When Will We Know?

I had intended to write a light-hearted post today, reflecting on how my kids are growing - and how I am growing older. But I just finished my Precepts homework for the week, and I am feeling anything but light-hearted at the moment.
My Precepts group is going through the book of Ezekiel this semester, and this past week we looked at chapters 4-7. (It is not a light read, by any means. But you may be interested to take a look.)
A quick background: Ezekiel was a priest/prophet and wrote this book while in exile in Babylon with most of the rest of the people of Judah. At the time of this writing, Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed. You may (or may not) know that Judah's captivity came after God had repeatedly called upon His people to repent from their evil ways and idol worship, lest destruction come by His hand. Yet they refused to listen.
OK. With that history in mind, chapters 4-7 of Ezekiel are filled with prophecy regarding what is about to happen to the land of God's people. Destruction, doom, death, and disaster are all foretold. And these things are said to come because of the ways and abominations of the people. It is very difficult to read - knowing the terror could have been avoided if they had just listened to the LORD.
And then?
Then came the application question: Might God do this to your nation? Why?

Oh, LORD, have mercy!
So many do not know. But they will.

That was the prayer which flowed from my heart in response to the application question, as I considered how severely the United States has rebelled against the ways of the LORD. We have gone so far astray, and we desperately need God's mercy.
I realized, however, most people have not studied His Word. Most people in this nation are not familiar with the history of rebellion and judgment and restoration through which God's people have gone/are going. To be fair, most people simply don't know. But I reflected further on what I have been studying and my heart reminded me - Though they don't know right now? They will.
That is to say, even though some people may not know what God says because they haven't studied the Bible - I believe everybody knows within their heart if they are rebelling against God by going their own way, doing their own thing, following their own system of what feels right to their self.
Each of us knows when we have done wrong.
And in case we miss the knowing, Ezekiel painted a picture of how it would become clear to the people of Judah. The phrase, Then they will know that I am the LORD is repeated several times in chapters 6 and 7. And this is what I saw as I marked that phrase:
Ezekiel 6:7, 10, 13 When disaster comes to the mountains and the slain fall among them...
Ezekiel 6:14 When the land is desolate and wasted because of the LORD's outstretched hand against it...
Ezekiel 7:4 When their ways and abominations are brought upon them...
Ezekiel 7:27 When they are dealt with and judged by God...
...then they will know that [HE is] the LORD.

Oh, that the United States would turn from our rebellious ways in submission to God - before His righteous hand of judgment has to fall upon us, that we might know HE is the LORD.