Abraham was never in hell, you should read Luke 16 closely, the rich man was in hell and Lazarus was in Heaven next to Abraham, the rich man calls out to Abraham (Who is in Heaven) from Hell where he (the rich man) is.
Also, what makes you think it's a societal warning? What about Matthew 25:41 says "Societal Warning?" or Revelation 20:15? Or what about Christ telling us that Hell is so serious that it'd be better to cut off our hand if it causes us to sin than to go into Hell in Mark 9:43? Scripture is clear that Hell is a real and eternal place, and it is the punishment we all deserve for going against God, and there's only one way to not go to Hell - To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well this is a topic that is mysterious to me...I certainly dont pretend to have all the answers about Heaven and Hell, but I think there's a couple reasons to suspect that Abraham and Lazarus were in the "Lowly Regions" (although in a more pleasant sector of the "Lowly Regions") After Jesus dies he goes to free those who are trapped in Hell.
Ephesians 4:9 says "...'He ascended,' what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?"
1st Peter 4:6 says "For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
....and then 1st Peter 3:18 says “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”
...and there are other passages of course...but the main point is that if Christ descended to free the dead spirits (presumably including the Rich Man) and the Bible specifically says that this descent was into the "Lower Parts of the Earth". So Lazarus and the Rich Man were also presumably there in the "Lower Parts of the Earth"...since they were close to the Rich Man to carry on the conversation that is detailed in Luke. Some people theorize that although the Abraham and the Lazarus were righteous, they still weren't righteous enough to get into Heaven...but that changed when Christ died. This could be true...although Im not sure. It could be that no one went to Heaven under the Old Covenant. This would be supported by Christ's statement in John 3:13 “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.” But this presumably changed when Christ died...This lends greater significance to one of Christ's final declarations "You will be with me this day in Paradise". That seems to be one of the first (if not the very first) Biblical reference to someone going to Heaven when they die. Also keep in mind that this would be in the same time frame that is detailed in Revelation 12:7 where the Bible describes the Child being born who changes the status quo...resulting in the War in Heaven where Satan is cast out (and this is consistent with Job where Satan has access to Heaven under the Old Covenant).
So to make a long story short (I apologize for the length of this post..) I think that there was huge change in the status quo when Christ died.
Then to briefly address why the Olivet Discourse (including Matthew 25) seems to be a societal level warning about Israel. The Parables of the the Talents, the Parables of the Virgins, the analogy of the Sheep and Goats and various other references in Matthew seem (at least to me ) to be speaking about the end of Israel's special status as God's chosen people and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (the end of the Jewish Age). One of words used in the Olivet Discourse is "Gehenna" (which along with Hades and Sheol was translated to mean "Hell" ) Gehenna was a reference to rubbish heaps and landfills outside of Israel (where rubbish was burned)...a possible reference to the idea that Israel was being "thrown out into the darkness" in favor of a new Guard (presumably comprised of both Jews and Gentiles who had accepted Christ). Of course Im not positive that this is what Christ is referring to...but what really convinces me is that this entire sequence (including the warnings about the Sheep and the Goats and the references to
kolasis and eternal destruction) are predicated with time signifiers such as "These things will all happen before this generation passes away". Why would general warnings about Hell be pinned to any one time frame or generation?
Oh and the Hell/ Lake of Fire that is referred to in Revelation is (at least in my opinion) something completely different from the other two Hells....but also a societal level warning. But that subject could get really long and complicated so I better resist the urge to get into that...
But I would be really curious to hear any verses or passages from the Bible that might contradict my views on Hell...Like i say its a very mysterious topic so Im always open to hearing new verses which may improve my understanding