1:3-5
“And God said, Let there be light and there was light.
And God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
This passage defines a day by God’s own action. He creates light. He separates it from darkness. He names the light Day and the darkness Night. The cycle of light and darkness is called “evening and morning.” This definition is complete. It does not require the sun. It does not require hours. It does not require rotation or revolution. A day is the ordered cycle of light and darkness as God establishes it.
The same pattern continues.
Genesis 1:8
“And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Genesis 1:13
“And the evening and the morning were the third day.”
These days occur before the creation of the sun in verse 14. This proves that “evening and morning” are not solar dependent. They are defined by God’s separation of light and darkness, not by astronomical cycles.
This foundation is necessary, but it is not the end of the matter. It leads directly into the deeper truth about the nature of time itself.
Time Is Real but Immaterial
Time is not made of atoms. It is not made of energy. It is not a physical substance. Time is real, but it is immaterial. It is a created framework in which all material things exist. We can track time. We can measure its passage. We can see its effects. But we cannot hold it or dissect it. Time is real, but it is not material.
This is why time dilation confuses people. They treat time as if it were a physical object. Time dilation simply means that different observers experience the rate of time differently depending on velocity and gravity. It does not mean time is elastic. It means the rate at which time passes is not uniform everywhere. That is a property of the created order, not a property of matter.
Time is a real, created condition, but it is not material.
Time and Space Are Inextricable
Time and space cannot be separated. They are distinct in concept but inseparable in function.
If you have time but no space, you have duration but no location. You have all the time and no place to go. There is no distance to cross and no position to occupy.
If you have space but no time, you have extension but no duration. You have all the room in the universe but no time to move. Nothing can change. Nothing can act. Nothing can think.
Motion requires a place to move and time in which to move. Change requires location and duration. Life requires a body in space and time for that body to act. Thought requires a mind located somewhere and time for thoughts to occur. Without both, nothing happens.
This is why Genesis begins with time and immediately creates space.
“In the beginning…”
“…God created the heaven and the earth.”
Time and space appear together because they must appear together. They are the framework of creation.
God Is Not Bound by Time or Space
God is not spatial. God is not temporal. He created time and space. He is not contained by them. He can act before time, outside time, within time, and beyond time. He is present everywhere without occupying space and without being limited by duration. Time and space are the fabric of creation. God is the Creator of the fabric.
This is why He can define a day without the sun. This is why He can establish evening and morning before any astronomical mechanism exists. This is why His definition of time stands above human measurement.
Conclusion
The biblical definition of a day is given by God Himself. It is the ordered cycle of light and darkness, marked by “evening and morning,” and it exists independently of the sun. Time is real but immaterial. Space is real but created. Together they form the framework of creation. Attempts to stretch the creation days into long ages rely on solar mechanics that did not exist when God defined the day. The text stands firm. A day is a day because God says it is.
Some realities are simply larger than human cognition. The essence of time and the relationship between time and space belong to that category. God understands the architecture of creation perfectly. We understand enough to recognize His order and trust His revelation. The rest belongs to Him.
© A.K. Pritchard 1979, 2026 – Free to use with proper attribution.
Time Series Part Five
Many people are confused about the nature of time. They treat time as if it were a physical substance, something that can be stretched or compressed like matter. This confusion becomes greater when they encounter ideas such as time dilation. The problem is not that time is complicated. The problem is that people assume time is material. Scripture presents time as something God created, something real but immaterial, something we can measure but never touch. The creation account in Genesis shows that time exists before the sun, that time is not defined by solar cycles, and that God’s definition of a day is rooted in His own ordering of light and darkness. These truths lead naturally into the larger reality that time and space are inextricable and that God is not bound by either.
Time Exists Before the Sun
The first words of Scripture establish the beginning of time.
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The phrase “in the beginning” marks the commencement of time. This occurs before the creation of the sun on the fourth day. Time exists because God created it. It is not a product of solar motion. It is not contingent upon the earth’s rotation. It is a dimension of created reality.
God Defines a Day Without the Sun
The first act of God within that dimension is the creation of light.
Genesis 1:3-5
“And God said, Let there be light and there was light.
And God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
This passage defines a day by God’s own action. He creates light. He separates it from darkness. He names the light Day and the darkness Night. The cycle of light and darkness is called “evening and morning.” This definition is complete. It does not require the sun. It does not require hours. It does not require rotation or revolution. A day is the ordered cycle of light and darkness as God establishes it.
The same pattern continues.
Genesis 1:8
“And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Genesis 1:13
“And the evening and the morning were the third day.”
These days occur before the creation of the sun in verse 14. This proves that “evening and morning” are not solar dependent. They are defined by God’s separation of light and darkness, not by astronomical cycles.
This foundation is necessary, but it is not the end of the matter. It leads directly into the deeper truth about the nature of time itself.
Time Is Real but Immaterial
Time is not made of atoms. It is not made of energy. It is not a physical substance. Time is real, but it is immaterial. It is a created framework in which all material things exist. We can track time. We can measure its passage. We can see its effects. But we cannot hold it or dissect it. Time is real, but it is not material.
This is why time dilation confuses people. They treat time as if it were a physical object. Time dilation simply means that different observers experience the rate of time differently depending on velocity and gravity. It does not mean time is elastic. It means the rate at which time passes is not uniform everywhere. That is a property of the created order, not a property of matter.
Time is a real, created condition, but it is not material.
Time and Space Are Inextricable
Time and space cannot be separated. They are distinct in concept but inseparable in function.
If you have time but no space, you have duration but no location. You have all the time and no place to go. There is no distance to cross and no position to occupy.
If you have space but no time, you have extension but no duration. You have all the room in the universe but no time to move. Nothing can change. Nothing can act. Nothing can think.
Motion requires a place to move and time in which to move. Change requires location and duration. Life requires a body in space and time for that body to act. Thought requires a mind located somewhere and time for thoughts to occur. Without both, nothing happens.
This is why Genesis begins with time and immediately creates space.
“In the beginning…”
“…God created the heaven and the earth.”
Time and space appear together because they must appear together. They are the framework of creation.
God Is Not Bound by Time or Space
God is not spatial. God is not temporal. He created time and space. He is not contained by them. He can act before time, outside time, within time, and beyond time. He is present everywhere without occupying space and without being limited by duration. Time and space are the fabric of creation. God is the Creator of the fabric.
This is why He can define a day without the sun. This is why He can establish evening and morning before any astronomical mechanism exists. This is why His definition of time stands above human measurement.
Conclusion
The biblical definition of a day is given by God Himself. It is the ordered cycle of light and darkness, marked by “evening and morning,” and it exists independently of the sun. Time is real but immaterial. Space is real but created. Together they form the framework of creation. Attempts to stretch the creation days into long ages rely on solar mechanics that did not exist when God defined the day. The text stands firm. A day is a day because God says it is.
Some realities are simply larger than human cognition. The essence of time and the relationship between time and space belong to that category. God understands the architecture of creation perfectly. We understand enough to recognize His order and trust His revelation. The rest belongs to Him.
© A.K. Pritchard 1979, 2026 – Free to use with proper attribution.