Time did not exist prior to the big bang but rather came into existence as our universe expanded, creating it as it went. Unfortunately, this concept does not lend itself to pictorial representation and discussion of the mathematical proof is outside the scope of this paper. Suffice it to say that it was proven beyond a reasonable doubt by NASA when, during the Gemini Program, an atomic clock was sent into high velocity orbit on a Gemini orbital space mission while a pre-launch synchronized identical clock was kept on earth during that mission. When the Gemini returned to earth, the two clocks were compared and they were found to be different and the time difference was exactly that predicted by Einstein's theory for the velocity experienced by the clock during the orbital mission. So if we accept that local space and time did not exist prior to the big bang and that space and time were created as the universe expanded to create them, then space and time do not exist outside of a physical universe.
Time is no less a dimension of our universe than is length, width, and height.
Time belongs to the physical universe and does not exist outside of it. Physical objects, both animate and inanimate objects, are capable of selected experiences. For example, if I take an ice cube out of a glass of ice water and throw it across a room, the ice cube will experience acceleration, that is, an inanimate object, namely an ice cube, is capable of undergoing acceleration. Acceleration is within the range of experiential possibilities for an ice cube. Now let us look at a different example.