Study Things to Come by Dwight Pentecost. Its a seminary textbook past used at the Dallas Theological Seminary. Tends towards dispensationalism, but is well balanced in explaing the basis of some other interpretations in eschatology.
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
These Bible verses explain that:
The saints at the end of this age are "alive and remain" (on earth) unto the coming of the Lord. They are not in heaven.
The saints who are still alive at Christ's second coming shall not precede those saints who are asleep (dead).
The dead in Christ rise first, then the saints who remain still alive on earth are caught up with the saints who were dead to meet Christ in the air as He returns to earth.