en_tn/1th/04/16.md

the Lord himself will descend

"the Lord himself will come down"

the archangel

"the chief angel"

the dead in Christ will rise first

"those who believe in Jesus Christ, but who have died, will rise first"

we who are alive

The pronoun "we" refers to all believers. (See rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-inclusive)

with them

The pronoun "them" refers to the the deceased believers who have been made alive and have already risen to be with Jesus.

caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air

"meet the Lord Jesus in the sky"