The gist of what we were talking about was that the adversary (Satan, the devil, call him what you may), despite what he wants you to believe, HATES us. You, me, and everyone who followed Christ in the pre-existence and, as a result, were given a chance at mortality (something he and his angels were denied and will never experience).
When I was younger, I believed (falsely) that somehow God and the devil both wanted our souls, and that we were somehow pawns (in a way) in some larger, eternal struggle. I remember having the thoughts that perhaps the devil cared about us in some way if he wanted us to live with him.
I could not have been more wrong!
The adversary doesn't like or even want us living with him -- he just doesn't want God to have us. When you see his awful plan from this perspective, it should more squarely put you on God's side, knowing that he doesn't now, nor has he ever, cared about you or even liked you and that his sole purpose is not to "win" you to his side, but to hurt you and I and God by making sure that if he can't win, then we and God shouldn't win, either.
He deserves no pity; we should never feel that somehow he wants what's best for us ("C'mon, you'll be happier if you don't have so many commandments to follow--look how fun it is--life's meant to be fun, isn't it...?") If he can prevent even one son or daughter of God (you and me) from being able to return to the presence of God, our loving Father...if he can lie to us and tell us in our darkest hours that he somehow cares more about us that God does...I imagine this brings a twisted, sickening, demented smile to his parched lips knowing that he will never see you again in the Here-after, but at least God won't either.
It makes me want to echo the words of the Master, even Jesus Christ, when he was tempted in the wilderness, "Get thee hence!"
...the Gospel According to Guy...
That's why he's known as the "spoiler," which is the Hebrew translation of devil.
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