Jesus gives John an indication that what he is seeing is not all literal. The stars are not literally stars and the lampstands are not literally lampstands. Rather they represent other things. Some things in the visions are explained, while others are not. We are to be wise in making determinations about what means what, but we need to remember—what is seen is not always what is real.
Another interpretation point I think is very important: If a symbol is explained, then the explanation is the literal understanding of it. The explanation is not as yet another symbol that needs to be interpreted. The harlot in later chapters is a city-- the city is not a symbol for something else. Sometimes, like the lampstands, there can be two explanations for a single symbol, either because we are not clear or because two items are closely related. But interpretation of symbols must stop at some reality, somewhere. We can't just keep guessing until we find something we like.
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