Grieving Pastor Greg Locke says devil will pay ‘hundredfold’ for his son’s death

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, May 14, 2026

Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, has promised that the devil will pay a “hundredfold” for the life of his 20-year-old son, Evan, who lost his battle with drug addiction last Friday.

During a public memorial for Evan held at the church on Wednesday, Locke painted an intimate portrait of his son’s gritty battle with addiction and shared how difficult it was for him and his family to receive the news of his death, despite significant experience with grief.

“I'll be 50 years old this weekend. And I've grieved a lot in 50 years, and I'll grieve more. I don't believe there can be a grief deeper than what our family is experiencing at this moment, and many of you, I don't minimize that,” he told those gathered at the memorial.

“I've done this hundreds of times for grieving families, people in this room whose children have passed away, and I've done their funerals. But when it comes home, there's a different reality in the air,” he explained.

“Life is just sucked out of your insides. And immediately, within just moments, the enemy began to say, ‘Yeah, would have, should have, could have, what if.' But those doubts don't win tonight,” Locke recalled about learning of his son’s death at a local hospital. “The enemy doesn't win tonight. Addiction doesn't win tonight. Death doesn't win tonight. The devil will pay a hundredfold for the life that he has taken.”

Evan’s obituary described him as “fearless and full of heart.”

“Evan lived a very adventurous lifestyle. He loved hunting deer and tearing up the road in fast cars — dreaming big of one day owning a Lamborghini. A lifelong member of Global Vision Bible Church, his faith was central to his life,” it said. “Though he faced a very public battle with substance abuse, Evan's greatest goal was to turn his pain into purpose by opening a sober living house or rehabilitation center to help others walking the same road.”

Malachi, Evan’s only biological sibling from his father’s first marriage to Melissa Biggers Locke, talked about the bond they shared and reminisced about his daredevil ways as a child.

“Evan was someone who was very special to a lot of people and very special to me. He is my only blood sibling, and my bond with him was very strong,” he said.

“He loved a lot of people and always cared for people, especially people that struggled with the same thing he struggled with. His dream was to start a rehab to help people with drug problems. He was a fighter. He fought for so many years.”

Malachi said even though his brother cycled in and out of drug rehabilitation, “the Lord still loves him, and we all still love him.”

“You never knew what Evan was going to do. He always kept you on your toes. He loved to play with fire. And one time when he was younger, he decided he wanted to light himself on fire and jump in the bathtub. He saw it online and thought it would be fun,” Malachi recalled. “But my mom caught him and said, ‘What are you doing, Evan?’ And he said, ‘I just wanted to do what they were doing.’ He would always do crazy things, but we always loved him.”

Locke made it clear that Evan was not someone who had a “rebellious heart” and said he had a calling on his life that was marred by addiction.

“You have to understand something about the reality of people that struggle with addictions, some of whom are in this room. There's a massive difference between someone who has a rebellious heart and a struggling flesh,” he said.

“Evan didn't have a rebellious bone in his body, but he struggled. And we don't minimize that struggle. The struggle was the proof of the calling of God upon his life that everyone knows was upon his life.”

The Tennessee preacher said many people had tried to help his son before his overdose and took time to acknowledge them during the service. He also recognized his ex-wife, Melissa, who he previously revealed struggles with mental illness.

“Divorce does not delegitimize a woman's right to be a mama. And she was a good one. She and Evan had their oil and water moments like anybody else,” he said.

“Our families are at peace. Blended families aren't easy,” he said, as she was presented with an enlarged photo of herself and Evan.

“We never obviously want you to forget him and his love for you,” Locke said to his ex-wife. “He did love you deeply. He loved you deeply.”