1. Agreed to an extent with but at end.
HE holds sole authority over punishing and rewarding people, though HE refers to HIMSELF as all forgiving it is just that HIS creature needs to seek and ask for HIS forgiveness. Your point in turn is why he sent nearly (according to our belief) 124,000 Prophets and messengers to convey to human kind the principal and path to success in this life and here after. The times these Prophets were sent is mostly when Human Kind forgot the principals and were religion less (there have been synchronous Prophets as well).
But HIS scheme of things is a bit different, there are no multiple religions, there is only one single path that will lead to redemption. And it is a bit complex (higher level thing) to understand (if you are non Muslim)
2. Agreed. End of times would mean that time to seek forgiveness has lapsed, and we believe that even if there is one single believer (Kalima Goh), the judgement day won't fall upon this earth. In fact there are prophecies about this it will be decided and declared beforehand who is believer and who is non believer, believers would be taken away from Earth so that the process can start.
3. GOD is Omniscient HE creates and HE destroys the life, HE creates living from non living, and non living from living.
Why would creator need to go through instruction manuals.
I thought you just had half a dozen or so!! 
