You mean sleazy Bill Ferny, not stalwart Bill the Pony.
He had no chance. He was Maiar, after all. The Valar would have squashed him like a bug if he laid siege personally to Valinor.
Perhaps he could have planned to free his master, Melkor. Then, with the power of Melkor’s ring (Arda), together maybe they could have done something.
But I think it more likely he just wanted to rule all of Arda marred.
4th age, actually. Circa 220, 4th age. Long long before the 5th age.
I think in a very real way Sauron did want to destroy the world of men: he wanted it to be his world, not under their influence or domination. He wanted to own or rule everything in Middle Earth, for no other reason than that he currently didn’t; it all ultimately was the creation of Eru (and the Valar), and he wanted to take it, partially out of spite, as has been mentioned before, and partially from his own arrogance, greed, and megalomania.
Qadgop I agree Sauron could never have successfully fought the Valar. My question was whether he thought he could. As others have noted in this thread, in Tolkien’s world evil has a way of thinking itself grander than it is.
The Valar have the power to literally change the landscape. No maia has that power. I don’t think, even in his wildest dreams, Sauron saw himself as able to take down the greater powers.
Much more likely would be an effort to retrieve Morgoth. Also possible would be an effort to make everything that was not-Valinor so awful that the Vala would cease to enjoy the situation. Remember, in the Third Age, Valinor is no longer physically connected to Middle-Earth except by a “straight road” that only certain beings can travel, with permission.
Given how chastened he was by his losing his body in the wreck of Numenor, I’d be inclined to say ‘no’.
Now, he could be delusional enough to think otherwise, but nothing I’d seen in JRRT’s writings really gives me pause to think this was the case. He was arrogant, but fearful.