In publish/subscribe systems, XML message filtering performed at application layer is an important operation for XML message multicast. As a specific case of contentbased multicast in application layer, XML message multicast depends on the data filtering and matching processes and the forwarding and routing schemes. As the XML data emerges in transition, XML message filtering and matching becomes more and more desirable. BFilter, proposed in this thesis, conducts the XML message filtering and matching by leveraging branch points in both the XML document and user profile. It evaluates user profiles that use backward matching branch points to delay further matching processes until branch points match in the XML document and user profile. In this way, XML message filtering can be performed more efficiently as the probability of mismatching is reduced.